Recent Posts

Oasis in the city – Nature Center hiking trail

The Nature Center is my favorite place to hike right now because it is ten minutes from my door step. I do the two mile trail at least one or two times a week. It is a beautiful sight to see all the time but especially right now as it is fall and the leaves are changing. At Warner Park Nature Center there is a welcome building that has all kinds of interesting stuff in it. The cool thing about Warner Park hiking trails is that they connect to other trails. They are all color coated on the trees so you won’t get lost.

The Harpeth Woods trail is a 2 1/2-mile loop and it has blue signs on all the trees so you know where you are going. I like it because you can get it done in 45 minutes if you just want to get a quick exercise in. As you can see in the pictures‚ it is as if you are immersed in a postcard. The colors of the leaves‚ the beautiful trees‚ the squirrels ‚ birds‚ and deer that I have seen on the trail all make for a peaceful and calming experience. There are also benches to sit if you want to eat lunch after your hike. You can also bring your dog on the trail which I am a fan of because my dog loves the trails.

The Welcome Nature Center building is fascinating. They have a fall schedule of all the activities and programs they provide. They have story-time for children‚ organic gardening‚ guided hiking tours‚ and for Christmas they have the winter solstice celebration. Inside they have all the animals displayed to look like they are alive. It is intriguing to see all the different animals one can see on the trails.

There is a cave that you can go into and when you look up its as if you are looking into the stars in the sky at night. Inside there are displays of different animals that you can learn about by pushing on the button. It lights up and gives you a synopsis about the animal.

The people that work there are friendly and will answer any questions you have. One helped us find the picture of a rare bird we saw on the trail. She had said we are lucky people because in all the time she has worked at the park she has never seen this bird. It was engaging to get their perspective on the trails because they spend a lot of time in the park.

There are several trails to pick from. They have maps that will tell you what color it is‚ how long and hard the trail is‚ and if you go into the Nature Center they have a pamphlet that has a map of the entire park. There are also small descriptions on what you can see and expect on each trail. Each trail has it’s own unique quality’s. One can see different animals on each trail if you are lucky enough to catch them at the right time. If you wanted you could make a whole day out if it‚ bring your lunch‚ and explore everything the park has to offer.

If you have time one day you will be grateful that you went. Don’t forget to stop at the Nature Center to look at all the wonderful things they are doing here. I love that the forest is big‚ organized‚ and there are many trails to explore. If you live here you should go at least once‚ and if you visit Nashville‚ Tennessee you will be glad you got to see the wonder of this alluring park.

You can find information on their Facebook page at this link. https://www.facebook.com/Warner-Park-Nature-Center-274466987605/?fref=ts

You can click on this link to find out any information you need on the park.

http://www.nashville.gov/Parks-and-Recreation/Nature-Centers-and-Natural-Areas/Warner-Park-Nature-Center.aspx

You can call 615-35’-6299 to register for the events they have.