What happens to a town's fall routine when its central park spends the whole season behind a construction fence? In Thompson's Station, the walking shifts to a greenway that reaches farther this October than it ever has.
Sarah Benson Park closed on June 15 for its rebuild and is expected to stay closed until the end of 2026. That puts the closure across the best walking weeks of the year. A month before it closed, the town opened Phase 3 of the Thompson's Station Greenway, the piece that runs from the Fields of Canterbury side under Columbia Pike to Nutro Dog Park. Nutro is also where Phase 1 from Tollgate Village and the trails from Preservation Park come in. Most residents will feel the closure this fall. They'll also get their first fall season with Fields of Canterbury, Tollgate Village, and Preservation Park connected by trail through a single meeting point.
What's Behind the Construction Fence
The town announced on June 10, 2026 that Sarah Benson Park would close for Phase 1 updates: rerouted drive aisles, relocated parking, and a new playground. The town's park page describes a playground of about a quarter acre with ADA-accessible equipment for a range of ages. The same phase adds parking spaces, shade structures, and a stormwater retention pond. The town says community feedback shaped the design, and it shows in two details families will notice: a larger, shadier sandbox and train-themed decorations around the park.
The closure covers the whole park, so more than the playground is out of reach. The 27-acre site sits in the heart of Town Center, across the street from the Tennessee Equine Hospital. It includes the dog sensory garden that Mars PetCare built with the town, and the town calls it the park that "hosts events that bring the community together in celebration of the seasons." Formerly Thompson's Station Park, it was renamed in 2017 for Alderwoman Sarah Benson. She served 25 years on the Board of Mayor and Aldermen and worked with the town's community association to acquire the land before the town incorporated.
So the closure also shuts the town's usual venue for seasonal events. The rest of this post covers what's open in the meantime.
The Connection That Opened in May
On May 12, 2026, the town announced the official opening of Phase 3 and held a grand opening celebration at Nutro Dog Park on May 19. The announcement says the expansion further connects neighborhoods, schools, and recreational spaces. As recently as February, the stretch from Nutro Dog Park to Fields of Canterbury was still an active construction site and closed to the public.
The new segment uses an underpass beneath Columbia Pike that was built with TDOT during the Columbia Pike widening project. The town paid for this phase with a $1.29 million Transportation Alternatives Program grant. Governor Bill Lee presented the grant to then-Town Administrator Ken McLawhon on September 16, 2019, so the segment opened about six and a half years after the money was awarded.
Here is how the town's greenway project page lays out the phases:
| Phase | Where it runs | What's along it |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1, completed 2014 | Western edge of Tollgate Village south to the CSX railroad undercrossing | Nutro Dog Park, Community Gardens |
| Phase 2, listed as in process | Planned from the CSX undercrossing through Preservation Park to Thompson's Station Road West | Preservation Park |
| Phase 3, opened May 2026 | Near Thompson's Station Middle School north to Fields of Canterbury, then west to Nutro Dog Park | Columbia Pike underpass |
The town's long-term goal for the trail system is to connect the major subdivisions and schools to more than 300 acres of park land and to Town Center. With Phase 3 open, the Fields of Canterbury side of Columbia Pike now ties into the trail network at Nutro Dog Park.
Preservation Park Holds Most of the Fall Miles
Sarah Benson Park is the town's familiar park. Preservation Park is far bigger, at roughly 200 acres. It used to be grazing pasture and was part of the ground fought over in the Battle of Thompson's Station. Most of the park is held in a land trust with the State of Tennessee, and the town describes it as mostly in a natural state.
The park has the features that suit a fall walk. According to the town's Preservation Park page, it offers:
- Miles of hiking trails that connect up to Nutro Dog Park
- Battlefield Trail markers, sponsored through a partnership with the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area
- A hilltop overlook
- Playing fields
- A large pavilion available to rent
- Restrooms
To drive in, head out Thompsons Station Road West from Town Center, cross the train tracks, and continue about 350 yards. The entrance is on the right. Horses are not allowed, and the town warns that wild animals may be in the park. After the winter storm cleanup in February, the town specifically told visitors to take extra care on the trails here and in Sarah Benson Park. That's a reminder that a natural-surface trail system takes longer to recover from bad weather than a paved path.
Nutro Dog Park Is Where the Trail Segments Meet
Two things put Nutro Dog Park at the center of the fall map. The Mars PetCare dog sensory garden at Sarah Benson Park is closed with the rest of that park. And Nutro is now the point where Phase 1, Phase 3, and the trails from Preservation Park all come together.
The park is reached from the intersection of Columbia Pike and Critz Lane. It covers four acres, with separate fenced areas for large and small dogs, plus walking paths and playing fields. The town built it in 2014 in partnership with Mars Petcare and Outdoor Encounter. When the town celebrated Phase 3's opening in May, it held the event here.
Walking It End to End, With Stops at Both Ends
With the segments meeting at Nutro, you can plan a Saturday as one walk with a starting point, a middle, and somewhere to eat at the finish. Here is one way to put it together using the town's descriptions of each trail:
- Start with coffee in Tollgate Village. White Shepherd Coffee has a Tollgate shop and offers order-ahead, so the cup can be ready when you arrive. Phase 1 begins at the western edge of Tollgate Village.
- Walk south past the Community Gardens to Nutro Dog Park. This is the 2014 section, and it's the easiest place to bring a dog. If you're coming from Fields of Canterbury, Phase 3 brings you here from the other side, under Columbia Pike.
- Pick up the trails that connect Nutro to Preservation Park. This is the longest and most rural part of the walk, with the battlefield markers and the hilltop overlook.
- Finish at Preservation Park's entrance on Thompsons Station Road West, a short way past the train tracks from Town Center. Circa Grill is at 1549 Thompson's Station Road West, in what the restaurant describes as a former general store in the historic downtown. Check its posted hours before you go.
If you start at Preservation Park and walk north instead, you finish in Tollgate Village. That end has two good options for a late lunch or an after-school stop. Mojo's Tacos lists its Thompson's Station location at 2000 Tollgate Blvd. #201, open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends. Chief and Honey's, a family-owned ice cream shop, opened May 21 at 2101 Branford Place. Williamson Source reported in June that it was open daily from noon to 9 p.m. Chief and Honey's opened the same month as Phase 3, so this is its first fall serving walkers coming off the trail.
What the Rest of the Season Looks Like
Before the weather turns, here are the dates that matter for the rest of the year.
Leaves. The town's free Leaf Collection Service started October 8 and runs through December 17. Residents need to sign up, though anyone enrolled in a past year who hasn't canceled is renewed automatically. The town says the service helps keep storm drains clear. Details are on the town's announcement.
The holiday gathering. Holiday at the Station has moved before. The 2024 edition took place at Sarah Benson Park on December 1. The 2025 edition was held at Town Hall on December 7, according to Nashville Parent's event listing. As of mid-October, the town calendar shows no events for the month, so watch the town announcements page for the 2026 date and location.
The reopening. The town still expects Sarah Benson Park's construction to be complete by the end of 2026. The trail system will keep changing too. The Parks & Recreation Advisory Board plans to discuss what Phase 4 of the greenway should be as part of the Parks & Rec Master Plan now in development. Those monthly meetings are where residents can weigh in on the next segment.
When Sarah Benson Park reopens with its new playground, shade structures, and extra parking, the greenway will still be there. Thompson's Station will then have a rebuilt central park alongside trails linking Fields of Canterbury, Tollgate Village, and Preservation Park through Nutro Dog Park.
Knowing which trail connects to which neighborhood, and which park is a short walk from which street, is part of the everyday local knowledge I share with clients across Williamson County. If you'd like to talk through how Thompson's Station's parks and greenway fit your plans for the year ahead, Cherri Nolan would be glad to hear from you. Let's Connect.
