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!

Founded in 2012, with 112 acres, this park has picnic shelters, and a paved walking/jogging path…read more It's a very large, undeveloped land with greenery and walk ways. The park itself is only about thirty acres, but it's the gateway to the 80+ acres of the Whites Creek Greenway. Joseph Brown Mullins was a self made, successful African American land developer in the area in the 1920s and 1920s. The greenway itself borders a fine line between "lush and undeveloped" and "messy and unmaintained", so it really will depend on if you're a glass half-full, or glass half-empty kind of person. There are two loops, and one one-way path across the way to Hartman Park, and it isn't marked or anything, so check a map before you come and have a plan.

I don't know where the greenway ends and the park begins. I didn't see any distinctive signage to…read moredelineate the two. That lead to a confusing visit. Greenways are too large to try to take on the way that you would a park. I think I would have enjoyed Mullins Park more had I known where I was going and what I was doing. As it was, I sort of felt dropped in to the middle of a greenway with a lot of overgrown vegetation. Truth be told, the overgrowth reminded me of Children of the Corn and it sort of creeped me out. Despite there being a paved path that goes the length of the greenway, the isolation of the park, the lack of people taking advantage of the park (although it backs up to a neighborhood) and the 'wrong turn' vibes I got while exploring on my own, I didn't want to spend much more than I had to and I got the heck out of dodge. Again, I think a contained, defined park system would make more sense. From what I could gather -- and what I experienced -- the park is the lip of the greenway and it's just too large to take on in an afternoon. You should know where you're going and what you're doing which takes away some of the point of checking out a park. All the above said, I wouldn't label this as a destination park. I would imagine that locals have a better sense of what's going on and where to go than I did. A couple of closing thoughts: 1.) I enjoyed seeing a large amount of butterflies doing their thing. Seeing them made me realize I never see (or, pay attention to) butterflies out and about. 2.) I don't spend a lot of time in Bordeaux and I should explore it more. It's deceptively close to Downtown but feels a world away. It offers a suburban feel with city access. I wonder if the realtors have realized this...

This is a beautiful park only few minutes drive from downtown. The park is huge, free to explore…read more It has several large murals in multiple underpass bridge, walls and boundaries. There's a big children's playground, a sand volleyball courts, and picnic benches. There's a dog park as well. There are free parking spots right along the curb of the park, with 2 hours limit. At the entrance of the park there are multiple gates built with steel beams. The park seemed to be safe and well lit. Even after dark, we were comfortably hanging out in the playground and taking pictures around the park. The underpass with the big mural has big light posts on each side, so the pictures come out nice even at night time. The murals at this park are so colorful. Of course the most famous one is the 5 famous singers. Then there's the graffiti one at the railway underpass. Then there are multiple other colorful ones that look really amazing. We took a lot of pictures in front of all of these amazing arts.

What a cool park we stumbled upon in Nashville! I would definitely make a point to visit this…read moreplayground area with kids, even though we didn't see a lot of parking close by. There is a parking lot near, but not directly in front. There is a very nice gated dog park, sand volleyball court, covered benches, drinking fountains and some historical park information.

Ravenwood Park is a hidden gem in the Nashville area. It has one of the tallest slides you will…read moreever see! Kids climb, climb, climb high into the sky via rope to head down it. If this doesn't tire your kids out I don't know what will! Besides that they have a sand pit, basketball court, tennis wall, and smaller slides for the kiddos. There are also plenty of trails to explore. Overall a 4.5 park!

very beautiful park but beware some the the hills are steep. the creek area is very nice and the…read morepark was very impressive

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.

2.5 This isn't so…read moremuch a park as it is a thatch of grass. This isn't to say that a small grassy area can't be a big improvement to a neighborhood but I don't know how much (of any) planning was put in to Elizabeth Park as a concept. I've seen other small parks in town do more with less space but that may have something to do with the neighborhoods and resource allocation... but that's probably a topic best left alone for now. As things stand, Elizabeth Park makes a nice distraction on a fall day but it's not a destination for anyone who lives outside this section of Buena Vista. Unfortunately, I don't know that it offers much to the residents of the neighborhood. Again, the park is small -- I'd say they're the equivalent to two decent-sized plots of land. The park is flat and open, so it's best used for a game of tag for the little ones or as a way to read a book on a bench during the warmer months. The few mature trees offer pretty scenes if not much shade. There's a basketball court that seems to be in good shape but it's not overly expansive. I didn't know what to make of the community house on property. It was locked when I was on site. Perhaps it holds more treasures that benefit the park community. As with most things on the north side, this part of town is slowly gentrifying. It troubles me that there doesn't seem to be much park activity in this part of the neighborhood for now -- especially as I guess that this will change in the next six or so years. That doesn't quite seem fair. The small park inspired me to walk around and see what else was happening in the neighborhood. Beyond views of Downtown (remember that whole gentrification thing?), I found some exciting murals and a bevy of small businesses that had no activity (listing, pictures or reviews) on Yelp. I did my best to take photos, fix addresses and create listings but the exercise served as a stark reminder that, even in a boom, progress doesn't affect us all equally.

Truth in advertising: it is a playground. Even though the signage reads 'Monroe Park' there's not…read moretoo much park of which to speak. The area (speaking geometrically) is, about, two city lots. On said lots, you'll find some benches, a decently-sized (and well-maintained) fenced-in basketball court a few mature trees, and said playground. The playground is more of a jungle gym. It's not particularly large nor new... but it's not tiny nor is it old and falling apart. Abutted by houses and apartments, this is a place to let the little ones burn off some energy after school or on a weekend.* However, given the proximity to Jefferson Street, the new brownstone/3-flats going up across the street and smell of more new construction on the way, it's hard to say what the future of the playground will be. As of now, this is a nice neighborhood (not destination) playground in an up-and-coming (sorry. I don't particularly care for that phrase either) part of town. If you live in the area and have some little ones, bring 'em by. It'll be interesting** to see what happens to it in the coming years. *I would also say post-church would be a good time for running around (there are two churches within spinning distance) but the kiddos would be in nice clothes and no parent is going to let playground foolishness occur in Sunday clothes. **A loaded term if ever I wrote one.

Decided to ride out to Granny White Park with my 13 month old to burn off some energy and get some…read moresunlight in before bedtime. It was the perfect night. This park is excellent for toddlers- so much to play with and experience. My son can walk but this park would also be great if you had a crawling baby. There is a smaller children's area that is turfed and has many different play items that kept my son's interest. He did not want to leave. Lots of park are difficult to take this age to just based on there not being enough equipment for them to play with while also not being safe/hazardous for toddlers. Would highly recommend this park!!! Pros: - fenced in - so many swings - clean bathrooms - lots of parking - fun and enjoyable

I go here often on weekday mornings with my three kids (ages 4, 3, and 1), and it's probably the…read morebest park in the Nashville area for young kids especially if you have multiple children. Parking is incredibly easy since the lot is huge. The playground is fully fenced, which is one of the biggest reasons I love coming here. At many other parks there are creeks, busy walking paths, or playgrounds located too close to roads. Here, the playground is nicely separated from other activities, making it much easier to keep multiple kids safe. The restrooms are nearby and have always been clean during our visits. The playground itself has plenty to keep my kids entertained, and I especially appreciate that I can let my 1-year-old explore without constantly worrying about dangerous drop-offs or easy escape routes. The only areas that require a little extra supervision are the large blue slide and the spinning play feature. The park is nicely shaded and has several tables around where you can sit and enjoy a snack or lunch. I believe you can also rent the pavilions with tables for parties. If you have toddlers, preschoolers, or several young kids to keep track of at once, this park is hard to beat. It's safe, well-designed, and one of our family's favorite places to spend a morning.