The Nashville Metropolitan Board of Parks and Recreation (commonly, Metro Parks and Recreation or Nashville Parks and Recreation) is the municipal board that is responsible for maintaining the

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

s system of

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, and furnishing recreational opportunities for city's residents. The board maintains over of park space. The Board boasts over 100 stand-alone parks and 7 municipal

golf course A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

History

In 1901, Nashville Mayor

James Marshall Head James Marshall Head Jr. (1855–1930) was an American politician in the Democratic Party. He served as the Mayor of Nashville, Tennessee for two successive terms, 1900 to 1904, during which he created many of the city's public parks. In 1903, H ...

created the Nashville Parks Board. The plan was to create several neighborhood parks and four larger parks of about , one built in each quadrant of town. Nashville's first park, Watkins Park, was created in 1909.David Madden, "Insiders' Guide to Nashville, 7th Ed.," Globe Pequot, (2009), p. 210. During his two terms as mayor, Head also negotiated the city's acquisition of of prime land that had been used in 1897 for the

Tennessee Centennial Exposition The Tennessee Centennial and International Exposition was an exposition held in Nashville from May 1 – October 31, 1897 in what is now Centennial Park. A year late, it celebrated the 100th anniversary of Tennessee's entry into the union in 17 ...

. The site became known as Centennial Park.

Administration

The Park Board has seven members, appointed for five year terms. The current board is composed of: * George Anderson, * Stan Fossick, * Dr. Michelle Steele, "vice-chair" * Tari Hughes,"chair" * Susannah Scott-Barnes * Dr. Sharon Gentry, ''representing the

Board of Education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...

'' * Jeff Haynes, ''representing the Planning Commission'' The Parks Director, who oversees day-to-day operations, is currently Monique Odom. Divisions of the Parks Department include Maintenance, Planning, Recreation and Community Centers, Special Services, Natural Resources and Greenways, and Park Police.

Attractions

Nashville Parks' most famous attraction is the

Parthenon The Parthenon (; grc, Παρθενών, , ; ell, Παρθενώνας, , ) is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, that was dedicated to the goddess Athena during the fifth century BC. Its decorative sculptures are considere ...

, based in Centennial Park, which is a full-scale replica of the original

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

. It was originally built in 1897 for the

. Nashville Parks also runs the nearby Centennial Sports Complex, which has an Olympic-sized pool, an ice rink, and a workout area. The Complex rink is home to the Nashville Predators's practice facilities.

References

External links

Metropolitan Board of Parks and Recreation
official site
Locations of Nashville Parks

Nashville Greenways
Nashville Greenway System
Nashville Riverfront
developing area designed to renovate the underdeveloped riverside of downtown Nashville. Government of Nashville, Tennessee Organizations based in Nashville, Tennessee {{Tennessee-stub

History

Administration

Attractions

See also

References

External links