Riverfront Park
Updated: Mar 5, 2021
Name: Riverfront Park
Address: 100 1st Ave N, 37213
History: 5 out of 5
Walkability: 5 out of 5
Kid Like-ability- 4 out of 5
Date Night-ability- 3 out of 5
Charm: 3 out of 5
Riverfront Park snakes along the back of 1st Ave and the Broadway tourist district. Portions of the land have been owned by Nashville since 1930, but it was officially named a park until 1980. It cost about $4.5 million, and opened to commemorate the Nashville Bicentennial. Today it has accumulated 18.70 acres. It has a dog park, a basketball court, a paved walking path, a canoe launch, and multiple historic features and commemorations. Most notably is the replica of Fort Nashboro, built in 1930 to commemorate the first Nashville settlers who settled this land. We started on the far end, near the Public Square, and walked up the Riverfront to Ascend Amphitheatre, passing statues, plaques, river views, and the beautiful outdoor theatre seating which was once for Dancin’ the District and the New Years’ Eve Show, but now is an open air concert venue throughout the year.
I really like this park, and the city of Nashville has extended plans for it to renovate and expand it, and really make it a crown jewel of downtown. I’d be excited to see those plans be realized. We were down here while 1st and 2nd Avenues were still in the aftermath of the 2020 Christmas bombing, and it was eerily quiet. We walked and chatted about Timothy Demonbreun, the furtrappers that founded this city, and how the city of Nashville sprung from this centralized heart. It remains one of my favorite parks.
