Day trips from Nashville · Park
Cedars of Lebanon State Park
33 miles from downtown Nashville · about 45 minutes
Tennessee State Parks, Wilson County, near Lebanon, TN
Cedars of Lebanon is a 900-acre park inside a 9,400-acre state forest, protecting one of the largest remaining cedar glade ecosystems in the country. Twenty-nine plant species here grow nowhere else on earth, including the Tennessee coneflower and, improbably, prickly pear cactus.
- Park size
- 900 acres inside a 9,420-acre forest
- Endemic plants
- 29 species found only in the glades
- Trails
- About 8 miles
- Caves
- 18 known, including Jackson Cave
Permits, fees and access
Free entry. 117 campsites, an 18-hole disc golf course, and the Dixon Merritt Nature Center.
One thing to know first
The glades are limestone barrens: thin soil, no shade, and radiating heat in summer. They are also ecologically fragile, so stay on the trail rather than walking out across the open rock.
Access rules, fees and closures verified August 15, 2026 against the agency that manages this place. They change, sometimes without notice. Check before you drive.
The neighborhoods closest to it
If this is the kind of Saturday you want a short drive from your front door, these are the parts of Middle Tennessee that put you nearest to it.
I keep this list because it is genuinely how people spend weekends here, and because almost every guide to it is out of date. If you are weighing a move to Middle Tennessee and want to know which part of it puts you closest to the things you actually like, ask me. No pitch.