Middle Tennessee has an abundance of state and local parks, natural areas, and beautiful waterfalls that make great places to visit. Hiking, swimming, and gazing at beautiful views can keep you busy year-round in this state. As an extra bonus, admission is free! I have had the opportunity to visit several parks since I arrived. I love exploring new places which is one of the things I love most about being a travel nurse. Look at some I have visited so far:
Cummins Falls State Park
Cummins Falls State Park is the first state park I visited on my arrival in Tennessee. I haven’t yet made it to the bottom of the falls, but the view is beautiful from the top. If you make the trek to the park know that you do have to have a permit to hike down into the gorge. I’ve learned in the area that you need to be mindful when it rains, especially if you are out hiking. There are several places that have had flash floods in the past and the gorge at Cummins Falls is one of those places. You can see the falls and the bottom without hiking down and it looks like an amazing place to hang out and go swimming in the summer.
Burgess Falls State Park
Burgess Falls State Park is another great state park to visit, and the park we have visited the most, as it is the closest to where we live right now. It is not a great place to swim the hike is not too difficult and there are beautiful views of the river all the way to some gorgeous waterfalls. The scenery does not disappoint. This picture was taken in the Fall before all the leaves had fallen.
Rock Island State Park
Rock Island State Park is another beautiful place that has a great place to go swimming. We also enjoyed getting ice cream at Rock Island Trolley shop. It was an ice cream shop in a Trolley- super cute with a nice seating area. Directly across the road is a restaurant, attached to a gas station, The Landing, where we ate southern food that was amazing. There were also some cute antique stores and shops in the same area that we loved. The whole area was lovely with amazing places to explore.
Standing Stone State Park
When I first arrived in Tennessee, before my apartment was ready, I stayed in an Airbnb RV for ten days just down the road from Standing Stone State Park. I have enjoyed quite a few hikes there. On a Saturday we took the kids, rented a paddleboat, and paddled around the lake. My favorite trail was the one that circled the lake.
Cumberland Mountain State Park
We had a little misadventure at Cumberland Mountain State Park. I wish I could say I have the fondest memories of this park, but it’s my fault that I can’t.
I worked the night and wanted to get a bit of sunshine in so my daughter and I headed out in the late afternoon. We began hiking on a trail called the small loop but somehow found ourselves on the long loop. The loop dumped us out on the highway…. at dusk. I had to use Google Maps on my phone to even figure out whether to go right or left. We walked 2 miles back to our car in the semi-dark, then dark. To put the icing on the cake I could not get a signal on my phone to get us back to our apartment and I had to stop at a gas station and ask for directions after driving 15 or so minutes the wrong way. I have since learned my lesson. Not the park’s fault, I take responsibility for my blunder(s).
Fall Creek Falls State Park
Fall Creek Falls State Park is yet another gorgeous park. We visited the park while a friend from SC was with us. She was happy to hike to the bottom of the falls. Hiking downhill went quite well, but that bit back up about did me in- and we didn’t even get in the falls! Not at all park-related, but that night we visited the Sparta drive-in and had a blast. The whole experience was a lot of fun. I didn’t park right and my lights came on during the movie (rent a speaker), but the movie, popcorn, and other snacks in the concession stand were amazing and we had a lot of fun.
Local Parks -Cane Creek Park
Cane Creek Park is just one of the many local parks in this area of Tennessee. There are walking trails, a dog park, ball fields, and a recreational center. You can also fish at the stocked lake and rent a boat to paddle around.
Dogwood Park
Dogwood Park is located in the town of Cookeville. It provides green space, walking paths, an outside performance pavilion, playgrounds, and a large water fountain. Often there are activities at this park. Throughout the year concerts take place at the performance pavilion, as well as outdoor movies during the summer months. The large water fountain is a great place for kids to play in the water during the warm months and during Christmas, the area boasts a huge Christmas tree with a fantastic light show.
Have you visited Tennessee? Where have you been? Where do you go to enjoy the great outdoors?
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