Nashville Parks Foundation

Home
United States
Nashville, TN
Nashville Parks Foundation

Nashville Parks Foundation is Metro Parks’ partner in ensuring our city’s park system continues to thrive and grow.

With a countywide focus and an eye toward public funding gaps, Nashville Parks Foundation strives to maximize the public benefit of Nashville’s spectacular park system through creative collaboration and innovative partnerships. Nashville’s parks are central to our identity as an active, sustainable, scenic, economically vibrant city. From vast natural areas to sports complexes, dog parks to trails, community centers to historic sites, after-school programs to fitness classes, arts events to kayak excursions, Metro Parks offers a wide range of places and experiences to enjoy. Parks build community, promote public health, revitalize neighborhoods, function as green infrastructure to conserve and protect the environment, support the arts, and boost tourism. Best of all, Metro Parks strives to provide the same high-quality services and access to everyone throughout Davidson County.

10/26/2026

Congratulations to the 10 Metro Nashville Parks and Recreation that earned honors in the Nashville Scene’s 2026 Best of Nashville.

Readers’ Poll
Percy Warner Park: Best Park
Shelby Bottoms Greenway: Best Place to Ride a Bike
Centennial Park: Best Cheap Date
The Parthenon: Best Cultural Attraction

Writers’ Choice
Beaman Park: Best Trails
Wasioto Park: Best Downtown Park
Fannie Mae Dees Park: Best Playground for Toddlers
Ravenwood Park: Best All-Ages Playground
Mill Ridge Park: Best Playground Slides
Pitts Dog Park: Best Dog Park

We're grateful for the parks staff who care for these places every day and the partners who help them thrive, including Friends Of Warner Parks , Centennial Park Conservancy, Friends of Mill Ridge Park, Friends of Shelby Park and Bottoms, and Greenways for Nashville.

Full list: www.nashvillescene.com/bon/2026

10/16/2026

Phase 2 is coming to Watkins Park! 🛹

Nashville Parks Foundation, Metro Parks, and community partners are coming together to complete a wheel-sports destination at Watkins Park—Nashville’s first park, established in 1901.

Phase 1, the pump track, opened in 2021 as Nashville's first bike park in the urban core. It transformed underused park space into a free, popular destination for youth and families.

Phase 2 completes the vision: a purpose-built, 5,000-square-foot concrete skate plaza shaped by input from local riders. Designed by Newline Skateparks, its beginner-friendly layout of ramps and rails (no bowls or half-pipes) will welcome skateboarders, scooter riders and inline skaters while easing pressure on the pump track.

Phase 2 is expected to open in late 2026/early 2027.

10/08/2026

to the fifth annual Picnic for the Parks! 🧺☀️

On Sept. 19, neighbors and friends braved the heat at Morgan Park to celebrate and support Nashville's parks. Proceeds will help fund improvements at Morgan and Parkwood parks.

Thank you to co-chairs Lisa Haller, Derek Lisle and George Acklin, and to every sponsor, table host, volunteer and donor who made it happen.

See all the photos here, and tag yourself and your friends! https://www.nashvilleparksfoundation.org/picnic-for-the-parks

09/09/2026

Picnic for the Parks would not be possible without the generous organizations investing in Nashville’s parks and communities.

Thank you to presenting sponsor Amazon and to Oracle, Vanderbilt University, Legends Bank, ONE Community, Spire, H.G. Hill Realty Company, HCA Healthcare /TriStar Health, Virgin Hotels Nashville, Dozen Bakery, Lipman, Yazoo, McIntosh Field & Flower and Gardens of Babylon Landscapes. We also appreciate our partners at Metro Parks.

Join us Sept. 19 at Morgan Park: https://www.nashvilleparksfoundation.org/picnic-for-the-parks

09/02/2026

Picnic for the Parks is more than a great evening outdoors—it’s a celebration with a purpose. 🌳

Proceeds from this year’s zero-waste fundraising event will support improvements at Morgan and Parkwood parks, helping strengthen the public spaces that bring our communities together.

Join us Saturday, Sept. 19: https://www.nashvilleparksfoundation.org/picnic-for-the-parks

08/26/2026

What’s on the menu at Picnic for the Parks? 🧺

Enjoy charcuterie boxes, w**e, b**r and sweet treats while connecting with friends and neighbors at Morgan Park. The event will also feature Germantown history with local historians and a performance by the Metro Youth Choir.

Join us Sept. 19 from 4-7 p.m.: https://www.nashvilleparksfoundation.org/picnic-for-the-parks

08/21/2026

WE'll see you there!

08/19/2026

One month to go! 🧺

The fifth annual Picnic for the Parks returns Saturday, Sept. 19, from 4-7 p.m. Join us at Morgan Park for a zero-waste fundraising event benefiting Metro Parks, with proceeds supporting improvements at Morgan and Parkwood parks.

Get tickets and event details: https://www.nashvilleparksfoundation.org/picnic-for-the-parks

08/12/2026

Nashville Parks Foundation has been selected to receive a $300,000 grant through Lowe’s Community Impact program to support a major renovation of Metro Nashville Parks and Recreation’s Elizabeth Senior Center, strengthening a longtime North Nashville resource for older adults.

07/13/2026

July is Park and Recreation Month, and we're joining the National Recreation and Park Association in celebrating the power of parks to enrich lives and strengthen communities.

In Nashville, we see that power every day:

🤝 The Power of Connection when neighbors become friends.

🛝 The Power of Play when children discover something new.

🎉 The Power of Community when parks bring people together to celebrate.

🌳 The Power of Nature when a walk on a trail helps us recharge.

💚 The Power of Belonging when everyone feels welcome in our public spaces.

🚶 The Power of Well-Being when parks help create healthier, more resilient neighborhoods.

At Nashville Parks Foundation, we're proud to partner with Metro Nashville Parks and Recreation and our community to preserve, enhance and expand Nashville's parks because every Nashvillian deserves access to the benefits these spaces provide.

Join us in celebrating the power of parks and the people who make them possible.

Address

P. O. Box 196340
Nashville, TN
37219

Telephone

+16158628400

Website

http://www.nashvilleparksfoundation.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Nashville Parks Foundation posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.