# Bells Bend Outdoor Center > Place to go for families in the Nashville–Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin area (TN). Times are Central Time. - When: Outdoor Center Tuesday–Friday 12:00–4:00 p.m., Saturday 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., and by… - Where: Bells Bend Outdoor Center, 4187 Old Hickory Boulevard, Nashville, TN 37218 - Ages: All ages - Price: Free admission; free programs year-round - Schedule: Outdoor Center Tuesday–Friday 12:00–4:00 p.m., Saturday 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., and by appointment. Bells Bend Park open daylight until dusk seven days a week. - Organizer: Metro Nashville Parks and Recreation - Official page: https://www.nashville.gov/departments/parks/nature-centers-and-natural-areas/bells-bend-outdoor-center - Last checked: Sat, Oct 24 Source: Grassy Knees is a directory of real family events, places and programs for kids across major U.S. metro areas, where every listing is researched from the organizer’s own page and shows the date we last checked it. https://grassyknees.com covers 42 metro areas as of Oct 24, 2026, with more added regularly. About: https://grassyknees.com/about Freshness: listings are re-checked on a daily research run (latest check 2026-10-24), and new events are added as organizers post them. Sell-outs, weather cancellations and time changes show up on the live page first: https://grassyknees.com/nashville/activities/bells-bend-outdoor-center--listing-18793b1233f9716d6134995b ## About Bells Bend Outdoor Center is the base for Bells Bend Park, a rural park in a bend of the Cumberland River with more than 6 miles of hiking trails from two trailheads. Admission is free and the center offers free programs year-round. Leashed pets are allowed, collecting plants, fungi or wildlife needs a Metro Parks permit, and camping is by permit only. Trail maps are at the outdoor center trailhead and parking areas; use the park's second entrance for the center. ## Similar picks in Nashville - [Discovery Center Creekkeepers After-School Program](https://grassyknees.com/nashville/activities/discovery-center-creekkeepers-after-school-program--listing-12fb14b4c1156eaa6a700592) — Alternate Thursdays, 4:30–6:30 p.m. · Discovery Center at Murfree Spring, Murfreesboro · Free · checked Oct 24. Creekkeepers is a free after-school environmental-science club for 6th–8th graders about the streams around Murfreesboro. Meetings include trail-cam studies, habitat cleanup and… - [Beaman Park Nature Center](https://grassyknees.com/nashville/activities/beaman-park-nature-center--listing-66db4876fa153300f817891e) — Nature Center Tuesday–Friday 12 p.m.–4 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.–4 p.m., and by appointment… · Beaman Park Nature Center, Ashland City · All ages · Free · checked Oct 24. Beaman Park Nature Center is on a forested ridge in northwest Davidson County. A fully accessible quarter-mile Boardwalk Trail runs along the ridgetop with views into deep… - [Shelby Bottoms Nature Center](https://grassyknees.com/nashville/activities/shelby-bottoms-nature-center--listing-7bf1c3f3003e24178fcff699) — Nature Center Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 9 a.m.–4 p.m.; Wednesday and Friday 12… · Shelby Bottoms Nature Center · All ages · Free · checked Oct 24. Shelby Bottoms Nature Center sits at the main trailhead of Shelby Bottoms Greenway in East Nashville, next to Shelby Park. Naturalists at the desk help identify animals and… - [Radnor Lake Barbara J. Mapp Aviary Education Center](https://grassyknees.com/nashville/activities/radnor-lake-barbara-j-mapp-aviary-education-center--listing-bcef67b7a28f83ca992add6c) — Open Wednesdays and Saturdays 10 am–1 pm · Barbara J. Mapp Aviary Education Center, Radnor Lake State Natural Area · Free · checked Oct 24. The aviary at Radnor Lake State Natural Area houses non-releasable birds of prey, including a Great Horned Owl, a Golden Eagle and three Bald Eagles, that the park uses for… - [Cheekwood Harvest](https://grassyknees.com/nashville/activities/cheekwood-harvest--listing-62dc69d844d171a0e225ea9e) — Oct 24 – Nov 1 · 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM · Cheekwood Estate & Gardens · All ages · From $14 · checked Oct 24. Cheekwood's six-week fall festival fills the 55-acre botanical garden with about 100,000 pumpkins and enters its final week. Families follow the new Marigold River, a ribbon of… - [Shelby Bottoms Ghostbusters](https://grassyknees.com/nashville/activities/shelby-bottoms-ghostbusters--listing-7f38cba79a4c98dbd1239a8d) — Sat, Oct 24 · 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM · Shelby Bottoms Nature Center · Ages 12+ · checked Oct 24. A Halloween-weekend evening program for ages 12 and up at Shelby Bottoms Nature Center in East Nashville. A naturalist leads a playful "ghost hunt" through the history and… ## More for families - [This weekend in Nashville](https://grassyknees.com/nashville/this-weekend) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/nashville/this-weekend.md) - [Things to do with kids in Nashville](https://grassyknees.com/nashville) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/nashville.md)