For years, the Tree Hill Nature Center has been known mostly for its annual Butterfly Festival. In April, at least 5,000 people showed up for the event at the Arlington-area park.
But now the Tree Hill board of directors wants to let even more people know about the nature preserve, which has more than 50 acres of nature trails.
The plan is music.
"What's more natural than to combine the beauty of nature with the beauty of music?" said Lucy Cortese, executive director of Tree Hill Nature Center.
On Saturday, Tree Hill held its first live music event with its "From Tree Hill to Nashville" songwriters festival. Local songwriters played at the park's outdoor amphitheater - which is said to be the only one in Jacksonville - and Nashville music producer Michael Knox gave advice to musicians.
Knox has produced albums for country music acts like Jason Aldean and is set to produce a record for superstar Trace Adkins. He said he was happy to support a cause that helps to bring together music and nature.
"Music comes organically," he said. "Music comes from one person sitting down and writing on a guitar, on a piece of wood. So, it's natural for music and nature to go together."
The songwriting festival even had a contest for the best "green song." Al Monte, a 58-year-old Atlantic Beach musician, won with his song, "Let the Waters Flow."
Cortese said she thinks the outdoor venue makes for a great spot to work on creative ideas for songwriting. She thinks nature can bring that inspiration to some of these artists.
"It touches your left brain and your creative mode," she said. "Both nature and music bring about a serenity in people."
Craig Hand, a 31-year-old local country musician, agrees. He tends to write outside most of the time because he feels at home. After the festival, he said he hopes to get together with some of the songwriters he met at the festival to collaborate on some songs.
Only about a hundred people were there on Saturday afternoon, but Cortese said she hopes this will be the start of several music events at Tree Hill. The amphitheater provides a unique venue in town for performances. They hope to hold a songwriting camp at Tree Hill in the spring.
Even though attendance was modest, Cortese said she's convinced this event will grow. When the Butterfly Festival started eight years ago, very few people attended. Now it boasts attendance figures in the thousands.
"Even though we've been around for almost 40 years, some people call us Jacksonville's best-kept secret," she said. "So, we want to bring more people to the park and maybe make us more well known."