The newest piece of the Thompson's Station Greenway is closed again. On October 19, the Town posted that the section between the Nutro Dog Park parking lot and the Highway 31 underpass toward Canterbury will be closed for construction from October 26 through November 16. The parking lot stays open to cars. The notice doesn't say what the work is.
This is the Phase 3 route, and it officially opened only in May. Sarah Benson Park is closed this fall too. Nearly every walking route in Thompson's Station runs through one spot, the single-lane drive off Columbia Pike at Critz Lane that leads back to Nutro Dog Park. Through mid-November, that spot still connects north and south, but nothing to the east.
Five Months From Ribbon to Barricade
Phase 3 took a long time. The Town won a $1.29 million Transportation Alternatives Program grant for it in September 2019. The plan was a trail starting near Thompson's Station Middle School, running north to Fields of Canterbury, and heading west to the dog park through an underpass that was built under Columbia Pike with TDOT during the road's widening.
At the April 1, 2025 Parks Board meeting, plans and equipment were being brought in and construction was expected to begin soon. When winter storm cleanup ended and the Town reopened its parks on February 12, 2026, the dog park to Fields of Canterbury stretch was still listed as an active construction site, closed to the public. In early March, staff told the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board the segment was "all but complete," according to Citizen Portal's summary of that meeting. On May 12, the Town announced Phase 3 officially open and held a grand opening at Nutro Dog Park on May 19.
So the link that finally let Canterbury and the middle school area walk to the dog park was open for about five months before this fall's closure. For three weeks, the Columbia Pike underpass isn't part of anyone's route.
The Other Closure, Half a Mile of Habit Away
Phase 3 closing would matter less if Sarah Benson Park were open. It isn't. The 27-acre park in the middle of town, across from the Tennessee Equine Hospital, has been closed while the Town builds a new playground. It closed June 15.
That closure covers more than the playground. Sarah Benson is where you find the jogging paths, the workout equipment, the pavilions and the stage. It also has the dog sensory garden that Mars PetCare built with the Town. Losing Sarah Benson and Phase 3 at the same time leaves dog owners on the east side of Columbia Pike without either nearby option.
The work at Sarah Benson has a clear end goal. According to the Town's park page, the new playground will cover about a quarter acre. Its equipment will be ADA accessible and suited to several age groups. The project also adds parking spaces, shade structures and a stormwater retention pond. The Town says resident feedback led to a larger, shadier sandbox and train-themed decorations. It expects construction to be done by the end of 2026.
What's Open, What's Not, Through November 16
| Place | Status this fall | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Greenway, Nutro Dog Park to Hwy 31 underpass toward Canterbury | Closed Oct. 26 to Nov. 16 | Dog park lot still open to cars |
| Sarah Benson Park | Closed | Playground construction, completion expected by end of 2026 |
| Nutro Dog Park | Open | Fenced large and small dog areas, dawn to dusk |
| Greenway north to Tollgate Village | Not listed in the closure | Phase 1, completed 2014 |
| Preservation Park | Open | Hiking trails connecting up to Nutro Dog Park |
The Line That Still Works
With the eastern links closed, the walk left is a north-south line, and Nutro Dog Park sits in the middle of it.
The dog park opened in 2014, built by the Town with Mars Petcare and Outdoor Encounter. It covers four acres, with separate fenced areas for large and small dogs, playing fields and walking paths. The Town's page describes greenway trails running north to Tollgate Village and south to Preservation Park. The posted rules are short. Each handler can bring up to two dogs, and handlers must be at least 16. Dogs need a rabies vaccination and must be leashed outside the fences. Dogs over 25 pounds aren't allowed in the small dog area. Handlers must pick up waste and fill any holes their dogs dig. The drive back to the park is a single lane, and with more cars likely parking there this month, the Town's request to use caution matters more than usual.
North of the dog park is Phase 1, the original greenway. It was finished in 2014 and runs from the western edge of Tollgate Village south past the dog park and the Community Gardens to the CSX railroad undercrossing.
South of the dog park, Preservation Park adds distance, hills and history. The park is about 200 acres of former grazing pasture, and part of it saw fighting in the Battle of Thompson's Station. Most of the land is held in a land trust with the State of Tennessee. Along the trails you'll find a hilltop overlook and Battlefield Trail markers, made through a partnership with the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area. The park also has a large pavilion and restrooms. Dogs must be leashed, horses aren't allowed, and the Town notes that wild animals may be present. If you drive in, start on Thompson's Station Road West by Town Center, cross the tracks, and the entrance is on your right after about 350 yards. Preservation Park took real damage in the winter storm. In March, staff told the advisory board they would clear the trails for safety.
Here's one way to fill a weekend morning while the closure lasts:
- Park at Settlers Coffee and Provisions in Tollgate Village, which opens at 7 a.m. on Saturdays and 8 a.m. on Sundays.
- Walk the Phase 1 greenway south from the western edge of Tollgate to Nutro Dog Park.
- Give the dog time in the fenced areas, then leash up for the trails toward Preservation Park and the hilltop overlook.
- Head back north the way you came. The Canterbury side stays closed through November 16.
The Gaps the Map Has Always Had
This fall's closures also show the parts of the network that don't exist yet. Phase 2 is meant to run from the CSX undercrossing through Preservation Park to Thompson's Station Road West. In March, staff said it was still delayed waiting on CSX. Phase 4 would go further still. The Parks Master Plan adoption draft sketches a route from Thompson's Station Elementary south through Bridgemore Village and along Thompson's Station Road West, past the Community Center, Town Hall and the Whistle Stop, to the water-tower trail at Heritage Park. When the draft was written, the grant applications for it had not been approved, and it gives no schedule.
So the current system grew outward from one hub. Each new phase connects back to the dog park, and when one of those connections closes, the hub can't send walkers anywhere else.
When the Line Isn't Enough
For a change of scenery, two nearby parks are worth the drive. Franklin's Park at Harlinsdale Farm covers 200 acres and has a four-acre dog park, a three-acre catch-and-release pond and a five-kilometer soft-surface track for walking and running. It closes from dark to dawn. Williamson County's Timberland Park, at Mile Marker 437.2 on the Natchez Trace Parkway, has hiking trails, an ADA-accessible trail, an overlook and a butterfly garden. Its hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, and it may close in bad weather. Closer to home in Spring Hill, Harvey Park has a walking track and a bike trail.
Coffee at Either End
Each end of the open stretch has a good place to stop:
- Settlers Coffee and Provisions, 1990 Tollgate Boulevard, Suite 101. Open 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.
- White Shepherd Coffee, 2101 Branford Place, #101, in Tollgate Village, which serves drinks, food and pastries.
- Chief and Honey's, in the same Branford Place building. Williamson Source reported it opened May 21 selling Nash Family Creamery ice cream and other sweets. Check current hours before you go.
- 1819 Coffee, 4683 Columbia Pike. Open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday.
- Circa Grill, 1549 Thompson's Station Road West, in the historic downtown near the Preservation Park turn. It has a patio and opens at 4 p.m. for drinks and light bites. Weekend brunch starts at 11 a.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. on Sunday.
One more seasonal note: the Town's free leaf collection runs through December 17, and anyone enrolled last year who didn't cancel is signed up again automatically.
The Canterbury link is scheduled to reopen after November 16, and Sarah Benson Park after its playground is finished, which the Town expects by the end of 2026.
If you're weighing a move around Thompson's Station and want to know which streets can actually walk to the greenway, Susan Gregory and her team can go over the trail map with you, phase by phase. Request a consultation and we'll start with the routes you'd use every day.
