About Us

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.