Fair Park

This park is newer, but also has a long history. So the plot of land at the foot of the Nashville Fairgrounds and Speedway. The plot was originally opened in 1952 as Fair Park, a permanent, year-round, small scale fair, with rides and other attractions to supplement the main attraction- the once-a-year Tennessee State Fair. It closed in 1987, as Opryland Theme Park had created a lot of competition.

The subsequent years were fairly up in the air, as in the early ‘00s, Mayor Karl Dean was intent on closing down the Fairgrounds and moving it to a different section of town. The property was rundown, and the state fair had become more frought with crime. Then, in the 2010’s, Mayor Megan Berry worked to bring in a national soccer team, hoping to create a stadium on the property. There’s been a lot of local debate, as the property has been continuously in use since the 1890s, and the Save Our Fairgrounds group has worked to preserve as much as possible.

This particular park opened in April 2019. It has a paved path for walking, a dog park, soccer fields, and a little .3 mile greenway path that has great views of the creek. This is only phase one of this park, and there are plans to expand the greenway.

Name: Fair Park

Address: 300 Raines Ave, 37203

History: 5 out of 5

Walkability: 4 out of 5

Kid Like-ability- 2 out of 5

Date Night-ability- 2 out of 5

Charm: 2 out of 5