For those in the Murfreesboro area who may need some room to run around, or for all enthusiasts of trees, history or baseball, check out Oaklands Park, located at the corner of Highland Avenue and Roberts Street.
Adjacent to the Oaklands Mansion property, the City of Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation Department operates Oaklands Park. A playground and picnic shelter sit near the parking lot, and from here a paved trail winds downhill to a creek and the former site of a spring house.
A stone foundation supporting a metal frame occupies the site today, providing an outline of the full structure that once stood over the spring, which serves as the head of Sinking Creek.
On nearby land, most likely due in large part to the abundantly flowing fresh spring, the Maney family constructed the elegant Oaklands Mansion in the early 1800s. In July of 1862 the site was a Civil War battlefield, with Union and Confederate forces at war on the grounds as children looked on from the mansion.
Those interested in learning more about this rich history can do so at Oaklands Mansion and from watching for historical markers located around the park.
Additionally, an arboretum offers the chance for visitors to spot numerous types of trees at the park. This “trail of trees” features all sorts of tree specimens that are indigenous across Tennessee, including the paw paw, bald cypress, American beech, black cherry, peach, yellowwood, red maple, sycamore, possumhaw, clammy locust, various types of pine and ash trees and 17 different varieties of oak trees! (Perhaps that’s why the Oaklands name has endured.)
Find a map of the Oaklands Park Arboretum Trail of Trees, detailing the locations of 74 different species of trees located on the property, at murfreesborotn.gov/881/oaklands-park.
Many tree identification markers along the Oaklands Park walking trails can help outdoorspeople learn about and appreciate the wide variety of trees found in the state.
Park photos by Sarah Mayo / The Murfreesboro Pulse
As squirrels dart from tree to tree, a variety of colorful flowers also bloom at the park.
A few visitors enjoy their lunch hour in a lovely setting under the large picnic pavilion, just less than a mile from the Murfreesboro Public Square.
Aside from the botanical and historical attraction of the grounds, some may just need a big field in which to run—and Oaklands Park has this, too. An expansive grassy area sits between the playground and Highland Avenue, just across the street from the Murfreesboro Police Department headquarters and the large Evergreen Cemetery.
This makes a great place to throw a ball or Frisbee, to let dogs (or humans) run wild and expend some energy or fly a kite.
In fact, the Stones River Scouts claim this grassy area as its home field when it plays other teams of the Tennessee Association of Vintage Base Ball, which celebrates the origin of the game and uses the rules and equipment of 1860s base ball.
Base ball photos courtesy of Tennessee Association of Vintage Base Ball
The Stones River Scouts open their 2024 slate in Murfreesboro with a Sunday, April 7, contest against the Franklin Farriers. The game begins at 1 p.m. at Oaklands Park.
Other upcoming games at Oaklands include a May 5 game versus the Nashville Maroons. On June 2, the Scouts will host the Quicksteps of Spring Hill.
For more on the Tennessee Association of Vintage Base Ball, visit tennesseevintagebaseball.com; for more on Oaklands Mansion visit oaklandsmansion.org; for more on Murfreesboro Parks, visit murfreesborotn.gov.
Oaklands Park
427 Roberts St., Murfreesboro
Closes each day at sunset
For pavilion rental and more information, call 615-890-5333
