The Parks and Recreation Department offers a variety of facilities and programs throughout Davidson County. Currently, Metro Park oversees 15,134 acres of open space, including 178 parks and 99 miles of greenway. There’s something for everyone in Metro Nashville Parks. We offer after school programs for kids, senior programs, special population programs, cultural arts classes, fitness classes, dog parks, a variety of trails, nature programs, sports leagues, ice hockey,art galleries, and much more.
Mission Statement
It is the mission of Metro Parks and Recreation to sustainably and equitably provide everyone in Nashville with an inviting network of parks and greenways that offer health, wellness and quality of life through recreation, conservation and community.
History
Nashville's municipal park system was established in April of 1901. The first park in the system was Watkins Park. This was closely followed by the acquisition of Federal Park (grounds of the Customs House) and then Centennial park in 1902. In 1963 the first Metropolitan Board of Parks and Recreation was appointed in accordance with the Metro charter. The Metro charter authorizes this board to employ a director of parks and to supervise, control, and operate the park and reservation system of the metropolitan government.
Metro Parks Participants Code of Conduct
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Parks by the Numbers
In 2025, Davidson County enjoys 24,280+ Acres of Parks
Nearly 16,000 acres provided by Metro Parks. Over 532 acres of park land added since 2017.
Other Park Providers
4.6K+ acres provided by Tennessee State Projects
3.7K+ acres provided by US Army Corps of Engineers
300+ acres provided by other Metro Agencies
Indoor Facilities
Centennial Sportsplex
27 community centers
5 Cultural arts facilities
4 nature centers
189 Parks
110 miles of greenways
+7.5 miles opened since 2017
25 historic sites and 1000s of historic features
105 multipurpose sports fields
158 playgrounds
12 dog parks
85+ miles of hiking trails
8 community gardens
6,500 acres of natural area
6.3K trees planted annually
73 basketball courts
7 golf courses
155 tennis and pickleball courts
20 waterway access points
16 swimming pools and splashpads
2024 Participation
406K+ rounds of golf played
695K+ special event attendees
94K+ nature center program participants
450K+ guests at Sportsplex, the Parthenon and Wave Country
230K+ community center youth program attendees
Parks by the Numbers PDF
