Madison Park is the first park acquired after the Metropolitan Board of Parks and Recreation was…read moreestablished in 1963, at their first meeting. Elvis's manager, Colonel Tom Parker, donated $7,000 to help pay for the park. The park also hosted a`n annual Madison Hillbilly Day- proceeds of which were also used towards the park purchase funds. The park was purchased for $9,000n from Opha Bixer. The property was turned over to a nonprofit organization- the Madison Community Park, Inc- and was purchased back by Metro Nashville for $16,500 in 1988, in exchange for a promise to build a community center there. Today, it has 30 acres, and hosts a community center, a playground, public restrooms, picnic shelters, baseball fields, basketball courts, volleyball courts, tennis courts, paved walking/jogging paths, and a multipurpose field. It underwent a major renovation in 2019, and there are further renovation plans in the future, including a plan for a dog park. The renovations are gorgeous, with a royal blue and gold theming.

I often wonder why there's been so much migration SE on I24. I mean, I *know* why but rather than…read moremoving so far away, I wonder why more people haven't crossed Briley to head up to Madison. I fully expect this adjacent city to gain more and more popularity amongst folks looking for some real estate relief (and who want to stay in Davidson County). When that population boom happens, I think many of these folks will find good times to be had at Madison Park. Madison Park is deceptively large. I drove in to the park on Cumberland, thinking it to be a small, neighborhood green space. Not the case. Madison Park, despite being surrounded by apartments, homes and a highway, is a healthy park with a lot of attractive attributes. I'm curious to see what it's like in the spring/summer. Far from a thatch of grass, the park offers: basketball court, baseball diamonds, pavilions for lunching, tennis court, soccer field, volleyball court, a community center, a playground, and rolling hills with (Madison) city views and mature trees. I didn't expect any of this from what I saw on the back end. There are three entrances and plenty of parking. From the signage, there looks to be some construction/improvements on the way. I'm curious to see what that looks like. For nearby residents, the community center offers free child care with programming for the school year and summer. Obviously, Madison Park is a local resource and respite but I think its size and the many additions it offers allows it to be a destination park as well. If you haven't spend much time in Madison, you could do far worse than by starting here.

Moss Wright Park may be one of my favorite parks in the Nashville Metro area! Tucked away north of…read morethe city in Goodlettsville, Moss Wright Park has all the quintessential offerings of a city park plus a few extras! The park itself is huge covering close to 150 acres, and features multiple sports complexes for different sports including baseball, football, soccer and even volleyball! In addition there is a paved walking trail that stretches over 3 miles from entry to exit, and gets even longer if you walk the parking lots that connect the two! The walking path is one of my favorites as it is fairly scenic for a park walking path with portions covered, shrouded in trees and alongside the creek, while the other part is open-air surrounding the soccer fields and dog park, but also still next to the creek. There are also gazebos, benches, picnic tables and playgrounds scattered throughout. The above are things that you naturally find at local parks, but a bit upgraded I would say...and in addition Moss Wright has a fairly newly constructed outdoor gym spot to help with a quick circuit workout. Lastly, this park is full of history from the Bowen House to Mansker's Station plus this park is location to the Goodlettsville Welcome/Visitors Center. Parking is plentiful. No matter which entrance you come in through or what area of the park you are after, parking is available. The park and all the facilities including the restrooms are very well kept from a cleanliness and condition standpoint. Overall, Moss Wright Park is a favorite of mine...funny enough, I am headed there to get a few miles in after submitting this review!

Very cool park in Goodlettesville, Tennessee that houses a recreation of Manskers fort, sport…read morefields, a nice walking path e and just a great place to spend a bit of time. The park itself is huge and offers multiple parking areas. The tourist area building is on the property, as well. Definitely a park to check out.

Yes. Just a quiet little loop to walk around and enjoy some fresh air and sunshine. Not a huge path…read moreso if you're really wanting to get some mileage in you'll have to go around it many times but I enjoy walking here.

Founded in 2013, this 2.5 acre park has a paved walking/jogging path loop and not a lot else. But…read moredon't let this fool you. It's gorgeous. This property was a neighborhood pool in the 1940's and 1950's. Many city parks closed their pools dur to desegregation in the 1960's- it is unclear if that is why this one closed. Today, it's a beautiful, charming little park, with statuettes, benches, picnic tables, beautiful flowers, and a hidden fairy village in one of the trees. Also- unlike many local parks, this paved path is almost entirely in the shade, which makes it an especially nice little walk.

Decent enough park. It has a walking path, basketball courts, a children's playground and a couple…read moreof pavilions.

Lock 2 Park has some interesting history, and unlike it's sister, has actually been invested in. A…read morerefresher from the Lock 1 Post: In the 1890s, the locks and dams were constructed along the Cumberland to help steamships navigate the waters. But it was expensive, didn't work well, and steamship utilization drops. Nashville Parks and Rec took over managing it this park in 1956. It has 5.73 acres, overlooking the Cumberland River. It was actually hard for me to get a good picture of the river, because there were so many people fishing! This is the first Nashville park we've hit that had people fishing, which was fun to see. It has a playground, a boat launch, and the original lock keeper's house.

A beautiful park just north of Nashville that I recommend everyone check out at some point. I'll…read moreadmit the first few times I had a hard time finding the parking lot, but once you know where to make that turn it's super easy. There are a few different loops, very easy and nothing too strenuous or hilly. Don't forget your bug spray, or you'll get home covered in bites!

We thought the two hiking trails we took at the Beaman Park Nature Center were kid friendly and…read morerelatively easy. We didn't get a chance to see the nature center as it was closed the Tuesday after Memorial Day. There was plenty of parking and it was easy to find. The trails were well maintained and marked with benches at several points to take a rest. We saw plenty of dogs and friendly people on the trails. Definitely would recommend closed-toed shoes and a filled water bottle as the drinking fountains at the Center were not working.

Mary's Magical Place is playground witchcraft…read more I've got a 10-year-old and a 3-year-old, and somehow both of them have a blast here, which feels illegal. Big, open, clean, and handicap accessible so everyone can get in on the chaos. I'm a playground inspector and know the installer, who does excellent work. You can tell this place was built right. Great park. Five stars. My kids burn energy and I get to pretend I'm supervising.

This park is AWESOME!…read more For crawling babies, walking toddlers and older siblings there is something for everyone. It's also inclusive for kids in a wheelchair or needing additional assistance. There are several musical play opportunities that really interest all ages. Plenty of shaded areas for parents to sit and watch their kids explore, picnic tables in the shade, etc. We spent a couple of hours there with a 1 year old and definitely explored the whole park. One warning, always check the back and seats of the different swings as some of them get hot in different places. There is a roller hockey rink and skate park there as well. My daughter really enjoyed roller skating in the rink. The whole park was very clean, and well maintained. Can't wait to go there again.

I found this park from a Yelp search. It's the perfect place to go walking or running. I go to the…read morefar end of the park and run the greenway. It's absolutely beautiful. The start of the greenway is a bridge with running water below. You can follow this path for a few miles. I do an out and back that's about 5 miles. I felt very safe here. I see a lot of other walkers and runners.

This is such a great park!!!! We love coming here with my kids every time we visit family. This…read morepark has so many amenities and it's great to see people outside!! 1. The playground is awesome. Taylor Swift went to high school in Hendersonville. So she herself paid for the playground equipment for the kids. And I must say the playground equipment itself is super cute! Love the castle. It's awesome to see celebrities give back to their hometown. And they have a take a book leave a book library for the kids. Amazing! 2. Such a great spot for a quick fishing trip. I always see lots of people on the shore fishing and a few in their kayaks as well. On our most recent trip, my father in law caught a small bass. Of course we let it back into the water, but my kids were so excited to see their grandpa hook one. 3. There's also a handful of tennis courts that were being perused. The walking trail is a great way to enjoy the beautiful spring weather and get some exercise! And with the scenery, it's a nice spot for a date or picnic with the family. Just be careful where you step since there are a lot of ducks roaming the area. 4. And the bathrooms are spotless!!!!! I had to throw that in there. This is such a great place for families and to enjoy the fresh air.

I am in a deeply committed, borderline unhealthy relationship with this park. I've spent an…read moreirresponsible amount of my life here and it keeps turning me into an endurance athlete against my will. First 100+ mile bike ride? Here. First ultra marathon? Here. At this point I'm one trail run away from qualifying for something I didn't sign up for. I also golf here more than a retired grandpa in Florida. Like, aggressively. If you need a tee time, sorry, I might already be there. I've made friends, ran races, had full character development arcs, and I see the same deer so often that we're basically on a "head nod" basis. I've named them. They know my schedule. One of them owes me money. Honestly, Nashville Parks should either sponsor me, put my name on a bench, or issue a restraining order.

Shelby Park in East Nashville has quickly become one of my favorite parks to hit up for a weekday…read moreevening or weekend afternoon walk! I have been making my way to all the Metro parks and Shelby Park sits high on my list right now, and for good reason! The park is well equipped with all the park staples and even a few specialty areas. I come here for the trails, as I love wandering around the park, through the woods, by the golf course and around the water. Just something about it all that makes the walks a bit more enjoyable. In addition to the trails the park offers the classic park offerings such as playgrounds, gazebos and sporting fields. The park is well kept and clean. All parks are a bit worn and dated, but it is not enough to detract from the park itself. Nashville does a good job keeping the parks in good working order, as well as clean. Overall, I am a fan of Shelby Park!

The ribbon cutting for the new Oakwood Park is set for April 13, 2019 !…read more Thank you Former Mayor Megan Barry and current Mayor Briley for making sure Metro Parks had the resources to create and amazing community park. Multiple playgrounds and a resurfaced basketball court. Wide nature trails to the top of the hill for an amazing view and safe pathways through neighborhoods. This upgrade was completed by a locally owned minority business; Mutual Contractors Basketball court has been resurfaced - water fountain installed. Mountain Biking and hiking available on nature trails.

Oakwood Park was established in 1983, and has 26 acres, a playground, a basketball court, an…read moreamphitheater, and an unpaved hiking trail. The landscape is very hilly. There was an impressive facelift to the park in 2019, which included playground equipment that utilizes the hilly terrain. It's polished, it's beautiful, and the hiking trail has an amazing view of the city skyline. The parking is not so great, but don't let that deter you! This park needs to be seen!

FYI- The park/beach area is the first entrance on right (as you're heading down Swinging Bridge Rd)read more

Bathrooms are closed and it's April 23rd! Sign on door says "bathrooms closed for winter season"…read moreIMHO why should they be closed at all? People fish at this lock, all year any day about 50 people are fishing here kids and adults alike. Open the bathrooms!!!