The park is located between the Lockeland Springs, Shelby Hills, and Rolling Acres neighborhoods.

In 2011 Nashville purchased the adjoining historic Cornelia Fort Airpark (named for Cornelia Fort) which had been the destination for singer Patsy Cline when she was killed in a plane crash on March 5, 1963.

[4] The combined Shelby Park/Shelby Bottoms/Cornelia Fort Airpark has more than 1,000 acres of greenspace.

Projects completed through summer 2015 added a special events field, new parking with pervious paving, improvements to a stream, and off street trails for bikers, runners and walkers linked to the adjacent neighborhoods.

Metro Arts installed Reflection, a 12-foot-tall mockingbird of stainless steel atop a granite plinth by artist Lawrence Argent, in a new plaza near the event field.