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!

Imagine. It's 1960. You are a member of the board of Metro Nashville Parks and Recreation. Your…read moreboard has dozens of dreams, and is about to enter the golden age of Nashville Parks, and unbeknownst to you, the number of Nashville parks will double in the next decade. One of the ideas that floats around and gets stuck is a big ole' regional park in Green Hills- something at least 40 acres. But, Green Hills experiences a boom in that same decade. Real estate prices soar, and it begins to look like Green Hills will never get their version of a Shelby Park. But then a property adjacent to John Trotwood Moore Middle School becomes condemned. In 1973, the Metro Parks Board, and the Metro Board of Education, couple up to pull the money together to buy the property and fix it up. Green Hills Park opened in 1972 to little fanfare. Being adjacent to a middle school, it had a playground, a soccer/multipurpose field, and a baseball field. In 2006, it received a 2006 remodel, including paved walking path, and additional playgrounds. It has over 13 acres, and is well worth a visit.

The park is in a great location for Green Hills and is frequented by many people throughout the…read moreyear. A dedicated group of volunteers called Friends of Green Hills Park has begun a revitalization effort within the park. Their goal is to improve the park experience in many ways, like adding structures, play features, & native plants. They are actively removing invasive trees, shrubs, and groundcovers and replacing them with native plants, which will bring more pollinators and birds to the park. The changes are noticeable and exciting. I look forward to seeing the park continue to improve. Our pollinators have struggled with so many yards being "Green Deserts;" They are green in color, but lifeless. We have vast, perfectly-mowed lawns and non-native shrubs pruned to look like meatballs. We plant very few native plants, so our birds and pollinators struggle to find food. Our birds need native plants to host their top food source, caterpillars! The volunteers are doing a great job and are happy to explain what they are doing and why it is important to our local ecosystem and sense of community. I'm so thrilled to think of butterflies, hummingbirds, native bees, and beautiful, flowering plants filling the park. Keep up the great work and thank you!

Harpeth Knoll Park... exists. It has the same bright colored, plasticy playground equipment Metro…read moreadded to most of its playgrounds in 2005. But that's about it. The land itself was purchased by the Metro Board of Education in the 1960s. They tried to sell it in 1976, but couldn't find a buyer. However, it was at this same time, in the 1970s and 1980s, that the neighborhood began to really develop. This part of Nashville isn't even on maps until the 1960s. The name of the park derives from the fact that it is, in fact, a grassy knoll. There's a small playground, a beautiful art installation bench commemorating the 2010 flood, and a very depressing looking baseball area. It's definitely not big enough for Little League or anything regulation. But this park exists in 10 acres, approximately 80% of which is just a field of grass, unencumbered by shade. We walked about half a mile around the perimeter, and enjoyed the sunshine. There was little to no paved section, so our walk was in the grass.

3.5 You know what I…read morelike about parks? They're peaceful. They're a place of refuge from the chaos of traffic, the noise of the city center and the confusion of the world. In times like these, we could all use some peace. Take some time to take a walk and reconnect with nature. Leave the cell phone at home, chart a course and remember what it was like to walk on green grass -- barefoot, even. It's important. Harpeth Knoll isn't my favorite park of the metro system but it has its charms. First of which (for me) was the drive out to it from the east side of town. Nashville's a pretty green city but the southwestern edge of the metro takes things to a whole 'nother level. HK is a small(er) park in the middle of an old(er) neighborhood and stuck between the past and present. The overgrown baseball diamond and boundary of mature evergreens tell the tale of an older park. The new playground, park benches and art piece seating, however, imply that some new life and attention's been given to this old girl. What I think is the standout feature of the park, though, are the views. The spaces are wide and open and the mature trees dot the perimeter of the space, not the center. That means, in addition to being a perfect set up for kick ball, if you stand in the middle of the park, you can look out at gorgeous green hills (or, 'mountains' as little kids may call them). Harpeth Knoll isn't a destination park. It's a neighborhood/local focal point, perfect for letting the kids burn off some steam, reading a book as the sun massages your shoulders and walking barefoot in the green grass as you look out at new hills to climb. On days like today, any of those are good reasons to visit. It shouldn't, though, take days like today to do so.

A small park attached to a shopping mall, I applaud the use of a strip of property to give people…read moresomething more than just more parking spaces. Plus, w0ith several restaurants around, ot is either a good place get an order to go or walk off a fine meal after the fact. Being that it is in Nashville, the Music City, it is decorated with a few guitar statues.

Interesting spot! its like in the center of a parking lot of stores! I would say this is really…read moresmart cause I can shop and throw my kids there it's kinda small but it's nice.

England Park was opened in 2014, with 11.25 acres sitting in the Nations area of town. This whole…read morearea was devastated during the record flood of 2010, and as you stand on Delray Drive, imagine most of these houses were underwater in 2010, with little more than their roofs visible out of the water. The city of Nashville banned any future development in floodzones, and the city and the taxpayers purchased over 60 properties affected in this area alone. This park was named after Martha and Andy England, an elderly couple who drowned in their home during the flood. The project was especially successful thanks to the folks at make-a-smile.org who built the playgrounds. The park has a beautifully paved walkway, a small playground, and some picnic tables. It runs concurrent with Richland Creek.

Small park near the house. Parking for about 5 cars or so but there are plenty of trees and picnic…read moretables. Nice little park if you live in the area and want to walk on a paved track. There's also a creek that runs right behind it.

This is, without a doubt, one of the most unique parks in Nashville. It's only three acres, and was…read morefounded in 2013, but this is a GEM in East Nashville. There are several natural water springs in the area, and this plot of land was a bottling company for the water. It went out of business and the land was bought by the Nashville Parks Department. It then became this lush, overgrown, naturally wooded area. There are trails that snake around and loop around. Be aware of the shoes you wear, because there are some bits of broken glass around, but you will forget you are in the middle of busy bustling East Nashville. You will get lost, and feel like you are in a much bigger state park on a hike. It's an amazing experience, and there are signs around notating the history of the land without being too touristy and intrusive in the overall experience.

4.5 I had no idea…read morethis existed and, unless you live in the neighborhood (heck, maybe unless you live on the street), you probably don't either. Lockeland Springs Park is one of the most successful green reclamation projects I've encountered in Nashville. It gives life to the belief that the metro is made up of incredible green spaces in (most) every neighborhood. When I arrived at the dead-end, I saw a sign and that was it. 'Was this a joke?' I wondered. There was, what appeared to be, a path... but it looked a bit sketchy. I figured since I was coming here in the light of day and kids were engaging in organized play at the local school playground, my potential screams for help would be heard by *some*one and I wouldn't be Blair Witched. So, into the woods (without delay), I went. Wow. I would have loved this as a 9-10 year old. On the grounds of a former bottling plant, the city was able to create a green space that reminded me of A Bridge To Terabithia. The space is strewn with tree canopies, bridges, outdoor classrooms, plenty of wood creatures, streams, a fairy garden, and small trails that are perfect for weekend afternoons of adventure and play. I kept thinking how lucky the neighborhood kids must be to have such a perfect woodland scene for play. On a brisk fall afternoon, I gave in to my inner child and spent some time in a world of imagination I allow to live far too far away from me on a regular basis -- and I smiled all the while. This neighborhood park is utterly charming and spending some time visiting it improved my mood for an entire day. Reconnect with the you who had super powers, explored enchanted forests and/or went on brave odysseys. In a world filled with more than enough adult stressors, respites like Lockeland Springs Park are gravely needed.

This land was originally the Woodmont School, an elementary school for Nashville. Originally built…read morein 1931, it was closed due to low enrollment in 1982. It sat abandoned, for a couple of years before the city council voted to donate the land to Metro Parks. The school itself was demolished in 1986. The land was then developed to a park, which opened in 1988. Today this park is tiny and adorable! It is 3.42 acres of land, which today hosts: a pavilion, a jogging trail, playgrounds, a basketball court, a baseball backstop, and tennis court. When Nashville Parks experienced a budget cut in 2003, the Woodmont Area Neighborhood Association decided to raise the funds privately, planting trees and updating the fencing.

*Playground Review*…read more Do not drink the water unless you want to be pregnant. This is literally where all of the pregnant mom's come with their older kids. Nothing wrong with that, but I really did feel like a minority here with my friend's kid that I was watching for the afternoon. My friend asked me to meet her in Green Hills and Woodmont showed up from a quick google search that was convenient to where she was going to have to be. The park itself is quaint and has plenty of shade and a pavilion if you do not want to be out in the middle of the sun, but unfortunately, some of the other side of the park (and funner activities) are in the open sun rays. That was a little trying on my friend's 4 year old. He wanted to play in that certain part of the playground, but there was no shade to help. I felt bad, but kept hydrating him and helped him cope with it. The playground equipment is well-maintained and offers a diverse amount of activities for the children for both climbers and younger children. I would say this is probably more geared towards older kids than toddlers and I would recommend if you do bring your toddler, to keep a very watchful eye on their movements. A gentle reminder since there were bigger kids here wandering than younger kids. There is a porter potty available for use. It was as clean as much as one of those can be and is handicap accessible. My recommendation is to use the bathroom before coming here if you are able to do so. The park is much bigger than just the playground and good for walking around and bringing your animal on a leash. Emphasis on the leash due to the heavy activity of children. Parking is pretty straightforward. There is a small parking lot along with street parking in the neighborhood. Just be careful when turning out of the parking lot. People were flying down the main street and didn't take much consideration into the fact that it is a neighborhood park with lots of people around. It was a bit dangerous and wish people would slow their roll when kids are present.

I sort of have a 'thing' with reviewing parks. When I moved back to Nashville, focusing on the…read moremetro's green spaces was one of the first collaborative acts I made with the former administration. I think there's so much we can learn about neighborhoods from its parks. Plus, exploring the green spaces is a fantastic way to get outside, get active and see some different parts of the 615 that may slip under the radar. That said, sometimes a park is just a plot of land... and Turner School Park is exactly what it sounds like, nothing more nothing less. I'm well acquainted with the fact that many of the metro's green spaces are attached to schools. It's just one of those things. And all school 'parks' aren't made equal. For instance, Lipscomb and Brentwood (school) parks come to mind and they knocked my socks off. But, those are also schools/parks in Lipscomb and Brentwood. Turner School Park is in Woodbine and the HGTV effect hasn't done much to transform it into Lipscomb or Brentwood (probably a good thing). The park is not very large and doesn't offer much in the way of awe-inspiring attributes. If you don't live on the block or have a kid at the school, you can skip the park and have no worries that your heart will go on. Inside the park (to be fair, it's a large thatch of grass): basketball court, benches/grills, a small pavilion, a small playground, not much dedicated parking, a few young trees, and a small walking circle. It's a perfectly acceptable city space for little ones to burn off some energy. It's also fine for older ladies walking their small dogs without exerting much energy for either. If you live on the block, felt like grilling out but didn't feel like having people at your house... *maybe* it's a good overflow area. Other than the above, though, there's really not much reason to come here. My review and pictures have done that work for you. On to the next...