Get Lost In A Field Of Color At This Enchanting Wildflower Meadow In Tennessee
By Meghan Kraft|Published July 21, 2018
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Meghan Kraft
Author
Meghan Kraft loves to travel the world, but she makes her home right here in Nashville, Tennessee. She holds a degree in English, and has worked in the digital marketing realm with companies such as Apartments.com, USA Today and HarperCollins Publishing.
A meadow of wildflowers tends to conjure up some of the most magical memories of childhood, thoughts of fairy tales and heartrending tales of bravery regale the sweet nostalgia of a flower-infused landscape. Most folks head to the rhododendron encrusted fields of Roan Mountain to the east, but we’re in love with the beautiful and low-key beauty you’ll find in Nashville’s Shelby Bottoms. If you haven’t been in the late summertime, then you truly haven’t experienced all the beauty Tennessee has to offer.
Shelby Bottoms Greenway and Natural Area can be found on the outskirts of East Nashville, and is one of the most popular and highly sought after running, biking and walking routes in the city. You can rent bikes for a quick trip to the river or visit for the vast lawns and baseball diamonds scattered throughout the park.
The 960-acre area is one of the five that make up Nashville's Metro Parks. Our favorite time to visit, however, is late in the summertime. It's when the yellow wildflowers in the field explode in a series of stunning color, and we'll never get over the sunshine in the sky matched by the bursting forth of flora on the ground.
There are all sorts of flowering plants in the summer, however, so make sure you wander the greenway as consistently as you can. You'll be regaled with all sorts of beautiful views from one side of the park to the other.
The greenway is paved with small hiking trails that branch off of it, so you can bring a stroller and stay to the path or plug your headphones in and zone out in the heart of Nashville's deep natural area.
You'll walk three miles alongside the Cumberland River, where you'll be able to witness stunning wetlands and streams and hardwood forests. There are five miles of greenway, however, which will make your bike rides and running paths perfect for a long morning spent in nature.
If you haven't visited, we'd highly recommend an experience at Nashville's Shelby Bottoms Park. It's a safe space for families and individuals alike to experience the stunning heart of the city's natural core.
If you’re curious about the Tennessee rhododendron fields to the east, make sure to check them out right here! They bloom in the early summer and are well worth a trip to the outer edges of the state.
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