F: Fort Negley

Yesterday, evening Nate and I went on an adventure. I like adventures because it's a fun way to see Nashville and get out of the house. We try to do something we've never done before or see a place we've never been. We had heard about Fort Negley, and knew it was close to the City Cemetery, so we packed up the camera gear and set out.

Fort Negley is sandwiched between the Adventure Science Center and Greer Stadium. The entrance to the park is at Chestnut St. and Fort Negley Blvd. It's free, and open from dawn to dusk for self-guided walking tours. There is a paved half-mile loop around the fort and a quarter-mile of boardwalks to take you to various parts inside the fort.

About halfway around the loop, there's a paved trail up to the top of the hill. What a view!

The view to the south

East to west panorama

West to east panorama

Map of the fort. All that is left are short stone walls outlining the fort

Looking north: view of downtown Nashville

Fort Negley (2011)

Here are some interesting facts about Fort Negley:

• The largest inland stone fortification built during the Civil War
• From August through December 1862, more than 2700 conscript laborers, predominately contrabands (runaway slaves) and free Blacks, constructed Fort Negley, atop St. Cloud Hill, as part of a massive fortification system
• Nashville’s strategic location on the Cumberland River and networks of turnpikes and railroads made the city a valuable asset to both the Union and Confederate Armies. Following the surrender to the Union Army on February 25, 1862, Nashville became a fortified stronghold, second only to Washington D.C.

In Davidson County, there are more than 12,000 acres of green space, including 108 parks and 19 greenways. We've explored a handful of them, but it'd be fun to see them all! The historic ones are neat, and I think there about seven of those. Adventures await. :)

This post is part of my series, Nashville: A to Z in which I explore all the (mostly free) things to do in and around Music City.