Welcome to Shelby Park and Bottoms. It is one of the oldest parks
in the city. In old East Nashville, John Shelby was a physician and
businessman. Also, he was the founder of Shelby Medical School in
Nashville. Dr. John Shelby once owned the land that is now Shelby
Park. Around the turn of the 20th century, a real estate company
purchased the land which the company considered prime for
residential development. To create interest in that section, it was
decided to build an amusement park named for the early 19th century
physician Dr. John Shelby. The park had a roller coaster, offered
band concerts, dances and picnics, boat rides, balloon ascensions,
and horseback riding and there was a time when a free movie was
shown on Friday nights. Unfortunately, the development firm went
bankrupt in 1903. The Nashville Park Commission took and immediate
interest in the site. Shelby Park opened as a public facility for
citizens in 1912. Shelby Bottoms was opened to the public on
October 25, 1997, as part of Metro's Greenway system.
Shelby Park provides good birding. Black-crown Night Heron can
frequently be seen on the lake, as well as Great Blue Heron,
Phoebes (which nest under the bridge to the island), swallows and
an occasional Greater White-fronted, Snow or Ross' Goose. The many
large, old trees throughout the park are good for migrants.
Shelby Bottoms with its mixture of hardwood forests and open
fields, is quickly establishing itself as a top birding spot. One
of the true jewels of Metro’s Park and Greenway system, this
810 acre park offers 5 miles of paved multi-use trails and another
5 miles of primitive hiking trails. Along the trails, visitors can
enjoy boardwalks, scenic overlooks, interpretive stations and seven
rustic bridges. The area is well known as a haven for migrating
birds and other wildlife. Several ponds provide shorebirds, waders
and other waterfowl a resting place during migration. In the fall,
the many large fields produce a wide variety of sparrows and other
field species, while the woods are good for neo-tropical migrants
during both spring and fall.
Please read: Please stay on trails to
and from cache locations.
Some of the trails may be seasonally wet. Do
not disturb wildlife, or plants.
When finding this cache, please leave only
family friendly contents. These caches will likely be used for
educational purposes for GIS students and will introduce them to
the sport of Geocaching. Let's make a good impression.
As always remember Cache In Trash Out. I will
try to keep trash bags in the cache containers for your
use.
We currently have a great working
relationship with Metro Parks and the Shelby Bottoms Nature Center,
so please respect the park hours and the above guidelines when
searching so we can continue this.
Shelby Park and Bottoms is open 7 days a week
from daylight until dusk.