City: Savannah, GA

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (912) 652-6780

Description: As the name implies, the centerpiece of this 75-acre park on the Southside is the lake, but there’s more here than recreational offerings involving water. Lake Mayer is surrounded by a 1.5-mile walking and jogging track dotted with 18 fitness stations. The park grounds provide space for eight lighted tennis courts, two lighted basketball courts, an unlighted ball diamond, a conditioning course and a basketball court for people using wheelchairs, a playground, a remote-control auto racetrack, and an outdoor skating rink designed to accommodate in-line hockey games. Picnic tables are sprinkled throughout the park, and two covered areas accommodate large groups: a pavilion with space for as many as 500 people and a shelter with room for 80 to 100. These can be reserved at fees of $175 and $150 respectively for five hours of usage; otherwise, they are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Getting back to the 35-acre lake: Swimming is prohibited, but you can fish for bass, bream, catfish, and crappie if you have a freshwater license. The possibilities for boating abound; the lake is the site of the Savannah Sailing Center, which offers instruction to young people and adults, and of Red Cross classes in kayaking and canoeing. Windsurfing is permitted on the lake, which is also where remote-control boat-racing enthusiasts come to compete. Staff members at Lake Mayer present special events throughout the year, including egg hunts and kite-making and flying contests on the weekend before Easter; fishing rodeos in April, May, and June; Senior Citizens Day in May; Family Nature Day in September; and Christmas Camp in December. Lest we forget, numerous ducks and geese call the park home, and they are more than happy to take stale bread off (and out of) your hands. The park—created in 1972 and operated by Chatham County’s Public Works and Park Services Department—is on Montgomery Crossroad near the intersection of Sallie Mood Drive. It’s open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. in the spring and summer and 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. in fall and winter. Again, a reminder: Don’t walk this park at night.