Free things to do with a toddler in Williamson County

The other reliable free morning around here is library story time, which is where we would send you on a rainy or hundred-degree day. This list is for the days you can get outside.

Most roundups of Williamson County parks list every park in the county and leave you to figure out which ones work with a two year old. This one goes the other way. Here are the free places we would actually load a toddler into the car for, and the specific reasons why.

Everything below comes from the city or county page for that park, checked in August 2026. Where a page does not say something, we do not say it either. That mostly matters for fencing: no official page we checked says any of these playgrounds is fenced, so do not plan around it.

Franklin

Pinkerton Park

405 Murfreesboro Road. The one to beat if you push a stroller. A one-mile paved pedestrian track circles the whole 34-acre park, so you can do a full loop without fighting gravel or grass.

There are two playgrounds: the Tinkerbell playground next to the parking area, and a second one near the pavilions. The city page does not say which suits younger kids, so plan on a look around when you get there. Restrooms are on site, and there are three rentable pavilions plus nine picnic tables with grills spread through the park.

The Sue Douglas Berry Memorial pedestrian bridge connects the park to downtown Franklin, which makes this a decent park-then-lunch morning if the nap schedule cooperates.

Jim Warren Park

705 Boyd Mill Avenue. Two playgrounds, a 2.5-mile walking trail, restrooms, and two pavilions. One of the pavilions is enclosed with electrical outlets and overhead lights, which is the useful part on a cold or drizzly morning.

It is a busy sports park otherwise, with twelve lighted baseball fields, four football fields, eight tennis courts and a skatepark. Weekends can be crowded with games.

Liberty Park

2080 Turning Wheel Lane, off Liberty Pike. Playground, restrooms, a concession stand, and the Freedom Run Dog Park.

One caution: this park runs three tournament baseball fields and is heavily programmed spring, summer and fall. Check the tournament calendar before you make the drive, or you will be circling for parking.

Bicentennial Park

400 5th Avenue North. No playground here, so it is not a destination on its own. What it does have is shaded picnic areas, an open-air pavilion, a Harpeth River overlook, and a greenway connection to the Franklin Recreation Center. Good as a snack stop while you are already downtown.

Harlinsdale Farm

239 Franklin Road. Worth being clear about, because it comes up on every list: there is no playground at Harlinsdale, no paved trails, and only temporary restroom facilities. What it has is 200 acres, a five-kilometer soft track, a four-acre dog park, and a three-acre catch-and-release pond.

For a toddler that adds up to a big open field to run in, which some days is exactly right. Just do not arrive expecting play equipment. The park closes dark to dawn.

Harlinsdale is also where the city puts its free family events, which is the better reason to have it on your radar. See below.

Brentwood

Crockett Park

1500 Volunteer Parkway. The best documented toddler surface in the county. Brentwood's own description of the Community Playground says it has rubberized paths which make it safe for toddlers, along with varied slide sizes, tire swings, castle architecture, and a separate Wonder Trail built for child development. The playground sits at the back of the amphitheater.

There are paved walking paths and bike ways for strollers, picnic tables in shaded areas near the playground, and restroom and concession buildings.

Granny White Park

610 Granny White Pike. Home of the Miles Together inclusive playground, which has two large jungle gyms geared toward different aged children. That age split is the part that matters when you have a barely-walking one and a four year old in the same trip. There are swings for kids and for adults.

Restrooms sit near the ball fields, pavilion and playground, there is a water fountain by the playground, and shade shelters near it. The park is open dawn to 10pm daily.

Fairview

Bowie Nature Park

7211 Bowie Lake Road. Over 700 acres with a Treehouse Playground, two lakes, a Nature Center, and reservable lakeside picnic areas. Restrooms on site. The park is open 5am to 10pm; the Nature Center runs Monday through Saturday 8am to 4pm and Sunday 9am to noon.

Two things to know before you go. The trails are shared with mountain bikers and horses, though some sections are foot traffic only. And trails close in wet conditions, so the park asks you to call ahead at (615) 799-5544 extension 1.

The splash parks, while they last

Williamson County Parks and Recreation runs two splash parks, and both are posted through September 11, 2026 on the reduced schedule that kicked in when school started.

Franklin Splash Park is at the Franklin Recreation Complex, 1120 Hillsboro Road. Brentwood Splash Park is at the Indoor Sports Complex, 920 Heritage Way.

Admission is the same at both:

If your kid is under three, this is a free morning. All hours are weather permitting, and the schedules differ by location, so check the county's aquatics page the morning of.

Free city events worth putting on the calendar

The City of Franklin runs several free family events at Harlinsdale Farm:

• Canines and Coffee, September 12, 2026, 8am to 10am. Free.
• Family Day, Saturday November 7, 2026, 10am to 2pm. A free fall festival with wagon rides, pony rides, a petting zoo, and cane pole fishing. This is the best free fall thing we found for little kids anywhere in the county, and it beats most of the ticketed pumpkin patches on price by a wide margin.
• Flashlight Candy Cane Hunt, December 9 to 11, 2026, with 5:00pm and 6:30pm sessions. Pre-registration required and opens November 9.

Also on our list, with less certainty

Nolensville Park on Rocky Fork Road has a children's playground, walking trail, restrooms and concessions. We are going off a secondary listing here rather than a town page, so treat the details as a starting point.

Fischer Park at Port Royal in Spring Hill is the standout on that side of the county, with an ADA-compliant playground on padded artificial turf and a splash pad. Spring Hill straddles the Williamson and Maury county line, and the city's own site would not load for us, so we have not confirmed the splash pad's season or cost. Call before you count on it.

What we could not confirm

Being straight about the gaps, since a wasted trip with a toddler is its own kind of expensive:

• No official page we checked says any of these playgrounds is fenced. If you need enclosed, verify it yourself first.
• Shade is only confirmed at Crockett, Granny White and Bicentennial. The rest may or may not have it.
• Whether Pinkerton's Tinkerbell playground or either of Jim Warren's two playgrounds skews younger. Neither city page says.
• The full 2026 splash park season. Only the current window through September 11 is posted.