Donovan H.
Yelp
I've got to say, "Shelby Farms Park" has got to be one of the most beautiful man-made public parks that I've ever visited. Located in the eastern part of Memphis and just south of I-40, this park is a whopping 4,500 acres which happens to be one of the largest urban parks in the United States. Additionally, there are more than 40 miles of trails, all suitable for walking, jogging, and biking. There are four lakes located within this park; Chickasaw, Pine, Beaver, & Patriot which also offers fishing.
I had the opportunity to visit this park for the first time during the late afternoon of Saturday 9/25/2021 at around 5:30pm. This park offers a very sizable parking lot (which does get very packed during peak hours). This park has the advantage of carrying stables that are suitable for horseback riding, a rental area for kayaks & canoes, and more adventurous activities including ziplining, axe throwing, paintball, and laser tag.
What makes this park special is that it is suitable for all ages and pets are welcome. During my visit, I witnessed large families enjoying picnics as there is a very large grass area while many kids had fun in the great outdoors as well as Woodland Discovery Playground and on the hot summer days, they can cool off at Water Play Sprayground. Another big advantage is that you could rent a space for a special event. If you want to plan a birthday party, wedding, graduation, anniversary, meeting, festival, or gala, Shelby Farms will have you covered.
Finally, if all this fun gets your appetite going, this place has you covered. In addition to the vending machines for quick snacks, they have food trucks on weekend days. If you are interested more in the restaurant dining experience, Shelby Farms is partnered up with two eateries, "Cheffie's (which offers salads, soups, & sandwiches) and "Coastal Fish Company" (which has some amazing Southern styled seafood. Overall, everything located within this park was well planned and well executed.
All in all, "Shelby Farms Park" is one of the most complete (and clean) public parks that I've ever been to. The views are also very impressive as I was able to take a lot of amazing photos capturing the sunset on an early autumn afternoon. There is even a couple of large swings overlooking the lake; all you need is some sweet tea and you're good to go. When you factor in all these amazing things at this very large and spacious park, they hit all the high notes. My rating, a unanimous five stars.