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Parks & Environmental Services
Parkland conversion creates new opportunities in Murfreesboro, Tenn. By MARY JANE BOGLE | The Municipal
Murfreesboro, Tenn., is no stranger to parks management and wildlife preservation, and its Barfield Crescent Park is no exception. Nestled along the beautiful Stones River at the city’s southern tip, Barfield Crescent Park offers residents a unique blend of recreation and wilderness education opportunities. Those opportunities just increased exponentially, thanks to the city’s recent purchase of Oakwood Farm. Made possible in part by a federal parkland conversion process, the purchase of Oakwood Farm was years in the making and adds 70 acres to the 405 acres of Barfield Crescent Park’s existing parkland. “In many ways, Barfield Crescent Park feels more like a state park instead of just a city park,” said Rachel Singer, Murfreesboro’s parks and recreation assistant director. “To add another 70 acres to that property is huge.” The benefits of the farm acquisition are many, not the least of which is expanded acreage, as Singer explains. “With the growth of Murfreesboro, people have been gravitating toward the outdoor spaces,” she said. During COVID, Barfield 46 THE MUNICIPAL | DECEMBER 2021
Crescent Park especially saw increased use, with people seeking opportunities to get outdoors. And at Barfield Crescent Park, they found those opportunities in abundance. The front 100 acres of the park offer the typical city park experience, complete with ball fields, disc golf, playgrounds and pavilions. The back 300 acres, however, offer a completely different experience, with five miles of hiking trails, both paved and unpaved, creating access to a wilderness camping area, fishing and wildlife exploration. Thanks to the park’s Wilderness Station, park guests can participate in any number of nature education and immersion programs, everything from toddler talks to kayaking, hiking
ABOVE: Barfield Crescent Park offers trails for all skill levels. No matter the route selected, visitors will find themselves connected with nature. (Photo provided by city of Murfreesboro)
and backpacking — all part of an outdoor adventure program, which offers beginning backpacking opportunities and even rents out all the gear guests need. With the popularity of these programs growing, the city was looking for additional space for continued programming, along with extended parking for school groups. “Our parking near the current Wilderness Station alone was limiting our growth,” said Singer. “It’s hard to get buses back there, and fitting up to 200 school children into the retreat center was a challenge.” That is, until the opportunity to purchase neighboring Oakwood Farm arose. “We’ve had a longstanding relationship with the owners of the farm,” said Singer, noting Mr. Lloyd, the family patriarch, had asked the city if they would be interested in purchasing the
