With a mild climate, sprawling residential space, and plenty of outdoor recreation activities, Nashville is an ideal city for dog lovers. Drive through town on a sunny day lately? Regardless of your neighborhood, you probably saw several people taking their dog out for an afternoon walk.
In order to accommodate so many canines, the Nashville Department of Parks and Recreation manages three different dog parks that it keeps open throughout the year: one in Centennial Park off West End Avenue, one in East Nashville in Shelby Bottoms Park, and the last in Edwin Warner Park near the Belle Meade area. While you can find a list of rules and regulations for each park here, it might be good to have a little more information on each of these dog parks before you grab Fido and go. As this article explains, each of Nashville’s three dog parks has its own unique features-besides a distinctive location-that set it apart:
Centennial Dog Park
2500 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN
A centralized location within Nashville’s signature park make Centennial Dog Park a popular option for dog owners seeking a public off-leash environment. Situated on a fairly wooded hillside about a mile from Nashville’s Parthenon, Centennial Dog Park provides separate play areas for small and large dogs, as well as a constant water supply. During peak visiting times-Sunday afternoons and weekdays before and after work hours-it is not uncommon to see upwards of 30 to 40 dogs together in the large dog area. The park’s many trees provide ample shade to keep owners and longhaired breeds cool in hot weather; unfortunately, the abundance of trees also prevents grass from growing in much of the park, making it easy for your dog to get very, very muddy. However, if you come prepared to clean up after your dirty dog and desire a well-populated, shaded environment, Centennial Dog Park will do more than meet your needs.
Warner Dog Park
50 Vaughn Road, Nashville, TN
If your dog loves wide-open spaces to run and play, Warner Dog Park in the Warner Parks System near the Belle Meade area is the right place for you. While shade and sitting arrangements are confined to a small area near the park’s entrance, Warner Dog Park offers a soccer field sized, fenced in area of grassy flat land, making the park perfect for long-distance games of frisbee and fetch. Unlike Centennial Dog Park, dogs in the Warner Park are not separated by size, allowing large and small breeds to mingle as they please. A nearby creek gives hot dogs a much needed chance to cool off, and the surrounding park and nature center offer much more in the way of outdoor recreation opportunities. As previously stated, Warner Dog Park does not offer much shade, so owners must be careful to make sure their dog avoids becoming overheated in the summertime. However, the sheer amount of open space gives Warner Dog Park a clear advantage in the eyes of many Nashvillians, and you may find this park perfectly to your liking.
Shelby Dog Park
2001 Boscobell Street, Nashville, TN
While Shelby Dog Park in the Shelby Bottoms Park area of East Nashville lacks the large size of Centennial and Warner dog parks, many Nashville residents believe it has a special, unique character the other two dog parks lack. Located near the banks of the Cumberland River and Shelby Greenway, Shelby Dog Park offers a nice blend of the other two parks’ key features: a downsized confluence of both the ample shade and available sitting space of Centennial and the flat grass-covered land of Warner. Some little dog owners may be wary of Shelby Dog Park’s more relaxed atmosphere concerning the mixing of large and small breeds in a more confined area. However, if you don’t mind the trip into East Nashville, visiting Shelby Dog Park is definitely worth your time.
In addition to the parks described here, owners can find completely suitable off-leash dog parks in nearby Mt. Juliet, Nolensville, Franklin, and Murfreesboro. These parks offer a great environment for your dog to exercise and socialize with other canines. Now that you have more information on dog parks in Metro Nashville, you can begin planning your next visit right away!
