May Prairie Designated State Natural Area
Nature preserve
295 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0C+Outdoors
Outdoors in Manchester
Manchester has 148 acres of parks, 11 for every 1,000 residents
32% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 2.0 miles of mapped trail cross Manchester, 0.1 per square mile of land. 4% of Manchester’s land is conserved, about 429 acres.
Ahead of 37% of U.S. towns · #79 of 177 in Tennessee. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
429 acres · of 15.3 sq mi of land
Trails
2.0 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
148 ac
11 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
32%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Manchester have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Manchester is ahead of 37% of U.S. towns, #79 of 177 in Tennessee. Conserved land holds the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
C+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Manchester’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical TN town 1% · U.S. 4%BTrails0.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · TN 0.2 · U.S. 0.4CPark land11 acres of park per 1,000 residents (148 acres) · TN 10 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home32% of residents within a half mile of a park · TN 42% · U.S. 72%C
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 37%
LessMore
Tennessee towns of 2,500+ (177)Ahead of 56%
Few Tennessee towns conserve much land (a typical one, 1%; the U.S., 4%), so Manchester’s 4% is ahead of 75% of Tennessee towns, while its trails per square mile lead 40% of them.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B−. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park
Park
68 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 6 parks & preserves
May Prairie Designated State Natural Area295 acres
DirectionsOld Stone Fort State Archaeological Park68 acres
DirectionsFred Deadman Park27 acres
DirectionsDave King Park19 acres
DirectionsManchester Soccer Complex16 acres
Manchester Rotary Park6 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
429 conserved acres
4% of Manchester’s land. Who manages Manchester’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State conservation288 ac
Other state land71 ac
Town or city69 ac
State Conservation Area · 288 acState Park · 71 acLocal Park · 49 acLocal Recreation Area · 20 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| May Prairie Designated State Natural Area State Conservation Area | State conservation | 288 | Restricted |
| Old Stone Fort State Park | Other state land | 71 | Open |
| Fred Deadman Park Local Park | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| Dave King Park Local Park | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Manchester Soccer Complex Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 20 | Open |
| Manchester Rotary Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
Things to do
3 places to go in Manchester
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Manchester
Dave King Park PlaygroundIn Dave King Park
DirectionsOutdoor Exercise EquipmentIn Fred Deadman Park
DirectionsPlus 1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Trails & water
1 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
8Tennis
6Softball
6Baseball
1Skate park
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →4 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
When to get out
The best walking months in Manchester: April to June
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.0 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 14.5 | 14.3 | 13.5 | 12.3 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.8 |
| High (°F) | 48 | 53 | 61 | 71 | 78 | 85 | 88 | 87 | 82 | 72 | 60 | 52 |
| Rain (in) | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.6 | 5.2 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 6.1 |
October is the driest month (3.6 in) and July the warmest (highs of 88 °F). 6.1 inches fall in December, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 88 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Manchester →
Questions about parks and trails in Manchester
How much of Manchester is conserved land?
4% of its land, against a typical 1% for a Tennessee town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Manchester’s trails?
May Prairie Designated State Natural Area and Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Manchester?
1,655 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Manchester or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 148 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Manchester have?
Ahead of 37% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #79 of 177 in Tennessee. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Manchester neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →