700+ acres of forest, lakes and trails in Fairview, Tennessee
Explore the Treehouse Playground, hike, ride, fish and picnic year round, then meet the animals and exhibits in the Nature Center. Free to enter, open daily 5am to 10pm.
A city's treasure, open to everyone
Bowie Nature Park is in the city of Fairview on Highway 100, about a mile west of the Highway 96/100 exchange in Williamson County. Seventeen miles of winding trail carry you through wetlands, grasslands, pine forest, oak and hickory forest, riparian corridor and lowland bottomland.
Most of the trail system is shared by hikers, mountain bikers and equestrians, and some sections are set aside for foot traffic only. Bicycling, horseback riding, fishing, running, walking and the Treehouse Playground are open every day of the year.
Inside the modern Nature Center you will find exhibits, art, a Discovery Room and staff who can point you toward the right trail. Check the kiosk in front of the restrooms for seasonal hiking guides, wildflower notes and wildlife information.
Before you go
Open every day of the year, 5am to 10pm. There is no charge to enter the park or to walk the trails.
Mon to Sat, 8am to 4pm
Sunday, 9am to 12pm
(615) 799-5544
$2.00 per day for each bicycle and each horse. Fairview residents and residents of zip code 37062 are exempt. All trails are open to day hikers.
Trails may close to bikes and horses at any time in wet conditions. Call (615) 799-5544 ext. 1 before you ride. Riding a closed trail can result in a citation.
Park news
News and notices from Bowie Nature Park. Find more information, flyers, and forms linked below each notice.
Current Events at Bowie Park
The Fairview Parks System newsletter lists every program, class and event happening at Bowie Nature Park this month, along with park news. Download the current flyer below, and pick up the guides you need for homeschool sessions, school field trips or volunteering.
- Current Events Flyer
- Homeschool Guide
- Field Trip & Outreach Guide
- Volunteer Guide
- Park Program Survey
Questions about park programs? Contact the Parks Program Coordinator at [email protected] or call the Nature Center at (615) 799-5544.
Bowie Homeschool: Fall 2026
Session dates, themes, locations and registration deadlines for the fall semester are all on the flyer above. Download the full Homeschool Guide for everything else you need to know before your first visit.
To register, call the Nature Center at (615) 799-5544 or email the Parks Program Coordinator at [email protected].
What's on at Bowie
Programs, hikes, storytimes and seasonal events at the Nature Center and out on the trails. Most programs are free, and some ask you to register in advance.
Maps, guides and forms
A forest planted with a purpose
When Dr. Evangeline Bowie bought this land in the 1950s it was so barren and eroded it was losing over 30 tons of topsoil a year. She terraced it, dug lakes, built a hydrology system that still impresses land management experts, and planted more than 500,000 loblolly pines.
Before her death in 1992 she deeded the 722 acres to the City of Fairview and asked that it become a public nature park. The Nature Center opened in 2003, and in 2008 the park was placed in a conservation easement protected by the Land Trust for Tennessee.
