Free things to do with a toddler in Williamson County

These are the free places I'd load my toddler into the car for, and why. For rainy or cold days, library story time is the other free morning I lean on.

One thing to know up front: none of the city or county pages I read say any of these playgrounds is fenced. If you have a runner, plan to follow them.

Franklin

Pinkerton Park

405 Murfreesboro Road. The easiest one with a stroller. A one-mile paved track goes all the way around the 34-acre park, so you can do a full loop without hitting gravel or grass.

There are two playgrounds, the Tinkerbell playground next to the parking lot and a second one near the pavilions, plus restrooms and picnic tables with grills. A pedestrian bridge connects the park to downtown Franklin, so it pairs well with an early lunch on Main Street.

Jim Warren Park

705 Boyd Mill Avenue. Two playgrounds, a 2.5-mile walking trail, restrooms and two pavilions. One pavilion is enclosed with lights and outlets, which helps on a cold or drizzly morning.

It's also a busy sports park with ball fields, tennis courts and a skatepark, so weekend mornings can be packed with games.

Liberty Park

2080 Turning Wheel Lane, off Liberty Pike. A playground, restrooms, a concession stand and the Freedom Run Dog Park. The three ball fields host a lot of tournaments, so check the schedule first or you may be parking a long way out.

Bicentennial Park

400 5th Avenue North. There's no playground here. It's a good snack stop when you're already downtown, with shaded picnic spots, an open-air pavilion and a Harpeth River overlook.

Harlinsdale Farm

239 Franklin Road. It shows up on a lot of lists, so it's worth knowing what's there: 200 acres, a soft walking track, a big dog park and a catch-and-release pond. There's no playground, no paved trail, and the restrooms are temporary.

Some days a giant field to run in is exactly what a toddler needs. It's also where the city holds its free family events, listed below.

Brentwood

Crockett Park

1500 Volunteer Parkway. Brentwood describes the Community Playground as having rubberized paths that make it safe for toddlers. It also has slides in different sizes, tire swings, a castle, and a separate Wonder Trail. The playground sits behind the amphitheater.

There are paved walking paths for the stroller, picnic tables in the shade near the playground, and restrooms.

Granny White Park

610 Granny White Pike. The Miles Together inclusive playground has two big jungle gyms built for different ages, which helps a lot when you have a new walker and a four year old in the same trip. There are swings for kids and adults.

Restrooms are near the playground and ball fields, with a water fountain and shade shelters by the playground. Open dawn to 10pm.

Fairview

Bowie Nature Park

7211 Bowie Lake Road. Over 700 acres with a Treehouse Playground, two lakes, a Nature Center and lakeside picnic spots, plus restrooms. The park is open 5am to 10pm, and the Nature Center is open Monday through Saturday 8am to 4pm and Sunday 9am to noon.

Trails close when they're wet, so call ahead at (615) 799-5544, extension 1, after a rainy week.

Spring Hill

Fischer Park at Port Royal

4285 Port Royal Road. An accessible playground on padded turf, restrooms, and a free splash pad that runs Memorial Day to Labor Day, 10am to 7pm. The splash pad is closed for the season now, but the playground is open year round.

Nolensville

Nolensville Park

2310 Rocky Fork Road. A playground, walking trail, dog park and a restroom and concessions building. I haven't been able to find a town page for this park, so this comes from Visit Franklin's listing.

Free city events coming up

The City of Franklin puts on several free events, most of them at Harlinsdale Farm:

• Family Day, Saturday November 7, 2026, at Harlinsdale. 10am to 2pm. A free fall festival with wagon rides, pony rides, a petting zoo and cane pole fishing. It covers a lot of what the ticketed pumpkin patches do.
• Franklin Christmas Parade, Saturday December 5, 2026, at 1pm downtown. That's right at nap time for a lot of toddlers.
• Flashlight Candy Cane Hunt at Harlinsdale, December 9, 10 and 11, with sessions at 5pm and 6:30pm. It's free, and pre-registration is required. Registration opens November 9. Bring a flashlight.

The splash parks, for next summer

Williamson County Parks and Recreation runs two splash parks, at the Franklin Recreation Complex, 1120 Hillsboro Road, and the Indoor Sports Complex in Brentwood, 920 Heritage Way. Both closed for 2026 on September 11, and the county says they'll reopen in May 2027.

Admission is the same at both:

For kids under 3, it's a free morning. I'll update this post with 2027 dates and hours once the county posts them.