The Best Places in Nashville For an Autumnal Walk
Fall has arrived and there’s nothing better than checking out leafing season on foot. Here’s my roundup of the best places to walk around Nashville when the days get shorter.
Radnor Lake State Park
Anytime the Rolling Stones play Nashville, you’ll be sure to find Mick Jagger on one of the trails at Radnor Lake. Who could blame him? They are stunning, especially this time of year.
Aside from walking around Radnor’s beautiful lake, you can check out the historic Valve house and dam. This house was built in 1910 by L & N Railroad as the caretaker residence. Now, it’s a museum with an interesting story.
For more info on Radnor Lake State Park, visit tnstateparks.com/parks/radnor-lake.
Percy Warner State Park
The entrance to Percy Warner is reason alone to come here. The grand limestone staircase will literally leave you breathless before hitting the trails. This park opened in 1927 and is listed on the national register of historic places in Tennessee. Along with hiking trails, there are biking and horseback trails, a golf course, plus the annual Steeplechase horse race— Nashville’s Kentucky Derby—takes place here.
Fore more info on Percy Warner trails and parks, visit nashville.gov/departments/parks/parks/warner-parks.
Shelby Bottoms
Shelby Bottoms Nature Trail
The nature trail located at East Nashville’s Shelby Bottoms has a beaver dam, butterfly gardens, and a stream that once was bright pink from a rare form of traveling algae.
You’ll also find paved trails for walking and biking, tons of friendly wildlife, and a pedestrian bridge over the Cumberland River where you can spot the General Jackson.
For more info on East Nashville’s Shelby Bottoms, go here.
Centennial Park
Centennial Park, made famous by Taylor Swift, is a beautiful city park on the West side of Nashville across the street from Vanderbilt University. It’s spectacular in any season, but especially in autumn.
Here, you’ll find gardens and giant Weeping Willows surrounding a small, duck-filled lake, called Lake Watauga. It’s hard to have a bad day at Centennial Park.
Aside from the picturesque landscaping, there is a full-scale replica of the ancient Greek Parthenon, complete with a towering, gold Athena statue, and an art gallery. The replica was built in 1897 to commemorate Tennessee’s 100th year of statehood: “with the Tennessee Centennial Exposition, Nashville took advantage of its nickname ‘Athens of the South,’ and built the Fine Art Building as a copy of Athens’ most famous building and the epitome of Greek classical architecture.”
Mick Jagger also visited this park, just sayin’.
Mick Jagger visits Nashville’s Parthenon, image via Twitter.
Fore more information on the Parthenon tours and art gallery hours, visit https://www.nashvilleparthenon.com/hours-admission. Centennial Park is located at 2500 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN 37203 and is open from dawn - 11PM, daily.
Beaman Park
Meandering down any one of the trails at Beaman Park is always an enjoyable way to pass the time. This park became a pandemic sanctuary outside of the city, and continues to be a fabulous place to get lost amongst the trees.
The Beaman Park nature center is a good starting point. It’s located at 5911 Old Hickory Blvd, Ashland City, TN 37015. Beaman Park is open from dawn to dusk, daily.
The Airpark
Cornelia Fort Airpark is a Nashville treasure. What used to be an old airport and runway for small planes, is now a giant track for locals and those visiting to run, walk, bike, or skate around. A great time to go is in the afternoon when the sun is about to go down. The deer come out to play around this time (and it’s less crowded).
The Airpark is connected to Shelby Bottoms greenway, so if you’re wanting a more scenic walk you can hop off the track at any point. There is a little playground for kids, an old airplane hangar where bluegrass bands sometimes play, and a cow pasture—you don’t get more Nashville than that.
Cornelia Fort Airpark is located at 1199 Shadow Ln, Nashville, TN 37206 and is open from 6AM-9PM, daily.
The track at Cornelia Fort Airpark via Wikipedia.
Fort Negley
Fort Negley is an old stone fortification built by Union troops after the capture of Nashville during the Civil War. The fort sits two miles south of downtown on a large hill, so the 360 views are epic especially in the right light. It takes about an hour to walk around, up-hill. Pack a lunch, find a bench, or head to that old tree in the center, and soak in the history of this unique location.
Fort Negley image via The Cultural Landscape Foundation
Fort Negley is located at 1100 Fort Negley Blvd, Nashville, TN 37203 and is open from 9AM-4PM. For more information, visit https://www.nashville.gov/departments/parks/historic-sites/fort-negley.
