Local Life - Red Caboose Park

We live in Bellevue, which is about 12 miles south west of downtown Nashville.

We love our park. It is set on a small hill and is used a lot by people of all ages.

There is a walking path all the way round and if you don't feel like tackling the slopes you can use the flat track at the middle school across the street.

Next to the park we have our community center which is housed in what was part of the old Bellevue high school. Right next door to that we have a building that houses the library and fire department. There are plans to build a new library within the defunct Bellevue Mall when it gets re-built.

This is why the park has it's nick-name. We have our very own full size red caboose. We also have a ticket station (public toilets) next to it.

The park has it's own little amphitheater and during the summer it gets used a lot. We have summer family concerts every Friday evening which are almost always well attended. Families bring their blankets, chairs, picnics, games and generally have a good time. The little kids love to stand right up by the stage when the groups are performing. If there is music they will dance even though it's on a slope :)
The local children like to use the amphitheater to act out their own little plays. It's fun to watch them do their thing. Some of them will even burst into song.

This is part of the enclosed childrens play area that was built in 1996 by about 1800 volunteers to celebrate Bellevue's Bicentennial. It is much loved and draws many people to our neighborhood. We arrived about 2 years after it was built. At that point most of the trees were fairly young and there was not much shade. Now they are much larger and look great.

There's covered picnic areas close to the play area and many parents use them as discreet viewpoints to watch over their older children. Having said that it is fairly common to see the parents in the play area having as much fun as their children. The local teenagers enjoy the area as well :)

At the top of the hill we have an elderly cabin. This is not it's original location. It was taken down piece by piece and put into storage till somewhere could be found for it. The local historical society raised funds and in 2006 it was put back together. It does get used on occasion and definately adds to the ambiance of the park.

The cabin dates from about 1797 and was built by Louis DeMoss. It was named Belle Vue. So our community is named after a log cabin.

Most people takes photographs from the front of the park. This one shows part of the park looking down from the old cabin. We are definately a blessed community to have this small but much loved area in our midst.

In May we have our annual community picnic and the place is full of vendors, music, food and people. We also have an annual Easter Egg Hunt which the younger kids love.

There is an inscription up front that reads "If we build it they will come." We are one of the many families "that came". When we outgrew our apartment and looked for a house to buy we ended up making one of our shorter moves - from one side of the middle school to the other :)

Our town has seen much growth since we moved here. A lot of the houses with acreage are now gone. Housing communities, condos, town houses, and apartments along with new shopping areas and businesses have taken their place. Having said that there is still a country type feel to the area, especially on the south side.