Tennessee Bicentennial Mall State Park is a Gem in My Book
Written: Jun 08 '04
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Pros: Beautiful, educational and fun.
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: This is a must see if you are in the area. One of the many highlights in Nashville.
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| jo.com's Full Review: Bicentennial Mall State Park |
I wanted to review The Tennessee Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park because I was really taken with Nashville and this State Park is one of its shining stars.
What is this:
Located between James Roberson Parkway, Jefferson Street, 6th and 7th Avenue this 19 acre free State Park closes at dark. There are no doors or gates but that is the official closing time. We were really taken by the lack of graffiti in this Park. Although the Visitor Center was closed because it was Memorial Day, a Ranger was on a bike and we mentioned this to him. He told us that he had just cleaned off a bit of graffiti that had been written with a rock. We commented that there was no spray painting and he agreed there was little of that type of vandalism. The Visitor Center is on one side and the restrooms and soda machines are inside another of two buildings that sit under a railroad trestle. The Visitor Center houses a gift shop. Under the railroad trestle are picnic tables. The whole Park was spotless. It was manicured and obviously well taken care of. This area is the north side of the park. Looking a bit more north a magnificent picture of the State Capitol sits on top of a hill.
The Rangers are available to give guided group tours. They can be reached at 1-877-TENNLOOKS.
We parked on 6th avenue. These are long streets. The Park runs the length of them and more. We had no problem getting a parking space but it was before the height of the season. There is what they call Weekend parking lots as well as RV parking and handicapped parking on the west side of the Park or on the left if you use the Capitol as the top and the north.
We had no idea what we would find here. We read in the AAA book that there was a granite map of Tennessee. It isn’t considered a gem, but it sounded interesting so we went. Once again I can’t agree with AAA. This is a gem!
Thinking of this large park as a rectangle or even triangle with the top or north being closest to the Capitol and the South being the beginning or end, you can start exploring the Park from top to bottom or vice versa. We decided to start at the north end even though we parked somewhat in the middle. There was a reason for this which I will tell you at the end.
Although the first thing we saw was not the Tennessee Map Plaza I’ll start there since it was at the beginning of our self guided tour. This map is amazing. It is inlaid in a large area at the top of the park. The map is 200’ and made of granite. On it you’ll find major roads, 95 counties, the rivers in Tennessee, geographic formations and details of each country. Along the map area are concrete pedestals each one depicting characterizes of Tennessee such as rivers and mountains in more detail. It was fun to see where the tornado watch had been that caused us to spend 1 ½ hours in the bathroom at our campground!
Most people visiting this Park on this day were children and their parents. There a very good reason for that. It is called the Tennessee Fountains. You’ll see 31 vertical water fountains representing the 31 most predominant waterways in Tennessee. Separating these fountains from the rest of the Park (from here you can’t see much of what lies ahead) is a riverwalk. This is a granite wall with information about these waterways inscribed in the granite. A small river flows along this wall.
If you have ever seen children playing in water you can imagine how much fun they were having playing in these fountains. This is fine. The fountains although beautiful and educational are meant to be played in so if you go, don’t hesitate to allow your children to get wet!
It wasn’t until I started this review and I reread my brochure that I realized why the American Flag but Tennessee flags are flown on both sides of this waterway. The flags looked beautiful enough that I took a picture of them especially since the railroad is the backdrop of these flags. The reason is that the park is seen as an extension of the Capitol which flies the American flag. So what you will see are two groups of flags each one having a 12 x 18’ flag and 8 5x8’ flags.
What I found really interesting was the Walkway of the Countries. (Though the Visitor Center wasn’t open for people to get brochures, when we stopped to talk to the Ranger he gave us one.) I was stopped several times and was asked where I got it. You will want to get a brochure. Not only does it act as a map but it explains all you will see. Back to this Walkway... It has a time capsule from each of the 95 counties in Tennessee showing the. trees, grasses and beautiful wildflowers that are planted along the walkway. We won’t be around but isn’t it fascinating to this of people opening this and looking back at this history.
What’s amazing to me is that they are true time capsules and won’t be opened until 2096 which will be the Tricentennial of the Park! It would be like finding a time capsule now from 1904. I know in my town there is little from 1904 that still exists and I live in an historical area.
You can walk on the outside of the park or the inside. We started on the inside and then moved to the outside so we could read the history of Tennessee. This is on the west side or to the right of the Park again with the Capitol ahead. This Pathway of History is a 1400’ wall engraved with historic events over the past 200 years. Each 10-year period along the wall on the sidewalk you’ll find a tall granite pylon. There was so much we read that was truly jaw dropping. From learning that it is called the Volunteer State because of the numbers of people who have volunteered to learning that the Nashville Convention of 1850 discussed secession of the Southern states foreshadowing divisions that would erupt with the onset of the Civil War. (from my picture of the wall)
Where each 10-year marker is you’ll see something special engraved on the walk to mark that year. Truly jaw dropping is the break in the wall at the time of the Civil War to represent the divisive nature of the war on the state. In order to read this in chronological order you will have to start at the beginning of the wall even if you’ve parked at the end of this “tour.”
Before you actually come to the wall you’ll see what is called the Path of Volunteers. People who lived in Tennessee were able to buy a commemorative granite brick with their names engraved on them. These bricks are part of the Path which a granite walkway. We didn’t walk on much of this Path because if you do so you won’t be able to read the wall. This path and the sidewalk are next to each other separated by this wall so everything is easy to see.
There is plenty of opportunity to walk off the Path and go farther into the park. In fact in some places you can walk from one side of the Park to another. For example as we walked back up on the other side of the Park at what we guessed was the area our car was parked on the other side we walked through via a path.
As you walk you’ll see the Tennessee Amphitheater. This is in the center of the park, has 2,000 seats and is beautiful. It is designed after Greek amphitheaters. Ceremonies and concerts are held here. Groups can rent it for a fee.
The World War II Memorial could have its own review but I including a short summary of it since it is part of this Park. What is most amazing is the 18,000 pound granite globe that floats on 1/8” of water. The countries on this globe are illustrated just as they were during WWII. You are encouraged if you want to stop the globe and turn it with your hands. I, of course, couldn’t resist. It was surprisingly easy to move because of it floats. A couple of young people went over to it and turned it quickly which is fine as well.
You’ll find a bench that lists the seven Congressional Medal of Honor winners from Tennessee. Also found is a circle of flowers and other benches where you can sit, think, relax or just stare at the globe.
The last site on this tour you will see is called the Carillons and the Court of 3 Stars. This is really an amazing site. It is made of red, white and blue granite representing the 3 divisions of the state- east, middle and west Tennessee. You will also hear a bells ringing every 15 minutes. These come from 50 (about- I ball parked the number when I counted them) tall granite structures with bells enclosed at the top. Some of these have one bell; some more. These make up the 95-bell carillon which represents Tennessee’s musical heritage and the 95 counties of Tennessee. A 96th bell which is called the answer bell is at the State Capitol. It is symbolic of the government answering to the people. These carillons are the largest in the world.
I’ll end where I began and why we parked where we did and saved this stop for last. Next to the Park is a Farmer’s Market. It’s worth stopping into. You’ll walk into an open area where plants and flowers are sold and then head down to fresh vegetable and fruits locally grown. There is stand after stand of wonderful fruit at great prices. We chose the stand based on the fact that it looked like locals were buying their products from the vendor. Keep walking and you will walk into an inside food court. This is really low-key, not fancy but it seemed clean and people were eating and drinking. Not all the eateries and shops were open because of the holiday but you can get various coffees, sandwiches, there is an international food market and gift shop and restrooms here.
Jo’s Final Thoughts:
Don’t miss Tennessee Bicentennial State Park. It is a real treat for the whole family. We spent several hours here and you can certainly make a whole day out of it if you have children who want to play in the fountains. I have nothing against Tennessee but as a Bostonian I didn’t know what to expect in this state and in Nashville. The State Park was one of our many highlights and worth the time. It is free so if it is really hot or you find it too large to walk, you won’t be losing any money.
Feel free to leave me comments or questions.
I am posting my reviews of our 3-month cross country journey below:
Applebee's in Ohio
Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky
Bella Notte (restaurant) in Kentucky
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: Anytime
Recommended for: Anybody
Review Topic: Overview
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