Green Hills Park
It began with a water fountain. Or rather, the lack of one. Public Works had removed it in 2005 during construction. Lora Barkenbus Fox, a lawyer with Metro and a resident of Green Hills since 1997, wanted it back. While she loved the improvements that Public Works had made to the 12 acre Green Hills Park nestled next to J.T. Moore Middle School -- better playgrounds and an expansive walking path, three loops equaling a mile and double stroller ready, Lora was pregnant with twins -- the water fountain was the literal oasis that had kept the park’s play flowing on hot and sunny days.
By 2015, the missing fountain and the lack of any further improvements for a decade compelled Lora to do something about it herself: She launched Friends of Green Hills Park, a nonprofit dedicated to achieving the park’s playful potential. The results speak for themselves. Instead of chain link fencing and a porta-potty greeting visitors, the entrance now boasts a new sign, wooden knee-rail fencing, and a discrete structure to house the porta-potty a little farther away. Inside the park, benches and new trees have been added and grassy berms now form ideal perches for picnics. In the park’s wetlands, the rainwater feeding into Browns Creek, invasive plants have been removed and native ones inserted in their stead. While there is still much to be done -- “we need to resurface those tennis courts,” Lora observes -- Green Hills Park has come a long way in just five short years of community involvement.
Dr. Jerome Burt of the adjoining Arden Place Condos certainly is a huge fan of the park. "One gets out of one's own head and shelves one own worries at this park," Dr. Burt points out, "by being captivated instead by smiling faces and waving neighbors, children playing and puppies wrestling. Time spent here restores a sense of belonging."
And you belong, too. Stop by and test your balance on the natural obstacle course that has been recently laid down, and check out the Little Library, a book truck donated by Parnassus which regularly makes visits to the park. And definitely don’t miss the upcoming Green Hills Festival! Last year saw an attendance of 1,800 and raised $14,000. Finally, don’t worry if you get thirsty while you’re visiting; the water fountain has returned.
To get involved, visit friendsofgreenhillspark.org.
Elmington Park
At just over 13 acres, Elmington Park more than makes up for its small size through its storied history and many current uses. Acquired by the city in 1927 before the Great Depression, the park was built in 1935 next to West End School by the Works Progress Administration, a New Deal agency, creating in the process one of Nashville’s oldest and most valued public spaces as well as one of its most visible, a green reminder on West End near the merge to 440 to get outside and play.
Nashvillian Kren Teren certainly appreciates Elmington. She has lived next to the park for twenty-seven years. “It was like having a huge front yard for my kids to play in that I never had to mow,” she recently exclaimed.
Kren isn’t the only one who hearts the park. From soccer teams to Frisbee enthusiasts to even Dur Demarion, a “foam fighting” group that meets each Saturday to de-stress by slapping each other with foam weapons on the field of honor, Elmington attracts a diverse range of people and interests to form a safe yet stimulating public green space at its best. Plus, with a playground, picnic area and gazebo, the park is a perfect place for a family outing with the kids. Oftentimes you don’t even have to bring your own food. Elmington is well-known for its many food trucks lined up in the parking lot. Come June, look for Movies-in-the-Park on Sundays, or don’t wait and go now to enjoy the shade trees and tennis courts. Thanks to the Friends of Elmington Park, recent improvements include new water fountains, playground equipment the planting of some 120 young trees.
To get involved, visit the Elimington Park page on Facebook.
Woodmont Park
Even on hot and sunny days, the gorgeous shade pavilion that forms the heart of Woodmont Park stands cool and inviting. Set beneath the canopy of the surrounding trees, the pavilion with its picnic tables is open to any gentle breeze that blows or friendly neighbor that passes by to say hello. Here, one can look around in all directions and see each face of this pretty park like facets of a gem. To the north are the tennis and basketball courts. To the east and south, the trees that dampen the traffic noise and cool the day. To the west, a field and a playground -- a good one, too, packed with challenges for young minds and limbs to safely explore -- invite children of all ages to play. Encircling it all is a footpath, wide enough for two to pace side by side, every five loops equalling one mile.
“Woodmont is wonderful,” says longtime local resident Jill Melton, founder of Edible Nashville and well-known “foodie” here in town. “I visit the park several times each week to exercise or play tennis or just chill out and read a book. The park attracts a very diverse group of folks, but everyone is always so friendly there.”
To experience the friendliness for yourself, go find a nice spot this spring on the next cool, blue day. At Woodmont Park, just like Green Hills and Elmington, more than flowers and trees are blooming, but good times and friendships as well. Go outside and play!
To get involved, visit friendsofwoodmontpark.com
