Charlie and I have always been park people. It’s just one of our special date places. Blazing hot, sunny, cloudy, breezy, even drizzly, we don’t care. Give us a park and we are happy. And now of course Tessa is part of our park dates and it’s been so lovely watching her love it as much as we do. When it was just me and Charlie, I would take her to a park I would say at least 2-3 times a week. Not always for a playground. Sometimes that’s just where we would go to eat lunch or dinner if Blake was out of town. It was our way of getting outside, getting out of the house and getting into nature. A lot of times we just lay on our blanket and watch the clouds roll by. Tessa was born in October, so I was majorly pregnant with her all through out that summer. And wouldn’t you know, it was record hot hot hot that summer. And I STILL took my girl to the park at least once a week- pregnant belly, out of breath and hotter than heck but it was important to me that we had those dates. And now our school/PDO schedule lets Charlie and I have one day a week- Thursdays- where it’s just us. Mama + Charlie day. So we park it up.

We have our favorites for sure- Sevier Park in 12 South is our home. It’s one of my favorite places in all of Nashville. But we also like ourselves an adventure and to go park exploring. We live in the Woodbine neighborhood of Nashville- one stop past Berry Hill and not far from downtown. There is a bright, funky, fun park not far from our house- Azafran Park. To me, it’s kind of a hidden gem. If you’re looking for colors, something outside the box, water features and not crowded, this park is for you. And! There’s a huge snail. NEED I SAY MORE??

Address: 2187 Nolensville Pike

PROS:

• Unlike any other park out there! Totally unique.
• Brightly colored
• Great for climbing
• Water Fountain/Splash Pad
• Musical instrument features
• Never crowded
• Covered picnic bench area

CONS:

• Not a lot of shade. Only shaded part is picnic area. In the summer, it is HOT.
• No bathrooms
• No swings
• Not next to, but not far from Nolensville Pike, a busy street

Pro-tip: The “button” for the splash pad was hard to figure out. There is no sign. But if you are facing it from the sidewalk, it is on the ground in the upper left hand corner. You may have to step on it a couple of different times for it to take. Try tapping lightly. I’ve definitely been the mama stomping on it for a couple minutes with no success. But keep trying- it works! And the kiddos will love it.

Note- There is a crosswalk at Nolensville where you can safely cross to South Side Kitchen & Pub and Red Bicycle Coffee.