10 best outdoor places to take kids in Nashville, TN (updated November 2026)

Updated Nov 4, 2026

By Kids Eat Free Map

The 10 best outdoor places to take kids in Nashville this November are Warner Park Nature Center, Couchville Lake at Long Hunter State Park, Shelby Bottoms Greenway, Crockett Park in Brentwood and Radnor Lake, plus five more in Mt. Juliet, downtown, Franklin, West Nashville and Hendersonville. Nine of the 10 list no entry fee, seven list paved paths, and Metro’s spraygrounds are closed for the season. Hours, prices and amenities below come from each place’s official page, checked Nov 3, 2026.

If you only have time for one

Warner Park Nature Center: free Nature Play, a hands-on nature museum (Tuesday to Saturday) and year-round restrooms.
Couchville Lake at Long Hunter State Park: a 2.1-mile paved loop around the lake plus a short trail lined with children’s book pages.
Crockett Park: a playground with rubberized paths Brentwood calls safe for toddlers, open until 10 p.m.
Cheekwood: the pick for a paid outing, with a two-acre Children’s Garden by day and Holiday LIGHTS from Nov 20.

Where can kids play outside in Nashville this November?

At these 10 places, in our order. None showed a full closure on its official pages when we checked on Nov 3, 2026; partial closures are noted under each place.

1. Warner Park Nature Center and the Warner Parks

Area: 7311 Highway 100, Nashville; Metro says the Warner Parks are 9 miles from downtown. Cost: No admission fee listed; Metro describes Nature Play and the center’s programs as free. Hours: Nature center Tuesday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed Sunday, Monday and most government holidays; the parks are open sunrise to 11 p.m., 365 days a year.

Inside the nature center, a natural history museum lets kids go inside a giant tree, walk under a creek and use a touch table of local animals and plants. Outside are Nature Play, a free, accessible space for children’s unstructured outdoor play; a Teaching Pond (observe only, no collecting); a seasonal organic garden; the Sandy Bivens Bird Garden; bird-viewing areas at the center; and the Hungry Hawk trail to a Bird Observation Area. A StoryWalk is listed as under construction. Metro lists hiking, mountain bike and horse trails, plus paved trails, across more than 3,100 acres. Restrooms: open year-round at the nature center, Percy Warner Golf Course and the Equestrian Center; Friends of Warner Parks says there are none on the trails or in the parks’ interior.

Sources: About Your Visit to Warner Park Nature Center | Nashville.gov, Warner Park Nature Center | Nashville.gov, Warner Parks | Nashville.gov and Visit Warner Parks | Friends of Warner Parks, checked Nov 3, 2026.

2. Couchville Lake at Long Hunter State Park

Area: Hermitage (2910 Hobson Pike). Cost: No entry fee listed. Hours: Day-use areas 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on standard time (7 a.m. to 8 p.m. during daylight saving time); visitor center 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed noon to 1 p.m. and on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

The Couchville Lake Trail is a 2.1-mile loop rated easy, which the park describes as "flat, paved, mostly shaded" as it circles 110-acre Couchville Lake. Forty-five tree species are labeled along the way, and the park says white-tailed deer, wild turkey and great blue herons are common sights. Near the back of the Couchville/Area 2 parking lot, the Reading Ranger Story Trail (0.3 mile, easy, mixed surface, no pets) sets enlarged pages from children’s books along the path, with new stories each spring. The park lists a playground and restrooms. The boat house and fishing pier are closed until further notice.

Sources: Long Hunter State Park | Tennessee State Parks and Long Hunter Hiking | Tennessee State Parks, checked Nov 3, 2026.

3. Shelby Bottoms Greenway and Nature Center

Area: East Nashville (nature center and main trailhead at 1900 Davidson St.). Cost: Free admission. Hours: Greenway dawn to dusk daily; nature center Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday and Friday noon to 4 p.m., closed Sunday and Monday.

The 960-acre greenway has more than 5 miles of paved, ADA-accessible trail and more than 5 miles of primitive trail, with boardwalks over streams and wetlands and overlooks of the Cumberland River. The nature center has natural and cultural history exhibits and a wildlife sightings notebook at the front desk. Next door, Shelby Park (open dawn to 11 p.m.) lists playgrounds and Sevier Lake. Bikes are allowed on paved trails only, at up to 15 mph, and pets must be on a leash of 6 feet or shorter. Metro’s closures page (checked Nov 3, 2026) lists the boardwalk near the observation deck, by the wetland area, as closed for repairs. Restrooms: not listed.

Sources: Shelby Bottoms Nature Center | Nashville.gov, About Your Visit to Shelby Bottoms Nature Center | Nashville.gov, Shelby Bottoms Greenway and Natural Area | Nashville.gov, Shelby Park | Nashville.gov and Parks and Recreation Facility Closures | Nashville.gov, checked Nov 3, 2026.

4. Crockett Park

Area: Brentwood (1500 Volunteer Pkwy.). Cost: No entry fee listed; shelter rentals cost extra. Hours: Dawn to 10 p.m. daily.

The Brentwood Community Playground, built in 1993, has rubberized paths the city says make it safe for toddlers, slides in several sizes, a castle with dragon art, tire swings that seat three and picnic tables in the shade. The park also has paved walking paths and bike ways, a nature trail, open meadows and a disc golf course with no fee. Restrooms: the city lists restroom buildings.

Source: Crockett Park | City of Brentwood, checked Nov 3, 2026.

5. Radnor Lake State Park

Area: South Nashville (1160 Otter Creek Road). Cost: No entry fee listed. Hours: 6 a.m. to 20 minutes after sunset, year-round; visitor center Tuesday to Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed 1 to 2 p.m. for lunch.

With small kids, stick to Otter Creek Road: paved, rated easy and about a mile long (1.05 miles on the park’s trail list), and Tennessee State Parks’ accessibility page calls the route stroller-friendly. The 1.35-mile Lake Trail is also rated easy, but its surface is mulch. The Barbara J. Mapp Aviary Education Center, with non-releasable birds of prey, snakes and turtles, is open Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Parking is in marked spaces only, and the park warns they often fill up quickly. Restrooms: 7 a.m. until dark, per the Friends of Radnor Lake visitor center page.

Sources: Radnor Lake State Natural Area | Tennessee State Parks, Radnor Lake Hiking | Tennessee State Parks, Wheelchair-Friendly Trails | Tennessee State Parks and Visitor's Center | Friends of Radnor Lake, checked Nov 3, 2026.

6. Charlie Daniels Park

Area: Mt. Juliet. Cost: No entry fee listed; five pavilions and a gazebo can be rented. Hours: Not listed.

Planet Playground is a 9,000-square-foot fenced-in playground, toddlers get their own Squirrel’s Run Toddler Park, and there is a concrete tricycle track. A one-mile walking track connects to the Cedar Creek Greenway. The park also has Ava’s Splash Pad, but the city’s park page gives no season or hours for it, so check with Mt. Juliet Parks and Recreation before counting on it. Restrooms and shade: not listed.

Source: Charlie Daniels Park | Mount Juliet, TN, checked Nov 3, 2026.

7. Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park

Area: Downtown, below the State Capitol (600 James Robertson Pkwy.). Cost: No admission fee listed. Hours: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Nov 1, per the park brochure (7 a.m. to 10 p.m. April through October).

A 0.9-mile paved trail loops past monuments to Tennessee history, and the park also has a 200-foot granite map of the state and a 95-bell carillon that chimes every 15 minutes. The 31 Rivers of Tennessee fountains run April through October only, so they are off in November. The brochure places restrooms in the picnic area. On the park’s calendar: Campfire Fridays: Cobbler Edition (Friday, Nov 13, 4:30 to 5:45 p.m.; $2; online registration required) and Reading with a Ranger: The Leaf Thief (Wednesday, Nov 18, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.). The park warns that ongoing capital improvements may cause temporary closures and limited access.

Sources: Bicentennial Capitol Mall | Tennessee State Parks, Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park brochure (PDF) | Tennessee State Parks and Wheelchair-Friendly Trails | Tennessee State Parks, checked Nov 3, 2026.

8. Pinkerton Park

Area: Franklin (405 Murfreesboro Road). Cost: No entry fee listed. Hours: Franklin’s city parks are open every day from dawn until dark.

This 34-acre park has two playgrounds, Tinkerbell Playground by the parking area and a Children’s Playground near the pavilions, plus a one-mile paved track around the whole park. The Sue Douglas Berry Memorial pedestrian bridge connects the park with downtown Franklin. Restrooms: listed. Shade: not listed.

Sources: Pinkerton Park | City of Franklin and Parks and Recreation | City of Franklin, checked Nov 3, 2026.

9. Cheekwood Estate and Gardens

Area: West Nashville (1200 Forrest Park Drive). Cost: Non-member Gardens Only tickets are $13 to $19 for ages 3 to 17 and $20 to $26 for adults (prices vary by program and day), free for ages 2 and under, plus a $2 service fee per item and a $5 parking fee. Everyone must reserve a timed-entry ticket online before visiting. Hours: Holiday hours Nov 3, 2026 to Jan 29, 2027 are Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; closed Mondays, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.

The two-acre Bracken Foundation Children’s Garden has tunnels, a labyrinth and a turtle pond built as a sanctuary for native turtles confiscated from the illegal pet trade; Cheekwood says more than 20 turtles live in the garden. Holiday LIGHTS, a ticketed evening event, runs Nov 20, 2026 to Jan 3, 2027, 4:30 to 10 p.m. nightly. The mansion and museum are closed Nov 3 to 19 for Holiday LIGHTS and reopen Nov 20. Restrooms: not listed.

Sources: Tickets | Cheekwood, Non Member Gardens Only | Cheekwood Estate and Gardens, Family Fun | Cheekwood Estate and Gardens and Bracken Foundation Children's Garden | Cheekwood Estate and Gardens, checked Nov 3, 2026.

10. Sanders Ferry Park

Area: Hendersonville (513 Sanders Ferry Road). Cost: No entry fee listed. Hours: Not listed.

The city lists a playground, restrooms, picnic shelters and tables, a grill, an accessible boat and fishing pier, a basketball court, an 18-hole disc golf course and a model airplane field. Shade: not listed.

Source: Facilities: Sanders Ferry Park | City of Hendersonville, checked Nov 3, 2026.

Are splash pads open in November?

Not the ones with a posted season. Metro Nashville’s two free spraygrounds, Kirkpatrick (620 S. 9th Street) and Watkins (Jo Johnston Avenue at 17th Avenue North), are open Memorial Day through Labor Day, weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and weekends 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., per Metro’s spraygrounds page. Smyrna listed the 2026 season for the splash pad at Gregory Mill Park as May 19 to Sept 7 (the SplashTown pool opened May 23; Town of Smyrna). Bicentennial Mall’s fountains run April through October, and Mt. Juliet’s page for Ava’s Splash Pad lists no season. All checked Nov 3, 2026.

Where can I push a stroller?

Tennessee State Parks calls Radnor Lake’s paved Otter Creek route stroller-friendly. The other paved paths on this list are the 2.1-mile Couchville Lake Trail at Long Hunter (flat and tagged wheelchair friendly), more than 5 miles of paved, ADA-accessible trail at Shelby Bottoms, the 0.9-mile loop at Bicentennial Mall, Pinkerton Park’s one-mile track and Crockett Park’s walking paths. Those pages say paved but don’t mention strollers.

Where should I take a toddler?

Crockett Park’s playground has rubberized paths Brentwood calls safe for toddlers, Charlie Daniels Park has a separate Squirrel’s Run Toddler Park and a tricycle track, and Warner Park Nature Center’s Nature Play is a free space for children’s unstructured outdoor play.

Which ones have restrooms?

Restrooms are listed at Warner Park Nature Center (year-round, none on the trails), Long Hunter, Radnor Lake (7 a.m. until dark), Crockett Park, Bicentennial Mall’s picnic area, Pinkerton Park and Sanders Ferry Park. The pages we checked for Shelby Bottoms, Charlie Daniels Park and Cheekwood don’t list restrooms.

Which ones cost money?

Of these 10, only Cheekwood lists an admission price: $13 to $19 for ages 3 to 17 and $20 to $26 for adults, plus parking. The other nine list no entry fee, and Shelby Bottoms states free admission.

At a glance

Place	Area	Cost	Good for
Warner Park Nature Center	Highway 100	No fee listed	Nature Play, nature museum, pond
Couchville Lake, Long Hunter State Park	Hermitage	No fee listed	Paved, mostly shaded 2.1-mile loop; story trail
Shelby Bottoms Greenway and Nature Center	East Nashville	Free	5+ paved miles, nature center
Crockett Park	Brentwood	No fee listed	Toddler-friendly playground, shaded picnic tables
Radnor Lake State Park	South Nashville	No fee listed	Stroller-friendly paved road, aviary
Charlie Daniels Park	Mt. Juliet	No fee listed	Fenced playground, toddler park
Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park	Downtown	No fee listed	0.9-mile paved loop, granite state map
Pinkerton Park	Franklin	No fee listed	Two playgrounds, paved track
Cheekwood Estate and Gardens	West Nashville	$13 to $19 kids, $20 to $26 adults	Children’s Garden, Holiday LIGHTS
Sanders Ferry Park	Hendersonville	No fee listed	Playground, fishing pier

How we picked

What qualified: outdoor places inside our 25-mile Nashville area with something specific for kids on an official page (a playground, nature play area, story trail, paved loop or nature center) and no full closure listed in November 2026. "Best" means the most kid-relevant facts on those pages (hours, restrooms, paved paths) and no entry fee; Cheekwood ranks lower only because it charges admission.
What we checked, and when: on Nov 3, 2026 we opened each place’s official pages (Metro Parks, Tennessee State Parks, the cities of Brentwood, Franklin, Hendersonville and Mt. Juliet, Friends of Warner Parks, Friends of Radnor Lake and Cheekwood) for hours, costs, restrooms, shade, trail surfaces and closures, plus Metro’s facility closures page. Where a page didn’t give a fact, we wrote "not listed".
What we left out, and why: splash pads (none we checked lists a November season); Centennial Park (Metro’s page lists no playground or restrooms); Owl’s Hill Nature Sanctuary in Brentwood (its visit page says the gate closes at 4 p.m. and its guidelines page says 3 p.m.); and Beaman Park (cost not listed, and its only trail described as accessible is a quarter-mile boardwalk).
This guide was researched and drafted with AI tools, and every fact was checked against its linked source on Nov 3, 2026.

More: Where kids eat free in Nashville · Kid-friendly restaurants in Nashville · Free things to do with kids in Nashville

Sources

Where kids eat free in Nashville