Croquet Cafe, HCA, Dog Park

Hi, I’m Wesley Paine, former director of the Parthenon. This stop is part of the Nashville Sites walking tour. To explore more stories, take the full tour on NashvilleSites.org.

As you walk along the western rim of the park, listen to this stop on your way to the Children’s Memory Garden. But before we get too far from the Sunken Garden, look to your right. You’ll see a mid-century modern brick structure. This area is currently under renovation, so you can’t walk there—but I’ll tell you about it.

Two additions are coming to Centennial Park—an event pavilion and the repurposed Croquet Clubhouse, which will reopen as the Croquet Café. This approach is called adaptive reuse, which preserves the building but uses it for a new purpose. You might be wondering, what is croquet? It’s a lawn game that was very popular in the 1900s. Players use mallets to hit balls through wickets, combining precision and strategy. Perhaps the café will even spark a croquet revival!

To the far right of the café, a 6,400-square-foot event pavilion will rise beside Lake Watauga—the first new structure in the park since 1963. The space will host everything from theater productions to family reunions to the park’s beloved Big Band Dances. Renovations should be complete by 2027.

Just beyond the park’s northern edge is HCA Healthcare, a neighbor with deep roots here. The company was founded in a small house next to today’s TriStar Centennial Medical Center. Today, HCA’s corporate headquarters overlook the park. In 2016, it made a major financial investment as part of Centennial Park’s revitalization.

Now look across the street. Today, that grassy hill is home to Centennial Dog Park. But in 1864, during the Battle of Nashville, this was a Confederate encampment. Troops briefly held the ground before being pushed back by Union forces. From battlefield to dog park, this transformation reminds us how much landscapes—and their meanings—can change.

Directions: Stay on the perimeter walking trail. As you approach the Children’s Memory Garden, you’ll see an interpretive panel titled “Snakes and Slides.” It tells the story of the Vanity Fair Carnival, an amusement area at the 1897 exposition. There were many wild rides but also discriminatory ethnic exhibitions like the “Streets of Cairo” and the “Cuban Village.” It’s a reminder that public spaces reflect the values of their time—for better and for worse. This is just one example. You’ll encounter others as you continue the tour.