Radnor Lake State Park

Tennessee’s first State Natural Area: 1,368 acres of protected forest around a lake in the hills between Green Hills and Brentwood. Day-use only, no camping, no picnics.

The lake is leftover railroad plumbing. The Louisville and Nashville Railroad dammed the valley in 1914 to water steam locomotives at its Radnor Yards, and by 1919 it supplied 1 million gallons a day.

Birdwatchers got there early. A rail employee’s bird logs led the Tennessee Ornithological Society to petition the company, and L&N officials declared the grounds a wildlife sanctuary in the 1920s.

Developers bought the property in 1962. Public pressure pushed the state to step in, and in August 1973 Tennessee bought 747 acres and created its first Natural Area.

The Barbara Mapp Aviary Education Center opened in 2015: a 550-foot boardwalk holding 7 injured, non-releasable raptors, including 3 bald eagles and a golden eagle. Programs are free.

In July 2025 a 12-week-old eaglet, the first known to hatch solo at Radnor, made its first flight. A schoolteacher filmed the takeoff after 5 hours of waiting.

Next door is Oak Hill, the enclave that has housed Tennessee’s governors since 1949. Inside the park, Otter Creek Road is closed to cars, the only trail where dogs and bikes are allowed.