New, Self-Guided Centennial Park Walking Audio Tour Announced

Twelve-Stop Walking Audio Tour Celebrates Art, Activism, and Collective Memory 

Centennial Park Conservancy and Nashville Sites are partnering on a new self-guided audio tour that invites visitors to explore the layered history of Metro Parks’ Centennial Park, where art, activism, community, and nature have intersected for generations. 

Accessible via QR codes placed throughout the 132-acre Centennial Park, the twelve-stop tour allows guests to follow in sequence or explore freely. Each location reveals stories that have shaped the landmark — from ancient Indigenous pathways to World's Fair grandeur to modern-day music and activism. 

Participants will encounter performance hubs like the Centennial Park Bandshell and Musicians Corner; sites of protest and reflection, including the Great Lawn and Centennial Art Center; environmental highlights such as the herb gardens and Lake Watauga beehives, and pop culture touchstones like the Croquet Cafe and the Taylor Swift bench. 

“Centennial Park reflects Nashville's ongoing story — its creativity, its struggles, and its sense of community,” says Centennial Park Conservancy President John Tumminello. “This Nashville Sites tour helps connect residents and visitors to the deeper history of the land while celebrating how the park continues to serve as a gathering place for culture, dialogue, and expression.” 

“This is a phenomenal resource for both residents and visitors,” said Metro Parks Director Monique Horton Odom. “It’s an important and useful tool in helping us tell the story of the park and why it is an iconic feature of middle Tennessee.”

The tour is guided by Wesley Paine, Parthenon director from 1979 to 2021, and features voices from the Nashville Sites Cultural Ambassadors team, including Jerome Moore, Canesha Conger, Trenton Wheeler, Virginia Ezell Briley, and Dr. Angela Sutton. 

The project is sponsored by the Centennial Park Conservancy and written by Dr. Learotha Williams Jr., professor at Tennessee State University and Nashville Sites director of public history. Additional contributors include Russell LeStourgeon, Abby Hikade, Mary Ellen Pethel, and Steve Citerin. 

For more information on the tour, please visit conservancyonline.com/walking-audio-tour.