Wooden bridges span several creeks along the way, a favorite stopping point where kids love to throw stones into the creek below in a make-shift target practice. Eventually you’ll pass groves of bamboo-esque cane along the river just before you reach the incredible Cumberland River Pedestrian Bridge. Your goal as a new cyclist is to wind your way up the path to the bridge before you run out of breath!

Once you reach the center of the bridge, you’ll enjoy a stunning view of Opryland Hotel’s glass rooftops in the distance. It’s not unusual to catch a sight of a barge or tugboat meandering along the Cumberland River below. If you picked up some of those binoculars I suggested, this is a great time to whip ‘em out! The current of the Cumberland is swift: if you have any doubt, focus on an object floating in the water and watch how quickly it disappears from sight!

Spring is in the air. So when the appointments are over, the paperwork’s done, one of my favorite Nashville pastimes is hitting one of the many Nashville Greenways.

Maintained by Metro Parks, the greenways are a series of recreational paved and natural pathways that connect neighborhoods, local parks, points of interests, and most importantly, connect people to nature. Before I explain why I enjoy the Nashville Greenways so much, let me tell how I stumbled into one of my favorite leisure activities.

For years I have enjoyed visiting the beaches in and around the Destin, Florida area. Seaside, Rosemary Beach, Watercolors. It’s almost a Nashville vacation staple to hit the Emerald Coast annually for many folks in Middle Tennessee (this, incidentally, is why Bob Parks opened our sister company, The Premier Property Group in that area). One of my favorite activities has always been renting a bike and riding the trails that link all these cool beaches and communities together, enjoying the natural terrain and its inhabitants along the way.

I was reminiscing about that bike & beach experience one day when a friend suggested I get on one of the newly completed Nashville Greenways. So I did.

Although I’ve been riding now for a few years on many of our Greenways, two have quickly become my favorites: Shelby Bottoms in East Nashville (five miles of paved trails) and the Stones River Greenway near the Percy Priest Dam (ten miles of paved trails). If you’re up for an adventure, the two greenways actually connect around Lebanon Road in Hermitage.

Posted By: Jack Miller