Centennial Park with a stroller

Centennial Park is the walk you can do on a hard day. It’s short, it’s paved, and there’s always something to look at: ducks on the lake, a full-size Parthenon, flower beds, dogs, music drifting over from somewhere. If you only have 30 minutes and a fussy baby, this is the one.

The park covers 132 acres in Nashville’s West End, across the street from Vanderbilt. It was the site of the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition, which is why there’s a replica of the Parthenon in the middle of it. Today it’s one of the city’s most loved parks, with a one-mile walking trail, a lake, gardens, a playground and free events in the warmer months.

At a glance

• LengthAbout a 1-mile loop
• SurfacePaved paths
• ShadeGood: big old trees
• HillsFlat to gentle
• Best withAny stroller
• CostFree (the Parthenon museum charges admission)

Centennial Park is open daily from dawn until 11 p.m. Plan on 20 to 30 minutes for one loop, longer if you stop at the lake or the playground (and you will).

Map

Open in Google Maps

Centennial Park sits at 2500 West End Avenue, between West End and Charlotte Pike. The Parthenon is in the middle, and the walking loop circles the park around it.

Stroller or carrier?

Centennial Park is easy with any stroller. The paths are paved and mostly flat, and the loop is short.

• 👶
  Best overallAny stroller

  Lightweight strollers are perfect here. You won’t need big wheels.

• 🏛️
  Museum visitBring a carrier too

  If you plan to go inside the Parthenon, a carrier can be easier in the galleries.

• 🧸
  Quick lapBaby carrier

  One loop is short enough to do with a carrier on a cool morning.

Getting there and parking

By car

There’s free parking inside the park, including lots near the Parthenon and spaces along the drives around the edge. A few tips:

• Go early on weekends. The lots fill up on nice days and fill fast during events.
• Check the event calendar. On festival and concert days, parking can be hard to find. The Centennial Park Conservancy lists what’s coming up.
• Park close to where you’re headed. If the playground is the goal, park on that side so you’re not pushing the stroller across the whole park with a tired toddler.

By bus

WeGo buses run along West End Avenue and Charlotte Pike. Travel guides list routes 3 and 25 for the park. Use the WeGo trip planner to check current routes.

The route

The paved walking trail makes a loop of about a mile around the park. You can start anywhere, but here’s an easy way to do it.

1. Start near the Parthenon. Park in a nearby lot and take a minute to look up. Babies don’t care, but you will.
2. Head to Lake Watauga. Walk down to the lake, built for the 1897 exposition. Look for ducks, geese and turtles under the weeping willows.
3. Cross the old bridge. Near the lake you’ll find a concrete bridge from 1906, one of the earliest reinforced concrete bridges in Tennessee.
4. Swing by the Sunken Garden. A pretty, formal garden that’s lovely in spring and summer.
5. Finish the loop past the band shell and the playground. End with play time, or a stroller nap on a shady bench.

Want more distance? Do two laps, or add a walk through the Vanderbilt campus across West End, which is leafy and mostly flat.

Feeding and nap stops

Big shade trees and plenty of benches make Centennial Park one of the easiest places in town to feed a baby outside.

• By Lake Watauga. Benches under the willows, with ducks for entertainment.
• In the Sunken Garden. A quieter, more tucked-away spot.
• On the lawns. Bring a blanket and find a shady tree.
• Near the playground. So you can sit with the baby while older kids play.

Feeding in public is your right in Tennessee, and you’ll see lots of families doing it here.

Accessibility

The paths are paved, with ramps and accessible restrooms, which makes Centennial Park one of the more accessible parks in Nashville. A few notes:

• Park close to your destination. The park is big, so pick the lot nearest the playground, the lake or the Parthenon.
• Event days are harder. Crowds, vendors and closed paths can make getting around tougher. Check the event calendar.
• The Parthenon. Check the museum’s website for accessibility details before you go inside.

Restrooms

Centennial Park has public restrooms, including near the main activity areas. They’re easier to find than at many Nashville greenways, which makes this a great walk for early postpartum weeks and potty-training toddlers. Bring a portable changing pad, since you can’t count on a changing table.

The playground

The playground is a favorite with Nashville families, shaded by big trees, and parents have long loved the big wooden swings around it. It’s a perfect halfway or end-of-walk stop.

If you’ve got a toddler who loves to climb, Fannie Mae Dees Park (better known as Dragon Park) is a short drive away near Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. Its giant mosaic sea serpent is a Nashville rite of passage.

Things to see

• 🏛️
  LandmarkThe Parthenon

  A full-scale replica of the Athens original, now an art museum with a 42-foot statue of Athena inside. Walking around it is free; the museum charges admission.

• 🦆
  Lake WataugaDucks and willows

  The easiest baby entertainment in Nashville. Bring a camera, not bread.

• 🌱
  GardensThe Sunken Garden

  A formal garden with seasonal flowers and benches for a quiet feed.

• 🎵
  Free musicMusicians Corner

  A free outdoor concert series in the warmer months, with food trucks and families on blankets. Check dates each season.

• 🎭
  SummerShakespeare in the Park

  The Nashville Shakespeare Festival performs outdoors here in late summer. Bring a blanket and come early.

• 🎨
  ArtCentennial Art Center

  Free art exhibits and classes, right in the park.

A little history

Centennial Park is one of the most historic spots in Nashville, which makes it fun to walk with a curious toddler.

• 🏇
  Before 1897A racetrack

  After the Civil War the land was used for state fairgrounds, and from 1884 to 1895 much of it was a racetrack called West Side Park.

• 🎉
  1897The Centennial Exposition

  Tennessee celebrated 100 years of statehood with a huge exposition here that drew about 1.8 million visitors.

• 🏛️
  LandmarkThe Parthenon

  Built for the exposition as a plaster replica and rebuilt in concrete in the 1920s. Its 42-foot Athena statue inside is a showstopper.

• 🌳
  1903Nashville’s park

  After the exposition, the grounds became a public park that helped start Nashville’s park system. Lake Watauga, the gardens, the bandshell and the Parthenon remained.

Like many Southern parks of its era, Centennial Park was segregated under Jim Crow laws, and Black Nashvillians were barred from using it. Look for historical markers along the Lake Watauga loop that tell more of the park’s story, and for the Tennessee Woman Suffrage Monument.

Fun for little ones

Beyond the playground, a few things kids love:

• The old steam locomotive, trolley car and fighter plane on display in the park. Great for train-obsessed toddlers.
• Duck watching at Lake Watauga. The lake is home to ducks, geese and fish.
• Kidsville and family events. The Centennial Park Conservancy runs family programming, including Kidsville. Check its calendar.
• Free WiFi, handy if you need to look something up mid-walk.

West End and Vanderbilt

Centennial Park sits right across West End Avenue from Vanderbilt University, in one of Nashville’s most walkable areas.

• Vanderbilt’s campus. Leafy, mostly flat paths and big shade trees make it an easy way to add distance.
• Elliston Place and West End. Coffee shops, casual lunch spots and bakeries within a short walk or drive.
• Midtown and the Gulch. A short drive east if you want to turn your walk into a lunch date.

If you work nearby, a Centennial Park loop is a perfect lunch-break walk. Pack a stroller fan in summer and you’re set.

Coffee and food

There’s no café in the middle of the park, but you’re surrounded by options. West End, Elliston Place and the area around Vanderbilt have plenty of coffee shops and quick lunch spots a short drive or walk away. On Musicians Corner days, food trucks come to you. Bring water in warm months.

Safety and heat

The big trees help, but Nashville summers are still hot and humid.

• Watch the heat index. Nashville summers are hot and humid, and heat index values can climb past 100 degrees. On those days, walk at sunrise, keep it short or skip it. Metro’s emergency alert program, MEANS, sends weather and safety notices.
• Know the signs of overheating. For you: dizziness, heavy sweating, nausea or weakness. For your baby: flushed skin, unusual fussiness or sleepiness and fewer wet diapers. Move to shade or air conditioning, offer fluids as your pediatrician advises and call 911 if anyone seems confused or faint.
• Check playground surfaces. Nashville’s fire department warns that slides, swings and turf can get hot enough to burn in summer sun. Touch before little ones climb on.
• Never cover the stroller with a blanket. It traps heat. Use a ventilated sunshade and a clip-on fan instead.
• Respect spring storms. Middle Tennessee gets strong thunderstorms, especially in spring. Check the forecast, and when thunder roars, head indoors.
• Walk with a friend. Metro Parks encourages enjoying greenways with a friend. Share your route and keep your phone charged. For emergencies, call 911. Metro Parks Police can be reached at 615-862-8600.

Near the lake, keep toddlers close and buckled when you’re not right beside them. The park borders busy streets, so hold hands at every crossing.

Add Dragon Park

Fannie Mae Dees Park, which everyone calls Dragon Park, is a short drive from Centennial Park near Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. Its star is a giant mosaic sea serpent that winds through the park, perfect for climbing toddlers. There’s also a playground and a picnic pavilion.

Our favorite combo: a slow loop at Centennial Park while the baby naps, then a Dragon Park stop for older siblings. Parking is usually easier on weekday mornings.

Seasons

• SpringFlowering trees, blooms in the Sunken Garden and baby ducks on the lake. Free events start back up as the weather warms.
• SummerHot and humid, but the big trees help. Go early, then catch an evening event when it cools off.
• FallCrisp mornings and gorgeous leaves around the lake. One of the best times for a long, slow loop.
• WinterQuiet and mostly mild. A good season for a brisk lap and a warm drink after.

Rainy day backups

If the weather turns, you have good indoor options right in the park:

• The Parthenon, an art museum with the giant Athena statue and a collection of American paintings. Check hours and admission before you go.
• The Centennial Art Center, with free exhibits and art classes.
• A walk through Vanderbilt’s campus, across West End, where covered walkways and buildings offer quick cover.

A sample morning

A relaxed first visit with a baby:

• 8:00 a.m.Park near the Parthenon and take a slow loop around it.
• 8:15 a.m.Walk to Lake Watauga and watch the ducks.
• 8:30 a.m.Cross the old bridge and stroll through the Sunken Garden.
• 8:45 a.m.Feed or rest on a shaded bench.
• 9:00 a.m.Finish the loop at the playground, then grab coffee nearby.

That’s about one mile with lots of stops, a lovely way to spend a morning.

What to pack

Our short list for Centennial Park with a baby:

• Water for you, plus whatever your baby needs for feeds.
• A ventilated sunshade and a clip-on fan, especially from May through September.
• Bug spray, a baby-safe option you’ve checked with your pediatrician.
• A portable changing pad and wipes, since changing tables aren’t guaranteed.
• A light layer for the baby, because mornings by the water can feel cooler than you expect.
• A charged phone, with your route shared with a friend.
• A blanket for the lawn, for a picnic or a feed under the trees.

Keep it light. A packed-full stroller basket is harder to push and harder to fold at the end.

Pro tips

• ⏰
  TimingGo early

  Weekday mornings are calm and parking is easy. Event days get busy fast.

• 📅
  EventsCheck the calendar

  Big festivals can mean road closures and full lots. Great for a fun outing, tough for a quick walk.

• 🐶
  DogsExpect pups

  The park is popular with dog walkers, and there’s a dog park too.

• 🦆
  DucksSkip the bread

  Bread isn’t good for ducks. Just watching them is plenty for a baby.

• 🕑
  Short walksPerfect for 30 minutes

  One loop is about a mile. It’s an easy win on a tired day.

• 📍
  Meeting upMeet at the Parthenon

  “Meet at the Parthenon steps” is impossible to miss.

If you’re postpartum, check with your provider before adding longer walks, and build up gradually. Our guide to postpartum exercise once you’re cleared is a good place to start.

Walk Centennial Park with us

Centennial Park is one of the places we expect our first Nashville walk clubs to start, especially for short lunch-break and weekday morning walks. We’re taking signups now, and founding members help choose the first routes and times.

Here’s what a Pink in Progress walk looks like: an easy, regular walk with strollers and sneakers welcome, a pace where everyone can talk, and coffee after when the babies cooperate. No one gets left behind, and there’s no fancy gear required. If you’re new to Nashville or new to motherhood, it’s one of the simplest ways to make friends who get it.

See everything we’re building in Nashville.

More stroller walks in Nashville

• Shelby Bottoms GreenwayEast Nashville · our full stroller guide
• Richland Creek GreenwaySylvan Park · our full stroller guide
• Stones River GreenwayDonelson and Hermitage · our full stroller guide