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Fannie Mae Dees Park

4.3 (44 reviews)
Open 5:00 am - 10:00 pm
Updated 2 months ago

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Fort

We love the park! It's unique, there is lots of shade, and plenty for the kids to enjoy. It feels safe, and there's a bathroom there. The new playground structure is great. Be aware of the parking situation, and make sure you read the signs carefully, as we got a parking ticket even when we parked right by the park. It was a disappointing end to a fun time.

Alexis B.

The reason I went a bit out of my way to check this park out a few days ago is the same reason that it's also called Drago Park - it's that dragon sculpture in the middle of the park (you can't miss it)! It's not a large park, and on a late morning Friday it was full of kids with parents running around and exploring. Definitely a fun park for taking kids. For me (no kids), it was an okay park that I wanted to check out just because of that cool dragon sculpture (the mosaic work on it is really cool). Worth checking out if you're in the area.

Park
Michael W.

First time visiting Nashville and I looked up some good local parks and this one popped up with great reviews. I can vouch that it is a nice big park with a lot of things for young kids to do. I was really impressed

Huge brick wall with a tunnel
Nicole S.

What a cute little park! What makes it so unique is the humongous, mosaic sea serpent that snakes through the better part of the park. If you look at the mosaic closely, you'll see familiar images pop out, like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland, or woodland creatures, or flowers, or dragonflies, or mermaids and mermen, any number of other fun things. This park also has a huge, brick wall with a tunnel, so you can climb up it or crawl through it. It sits next to tennis courts. Over on the other side of the park is a playground with equipment for all ages. There are slides and swings for toddlers, but also monkey bars, firemen poles and rope bridges for older kids. Also, one of the climbing structures looks like a lotus in full bloom -- it's really pretty. It's actually a functional piece of art, to tell you the truth; at least, that's what it looks like. For what it's worth, we came across a couple of squirrels with NO boundaries whatsoever, and they proceeded to walk straight up to our stroller as if looking for food. So just be aware that the wildlife might not be so wild (or, at least, maybe they're wild in a different way).

Dragon Park
Brandi H.

This property was originally supposed to house a wing of Vanderbilt Hospital, but was deemed unsuitable, so the city determined it would be a green space adjacent to Vanderbilt. Although Fannie Mae Dees was passionately against the Vanderbilt expansion, the Metro Board of Parks and Recreation unanimously voted to name the park in the expansion for her, in dedication to her love of the neighborhood. It's always been a place of teenage debauchery. There are newspaper articles of increased policing and tickets issued for climbing the dragon in the 80's, and littering of whipped cream canisters left by huffing teenagers with regularity in the 90's. I myself had a few midnight tokes in this park, and a memorable hallucinogenic laced 4th of July staring at the mosaics for what felt like hours. The park opened in 1979. Sculptor Pedro Silva created the sea serpent sculpture in 1981, and 1,000 members of the neighborhood helped create the intricate designs. The tiles themselves were leftovers and samples from Nashville tile companies. It's BEAUTIFUL, waving in and out of blue foam water. But someone called it a dragon, instead of a sea serpent, and the name stuck. The sculpture itself has required a lot of maintenance, with a repair effort in 1998, to go tile by tile to fill in cracks and replace broken tiles, and another repair effort in 2016. There is a great playground, which is called "Lily's Garden", named after a 22 month old Lily Shaw, whose parents fundraised over $350,000 to build the playground that was handicap accessible after Lily was diagnosed with muscular atrophy in 2000. There's also a lotus flower bike rack, made from recycled bike frames and designed by artist Michael Allison, and a tennis court.

Dragon Mosaic, from their website

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1 year ago

sturdy new playground equipment! this park is great for all ages, and the dragon is very beautiful!

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5 years ago

It had a couple of spots for the kids to run around at. Pretty good size for them to explore as well. Fairly enjoyed being outdoor here.

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Page 1 of 2

Ask the Community - Fannie Mae Dees Park

Review Highlights - Fannie Mae Dees Park

Lots of people call this The Dragon Park since there is a cement and mosaic tile art Dragon here as well.

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Shelby Park

Shelby Park

4.5(66 reviews)
4.9 mi

I am in a deeply committed, borderline unhealthy relationship with this park. I've spent an…read moreirresponsible amount of my life here and it keeps turning me into an endurance athlete against my will. First 100+ mile bike ride? Here. First ultra marathon? Here. At this point I'm one trail run away from qualifying for something I didn't sign up for. I also golf here more than a retired grandpa in Florida. Like, aggressively. If you need a tee time, sorry, I might already be there. I've made friends, ran races, had full character development arcs, and I see the same deer so often that we're basically on a "head nod" basis. I've named them. They know my schedule. One of them owes me money. Honestly, Nashville Parks should either sponsor me, put my name on a bench, or issue a restraining order.

Shelby Park in East Nashville has quickly become one of my favorite parks to hit up for a weekday…read moreevening or weekend afternoon walk! I have been making my way to all the Metro parks and Shelby Park sits high on my list right now, and for good reason! The park is well equipped with all the park staples and even a few specialty areas. I come here for the trails, as I love wandering around the park, through the woods, by the golf course and around the water. Just something about it all that makes the walks a bit more enjoyable. In addition to the trails the park offers the classic park offerings such as playgrounds, gazebos and sporting fields. The park is well kept and clean. All parks are a bit worn and dated, but it is not enough to detract from the park itself. Nashville does a good job keeping the parks in good working order, as well as clean. Overall, I am a fan of Shelby Park!

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Shelby Park - View from the river bank

View from the river bank

Shelby Park - Art

Art

Shelby Park - Lake is full...

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Lake is full...

Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park

Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park

4.5(105 reviews)
2.3 miDowntown

We saw this place while going to the farmer market and decided to check it out. This is such a nice…read moreplace for a walk for fresh air. This place has lots of open space, and beautiful view of capitol buildings. This place has some great informative history. This is a great place to stop by for a brief time.

4.5 Stars When I…read morepenned my last Yelp review a few days ago on the Tennessee State Capitol Building, it mentioned that it was part of a walk that my brother and I took to the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park (From this point forward it is abbreviated BCMSP). It also mentioned that from the highest elevation of Downtown Nashville, my eyes looked across BCMSP. The reality is that BCMSP is a continuation of the Tennessee State Capitol. Less than a mile from Broadway; BCMSP, Tennessee State Capitol Building, Legislative Plaza, and government institutions are a world away from the honky tonk. I consider this part of Downtown Nashville as a Capitol Tourism District. The best way to describe BCMSP is having a similar layout to the Washington DC Mall. Both are linear parks originating from a Capitol Building that is adorned with statues and monuments along a great lawn with institutions and places of interest alongside the linear park. The striking difference is that the Tennessee State Capitol is on top of a grand hill. This design is no coincidence. When it opened on June 1, 1996 on the 200th Anniversary of Tennessee statehood, it brought to life the concept of bringing the Capitol Mall to the Tennessee State Capitol with a celebration of the state's history, geography, and culture. With Country Music far out of earshot, Tennessee was ringing in my ears when we walked the linear park from the southern entrance at James Robinson Parkway to the northern end at Jefferson Street. Walking south to north, the first attraction we took in was Tennessee Map Plaza. We walked on a granite map of Tennessee. Close by we picked up a $1 can of Coke from the Gift Shop (great deal!). We walked along the eastern walkway called Walkway of Counties where we took in the shade from the poplars while reading about the counties. This led us in and out of the Great Lawn. We stopped at the Tennessee Amphitheatre. Continuing north we stopped at the World War Two Memorial and the Court of Three Stars. I read that these are the tallest carillons in the World. Occasionally looking back, I took in the Tennessee State Capitol Building. At the northernmost point of the park at Jefferson Street, I took in a distant view of the totality of BCMSP leading to the Tennessee State Capitol. What a photo! Now walking south, instead of walking steadily towards it, we took a detour through the Farmer's Market carrying us parallel to the western boundary of the mall. If we had more time, we would have celebrated Tennessee further with time spent in the Tennessee State Museum at the northwest corner of the linear park. We rejoined BCMSP at the Tennessee Map Plaza where we took in a grand vista of the Tennessee State Capitol rising from on top of the hill. Instead of returning to it, we walked the city streets of Rep. John Lewis Way back to Broadway where the honky-tonk vibe returned. I am a fan of BCMSP. It has so much historic and Capitol Tourism character. And speaking of character, I am reaching the Yelp character limit. So, without further ado, I rate BCMSP 4.5 Stars.

Photos
Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park
Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park - World War Two Memorial

World War Two Memorial

Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park - This squirrel kept stopping to pose for me!

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This squirrel kept stopping to pose for me!

Richland Creek Greenway - Richland Creek

Richland Creek Greenway

4.5(36 reviews)
2.1 miSylvan Park

I just stumbled upon this wonderful oasis by accident. It's located next to McCabe golf course. The…read moregreenway is so much fun to run or walk. There's different surfaces and various undulations. There's several bridges you cross and it reminds me of the walkabouts in Australia. I really didn't keep track of the distance but I took the trail all the way around. Highly recommend for a quick run or walk.

absolutely beautiful and convenient to get your 10,000 steps in. There are multiple trails like…read moreWyoming trailhead, Whitebridge road trailhead. We started at McCabe Park trailhead (4911 McCabe Park Dr, Nashville, TN 37205); there is a golf course there as well. Following the trails and walking by the Richland Creek (which is a stream on the west side of Nashville, Tennessee, formed by nine tributaries flowing north to the Cumberland River) is just beautiful, immersed completely in nature and green. Expect people with dogs, on bikes, skates, you name it, on the trail. It's pretty popular! If you want to ensure you remain in the greenway trail watch out for the green stumps. the "green stumps" are a well-known marker along the Richland Creek Greenway in Nashville. They're part of a trail maintenance/landscape feature: green-painted wooden posts (stumps) along the path used as visual markers to help walkers and bikers stay on the trail, especially near forks or trailheads The trail actually features a loop around McCabe Park/Golf Course and sections following the creek and old railroad tracks, connecting Sylvan Park to shopping areas and offering history like Dutchman's Curve. Parking available at the McCabe Trailhead near the golf course clubhouse. It's total 4.1 miles. The Richland Creek Greenway at McCabe Park crisscrosses the creek several times as it encircles the McCabe Golf Course. This greenway features several neighborhood accesses, the McCabe Community Center and baseball fields, and greenway connectors to nearby shopping centers. Nashville State Community College and Tennessee College of Applied Technology campuses also enjoy direct access to this popular suburban greenway treasure.

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Richland Creek Greenway
Richland Creek Greenway
Richland Creek Greenway

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Two Rivers Park

Two Rivers Park

4.2(21 reviews)
7.8 miDonelson

Two Rivers Park may be one of my favorite parks in the Nashville metro area! If you have ever…read moredriven on Briley near Opry Mills, then you have seen either the water park or pedestrian bridge, both of which are just a small part of what makes Two Rivers Park such a cool spot! The main draw of Two Rivers for me is the Greenway trails and of course the pedestrian bridge that crosses the Cumberland river and provides gorgeous views and a solid backdrop for a walk. The trails at Two Rivers are some of the most active in the city as at any given time of the day there are folks walking, blading, biking, jogging, etc...I spend most of my time when at the park on the greenway, it's well kept, well maintained, clean and peaceful. Outside of the trails, the park features a skate park, the water park, a golf course and a few other activity based areas. They also have a lot of public space and gazebos you can rent for parties and such. The park is huge, so you can access it from several areas from Briley, McGavock or Shelby Bottoms. The main entrance is just off of Briley, which is where I usually go, as parking is plentiful and it is a good start/stop point when hitting the greenway...plus the pedestrian bridge is right there! Overall, I really enjoy Two Rivers Park!

I went here looking for a place to take a long walk or run. It was a little confusing to follow and…read morethere was a lot of trash lying around. There's a dog park next door so beware if you don't like a lot of dogs. I did get my steps in and saw a beautiful bridge and some water.

Photos
Two Rivers Park
Two Rivers Park
Two Rivers Park

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Fannie Mae Dees Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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