Nature Centers
Get outside and have fun! The Metro Parks Nature Center program offers a system of four nature centers that work together across the county with a mission to provide environmental education and outdoor recreation, natural resource management, and to raise awareness, foster respect and share enthusiasm for the natural world. Each nature center has a unique interpretive theme and programmatic focus related to the individual park.
- Warner Park Nature Center
- Shelby Bottoms Nature Center
- Bells Bend Outdoor Center
- Beaman Park Nature Center
Each nature center is open year-round and offers a variety of programs and visitor services. Facilities include a gathering area, exhibit area, classroom, natural history reference library, teaching porches, restrooms, offices and a trailhead for the hiking trail system. Naturalists are available to answer questions and provide assistance. See the specific nature center for more details about that center and Park.
Metro Parks has a number of seasonal job openings available this summer. Click on the files below to read the description.
- Community Gardens Recreation Aide
- Become a Member of the S.W.E.A.T. Team
- Environmental Education Aide
- Environmental Education Program Recreation Aide
- Environmental Education/Outdoor Program
- Environmental Education Intern
- Outdoor Recreation Program
Some “Green Things”
- Pictorial Tour of Three Green Nature Centers
- Environmental Stewardship Awards
- Sustainable Features of the three new nature centers
- Organic Gardening and Housekeeping
- Sources for Native Plants in the Nashville Area
For more information about nature centers please contact:
Warner Park Nature Center
7311 Hwy 100
Nashville, TN 37221
615-352-6299
615-880-2282 fax
Sandy Bivens, Superintendent of Nature Centers
615-352-6299
Warner Park Nature Center
The Warner Parks are the largest municipally administered parks in Tennessee and together span 2684 acres of forest and field, 9 miles from downtown Nashville. This urban forest is emerald jewel in the 113 Metro Park system and also includes picnic areas, scenic roadways and overlooks, hiking trails, equestrian center and horse trails, cross country running courses, golf courses, athletic fields. The Warner Parks are listed in the National Register of Historic Places and the State Register of Natural Areas.
The Warner Park Nature Center is a year-round environmental education and recreation facility located in Edwin Warner Park. Visitors to the Nature Center may enjoy the museum of local natural history, it's office and library, an organic vegetable and herb garden, beehives, a wildflower garden, and more. Hikers may wish to stop at the trailhead on Center grounds for maps and interpretive literature. Schools and other organizations may call to schedule field trips. A wide variety of programs are offered for all ages and interests.
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Sunday and Monday, Closed
Warner Park is open 7 days a week from daylight until 11p.m.
Directions: From Nashville, take Interstate 40 west to exit 199 (Old Hickory Blvd.), turn left and follow Old Hickory Blvd. for 4 miles to Highway 100 (Old Hickory will dead-end at this intersection). Turn left and go 0.2 miles to the Edwin Warner Park entrance and turn right into the Park. Follow the Park drive to the left for 0.3 miles to the Nature Center.
Coming from the south or southeast, follow Old Hickory Blvd. north (west exit off I-65 near Brentwood) to Hwy. 100. Turn left and go 0.3 miles to the Edwin Warner Park entrance and turn left into the Park. Follow the Park drive to the left for 0.3 miles to the Nature Center
Contact Information:
Warner Park Nature Center
7311 Hwy 100
Nashville, TN 37221
615-352-6299
615-880-2282 fax or
Vera Vollbrecht Director, Warner Park Nature Center
Shelby Bottoms Nature Center
Every angler dreams of a rod-bending fight with a monster fish. And someday soon, fisherman on the Cumberland River may be telling stories about hooking a lengthy lake sturgeon. This Friday, another 75 lake sturgeon will be released by Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency into the waters near downtown Nashville. This will be the second major release of these fish into the Cumberland River as part of a plan to replicate the successful reintroduction of lake sturgeon into the upper Tennessee River near Knoxville.
The 810-acre Shelby Bottoms Greenway and Nature Park is located in East Nashville adjacent to Shelby Park. With approximately three miles of Cumberland River frontage and twelve miles of trail, this area features bottomland hardwood forests, open fields, wetlands and streams and excellent habitat for birds, amphibians and more.
The Shelby Bottoms Nature Center, which opened 1 December 2007, is a great place to begin your visit to the Park. Pick up a map, talk to a naturalist, learn about the natural history and history of the area, get a view of the Cumberland River, or get a program schedule of upcoming events. Learn about a “green roof”, see how a “waterless urinal” works and view other sustainable features of this new facility. Programs are offered year-round on a variety of topics.
Hours: Tuesday – Friday, 12 noon to 4:00 pm
Saturday, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Sunday and Monday, Closed
Shelby Bottoms is open 7 days a week from daylight until dusk.
- Prehistoric Archaeology
- Lake Sturgeon
- Cumberland River Release
- Program Schedule
- Nature Center Floor Plan
Directions: To the Nature Center and Main Entrance of Shelby Bottoms
Take I-24/65 to Shelby Avenue (Exit#49)
Go east on Shelby (away from city) to 5th Street
Take a right on 5th Ave to Davidson Street
Take a left on Davidson and continue to Shelby Park
Follow the park road along the river to the train trestle
Shelby Bottoms entrance is located under the train trestle
To the Forrest Green Entrance of Shelby Bottoms
Take I-24/65 to Shelby Avenue (Exit # 49)
Go east on Shelby Ave to 5th Street
Take a left on 5th Street and go to Main Street
Take a right on Main and go to Eastland Avenue
Take a right on Eastland and go to Rosebank Ave
Right on Rosebank Ave
Right on Welcome Lane
Left on Forrest Green Drive and follow into Shelby Bottoms Parking Lot
Contact Information:
Shelby Bottoms Nature Center
1900 Davidson Street
Nashville, TN 37206
615-862-8539 or
Denise Weyer
Director, Shelby Bottoms Nature Center
Bells Bend Outdoor Center
Located in western Davidson County, this park takes its name from a peaceful arc of the Cumberland River known as Bells Bend. This rural preserve is defined by its agricultural history, its bountiful opportunities for viewing wildlife, and a landscape shaped by the river. This 808 acre pastoral park opened to the public in 2007 and supports habitat for plants, migratory birds and other wildlife. Bells Bend Park offers Nashville residents and visitors access to a unique three-fold experience: cultivating knowledge of the natural world, developing outdoor recreation skills, and understanding cultural impacts upon the land.
Several miles of hiking trails and old farm roads are accessible at the trailhead and the first entrance into the Park. The Nature Center at the second Park entrance off Old Hickory Boulevard.
Hours: Bells Bend Park is open 7 days a week from daylight until dusk. The Bells Bend Outdoor Center is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12 noon - 4pm, Saturdays from 9am - 4pm and by appointment.
- See How Much Electricity the Solar Panels are Generating
- Program Schedule
- Nature Center Floor Plan
- Bells Bend Map
Installing the Solar Panels
Directions:
From I-40 take exit # 204 and go North on Briley Parkway.
Take exit # 24 and turn left onto State Rt. 12. – toward Ashland City
Go over 2 miles and turn left at the stop light onto Old Hickory Blvd.
Go 4 miles, the entrance to Bells Bend Park (trailhead) is on your right. Go to the second Park entrance for the Bells Bend Outdoor Center
Contact Information:
Bells Bend Outdoor Center
4187 Old Hickory Blvd.
Nashville, TN 37218
615-862-4187 or Bells Bend or
LinnAnn Welch, Director
Beaman Park Nature Center
Beaman Park is 1688 acres of natural area in northwest Nashville near Joelton. This wild and rugged land is a unique treasure in Nashville’s park system and features a Highland Rim forest type, unique plant associations and species and a rugged landscape with steep slopes, narrow hollows, and streams and waterfalls. Beaman Park is a rugged sanctuary of unique natural beauty where visitors can experience a peaceful connection with nature, view and learn about plants and wildlife, and realize the importance of preserving the natural world for future generations.
The Beaman Park Master Plan was published in 1997 and phase one of the Park plan opened to the public with two trailheads and two hiking trails in 2005. The Nature Center is located at 5911 Old Hickory Boulevard, near Eatons Creek Road, and is opening on 25 April 2009.
Hours: After April 25th, the Beaman Park Nature Center will be open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 12 noon to 4pm and by appointment. Beaman Park is open 7 days a week from daylight until dusk.
Directions:
- Take Briley Parkway to Exit 24, Ashland City Highway/State Route 12.
- Go south Hwy 12, away from Ashland City.
- Turn left at the flashing caution sign onto Eatons Creek Road.
- Go four miles, then follow the directions below to either the nature center on Old Hickory Boulevard or the trailheads on Little Marrowbone Road.
Directions to the Nature Center:
- Turn left onto Old Hickory Boulevard.
- Go several hundred feet, and turn right into the nature center entrance at 5911 Old Hickory Boulevard. The Sedge Hill Trail begins at the nature center parking lot and is a .6 mile trail that connects to the Henry Hollow Loop.
Directions to the Trailheads:
- Cross Old Hickory Blvd.
- Turn left onto Little Marrowbone Road. The park entrance is .5 miles on the left (4111 Little Marrowbone Rd)
- Turn left and park at the Creekside Trailhead to access the 2.1 mile, Henry Hollow Loop.
- Go straight up the hill to the Highland Trailhead to access the 2.1 mile (one-way), Ridgetop Trail.
Contact Information:
Beaman Park Nature Center
5911 Old Hickory Boulevard
Ashland City, TN 37015
615-862-8580
beamanpark@nashville.gov
The Friends of Beaman Park work hand-in-hand with Metro Parks, Metro Greenways Commission, and numerous other non-profit groups working to support parks and protect natural resources. We join private funds and volunteers with government dollars and labor to enhance the area in and around Beaman Park.