Don Fox Park

Highly disappointed in this park. It looks beautiful, but no pets allowed is a major problem. I will not be using this park again until that changes.

I work near Don Fox Park and walk/​run here almost every day. The inner loop is 1-​mile, but you can extend it to 3+ miles using the outer loop or by taking one of the sidewalks that connect to the park. It is also connected to the Jimmy Floyd Center, for those that are members and want to do some indoor activities as well. I have not used the playground equipment, but it looks very nice. They have lots of benches and swings around the park and along the trail as well, and it runs along a creek with all sorts of interesting wildlife.
Let’s remember this is a public park and at the mercy of how the public treats it. Yes, the bathrooms aren’t fancy and everything ages over time, but I see Park & Rec staff out there frequently landscaping and cleaning and they are always nice and courteous not to blow grass on my while I’m on the trail.
Love this park!

I want to love this park but it seems that each time we go there are issues that I wish were not present at a park. For one, the last time we visited there was a parent smoking in the interior castle playground area. I’m not arguing the rights of smokers but it seems like it would be an easy thing to move outside of the playground to a nearby bench to have your cigarette. Secondly, there always seem to be teenagers around that are loudly using terrible language. The last conversation I heard only because I was playing with my 4 and 2 year old while the teenagers were leaned against the fence surrounding the playground was a group of guys and girls and the girls detailing who they had and had not f#%^ed. There is just really no reason for those conversations right by the kids playground. The park is massive, go have those talks elsewhere. I realize that I can’t shield my kids forever but I don’t think it’s too much to ask for them not to have to hear f bombs on the playground.

Don Fox is a gorgeous community park on the West side of Lebanon. Loaded with activities, playgrounds, facilities, and a track for walking, biking, or skating. Very attractive and peaceful, too.
I do have some issues. The wading pool was opened last year, but it already looks like it’s ageing, and I was surprised that it was kind of dirty. The big wooden playground was king of worn-​out also. The sand-​box in particular looks like it needed refreshing pretty badly. It had clearly been stomped into submission for years and years, so some fresher sand would be in order. Everything was in working order, but it also appeared to be wearing away.
Be aware of the bathrooms, too. The men’s room looked positively gross. As of my writing, one of the the soda machines was out of order also.
This appears to be a great place to have a barbecue and to run around wild, or perhaps to walk or run laps. Kids who play openly probably will never notice my issues, but adults should just keep an eye open for potential problems.
For Lebanon residents, this is a nice little place: there are plenty of places in other cities which are just as good. This was not worth the trip from Hermitage, when Cumberland Park downtown and Charlie Daniels Park in Mt. Juliet are much closer.