Radnor Lake Natural Area is located just outside of town and is very popular. The hiking trails in the dense forests surrounding the lake are an excellent place to walk in good weather. It is one of the few places in Nashville where you can view Middle Tennessee wildlife and encounter nearly all of the animals native to the region – bobcats, coyotes, white-tailed deer, beavers, river otters, muskrats and mink.
Next to the preserve, on top of a high hill, is another attraction, the Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory. It is very easy to find by the huge white dome that can be seen from afar. It’s best to plan your time to get here in the evening – it’s one of the coolest places to visit near Nashville. In the summer, it hosts entertainment and parties, and when it gets dark, you can stargaze through a telescope.
Radnor Lake was created by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company in 1914, and at first was used for watering steam locomotives and supplied watering pens for thinning. Later it became a local sports club for L&N executives and guests. Efforts to preserve the Radnor Lake area began in 1923 when the L&N Railroad’s executive vice president declared the site a “wilderness preserve” at the request of the Tennessee Ornithological Society. The railroad managers and their friends (Sportsmen’s Club) used the reserve for fishing, but reverence for the beauty of the area was already present among the L&N families and neighbors who lived on the surrounding hills. In 1962 the land was sold for development, but initial work proved problematic, and public outcry forced the state to purchase the land in 1973 and create the state’s first natural area.
The Rednor Lake State Natural Area is a Class II State Natural Area, i.e. it is only for day use and camping or bunking is prohibited.
