Riverfront Park

Review

Riverfront Park is perhaps Nashville’s most photographed green space. This public park runs along the Cumberland River right downtown, in the shadow of LP Field and at the base of Broadway. It is known as much as a site for stages for CMA Fest and Nashville Dancin’. But Riverfront Park is a great place to kick off a road run, if you want to see the city, like an urban environment and want to be able to adjust the difficulty of your run for your mood.

Start at Riverfront Park and run south, past Fort Nashborough (a one-quarter-size replica of the original Nashville settlement), and run uphill past the courthouse and then west to the capital building. You’ll get a good lung-pumping workout and views of Bicentennial Capital Mall State Park. Save the downhill trek for the run back to Riverfront.

Option B calls for running across the Shelby Street Pedestrian Bridge to the east side of the river, through Cumberland Park or on to the Shelby Bottoms Greenway.

Because Riverfront is in the heart of downtown, car parking is challenging, but bike parking is plentiful. Expect crowds on the weekends and during special events.