Ravenwood Park

Ravenwood Park is a behemoth of a park. Let me tell you why. It was originally the plot of land for the Ravenwood Country Club. It has over 800 acres and conversations about how to develop it have been a talks for years. The fact is, maintenance simply will be too much for Metro Parks’ budget at the moment. There is a diverse ecology, including grasslands and river beds, and natural flora and fauna that needs to be maintained. There’s also more than 200 acres of forestry in the park that needs to be reforested. The master plan includes disc golf, camping sites, multiple pavilions, a nature center, tennis courts, basketball courts, playgrounds, and trails.

Archeological evidence has shown Paleo Indians and Woodland Indians in the site. The land was occupied by the Donelson and Dodson families in early days, named Ravenwood by Sarah Dodson (b. 1873, d. 1905).The land was bought and turned into the Ravenwood Country Club and Golf Course in 1957, and was bought by Metro Parks in 2012. It still has remained undeveloped.

We went in, and were stunned. It’s beautiful, wild, untamed nature. You wouldn’t believe how close you were to the city. The horizon is quiet nature as far as the eye can see. We walked around, saw a bit, but frankly- you are gonna wanna print a map and see all the paths and plan a full day here. It’s worth getting to before Metro Parks develops it, and I can’t wait to see it after that, either.

Name: Ravenwood Park

Address: 1266 Stones River Road, 37076

History: 3 out of 5

Walkability: 5 out of 5

Kid Like-ability- 1 out of 5

Date Night-ability- 5 out of 5

Charm: 5 out of 5