Parks & Recreation - Charlotte, North Carolina



Parks & Recreation - Parks And Recreation

Charlotte and Mecklenburg County have 210 parks and facilities covering more than 17,600 acres. Included in that total are 27 public recreational centers offering numerous programs. Three major lakes are within easy driving distance: Lake Norman to the north with over 520 miles of shoreline; Lake Wylie to the southwest with 325 miles of shared shoreline between North and South Carolina; and Mountain Island Lake, a smaller and less developed body of water northwest of the city.

The Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department maintains the parks, recreational centers, swimming pools, greenways, golf courses, and historic sites and provides a variety of activities and educational programs. You can find out about registering for team sports such as basketball and football by calling the Park and Recreation Department at (704) 336-7600, but you should also watch for notices in your neighborhood announcing sign-ups. If you or someone in your family has a disability, you’ll be pleased to know that the Park and Recreation Department offers equal access to all recreation programs for persons with special needs. To reserve county facilities, call the individual park. For additional information, visit www.charmeck.org.

Not every park in the city and county is listed in this guide. We offer a sampling and invite you to explore the many other parks scattered throughout the county. After parks we list other outdoor facilities and activities. Entries are alphabetical and located in Charlotte unless otherwise noted.

1. Freedom Park

City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (704) 432-4280
Address: 1900 East Blvd.

Description: This 98-acre park between Dilworth and Myers Park is one of the most popular recreation destinations in town, whether it be coworkers walking on their lunch break, moms and children at the playground, Little Leaguers playing on the baseball diamond, or nearby families walking on the trails and paths. Freedom Park is located adjacent to the Charlotte Nature Museum. Park features include softball fields, basketball courts, playgrounds, lighted tennis courts, and paved walkways. Activities are centered around a 7-acre lake, which serves as the official residence of the local duck population. Festival in the Park, one of Freedom’s most popular events, is a four-day festival held every September.


2. Hornet’S Nest Park

City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (704) 336-8096
Address: 6301 Beatties Ford Rd.

Description: A 102-acre park in northwest Charlotte, Hornet’s Nest boasts the area’s only BMX bicycle track. Monitored practice sessions, Sat races, and teaching clinics are held in conjunction with the track. The park also offers softball, fishing, hiking, picnic shelters, a multipurpose trail, 10 playgrounds, tennis courts, horseshoes, a concession stand, and an 18-hole disc golf course.

3. Idlewild Road Park

City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (704) 336-3586
Address: 10512 Idlewild Rd.

Description: Idlewild Road Park covers 55 acres and serves residents in the Mint Hill/Matthews area. It offers a playground, softball field, picnic shelters, horseshoes, an outdoor fitness center, and a 1.5-mile nature trail.

4. Mallard Creek Community Park

City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (704) 336-3586
Address: 3001 Johnston-Oehler Rd.

Description: Located in northeast Charlotte, Mallard Creek is one of the county’s newer parks, covering 515 acres. Softball leagues flock here for its four lighted softball fields, softball pavilion, and nearby concession stands and restrooms. The park serves the soccer community with eight full-size fields, plus a volleyball court, picnic shelter, and one of the county’s best playgrounds, with slides, swings, tubes, and climbing stations. In the recreation center, there’s fitness equipment, a gym, a computer room, a game room, and a kitchen. A synthetic turf multiuse field at adjacent Mallard Creek High School can be reserved through a joint-use agreement with Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools.

5. Mcalpine Creek Park

City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (704) 568-4044
Address: 8711 Monroe Rd.

Description: A 462-acre park in east Charlotte, McAlpine features a 3-acre lake, 2-mile bike trail, 1.5-mile nature path, and popular 5K championship cross-country course. McAlpine Creek Greenway is an adjacent 3-mile stretch of trails with picnic areas, a boardwalk, and a gazebo. Ray’s Fetching Meadow is a “bark park” within McAlpine.

6. Mcdowell Park And Nature Preserve

City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (704) 588-5224
Address: 15222 York Rd.

Description: One of the county’s largest, this nature preserve encompasses 1,115 acres on Lake Wylie, 90 percent of which has been left undeveloped. It offers a 56-site campground, hiking, fishing, picnicking, and other activities. There are playgrounds as well. Visitors can launch boats free of charge or rent a paddleboat or canoe during the summer months. There are 7 miles of nature trails and a nature center with hands-on exhibits.

7. Nevin Park

City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (704) 336-3586
Address: 6000 Statesville Rd.

Description: Nevin Park in northeast Charlotte offers 340 acres with five bocce ball courts, four lighted softball fields, three soccer fields, three lighted picnic shelters, a walking trail, playground, horseshoe pits, shuffleboard, and 18-hole disc golf course. Multipurpose asphalt trails are used for walking, jogging, biking, and in-line skating. A “sprayground” is popular with kids.

8. Park Road Park

City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (704) 643-5725
Address: 6220 Park Rd.

Description: This 122-acre park’s main focus is an 11-acre lake where visitors can walk along gravel trails, cook on lakeside grills, feed the ducks, or simply sit by the banks. The lake was drained in 2009 for repairs, effectively eliminating fishing, which had been a popular option. The six lighted softball fields bustle with league play from early spring through late fall. Playgrounds and pickup basketball games are also favorites here, along with bike trails, tennis, volleyball, and picnic shelters. Clever Charlotteans sometimes joke that the road running through this park should be called Park Road Park Road. Get it?

9. Reedy Creek Nature Center And Preserve

City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 2900 Rocky River Rd.

10. Renaissance Park

City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (704) 353-1244
Address: 1200 West Tyvola Rd.

Description: Located near the Charlotte Coliseum, Renaissance covers 140 acres and is part of a recreation complex with an 18-hole golf course, tennis center, soccer fields, volleyball courts, a championship-level disc golf course, softball fields, and bike trails. The golf course is built on the site of a former county landfill.The Jeff Adams Tennis Center, one of the area’s premier facilities, has 13 lighted courts with private lessons, clinics, and open-to-the-public play. An unusual aspect of this park is that it is bisected by a six-lane byway, Tyvola Road, which was constructed to provide access to the Charlotte Coliseum, a 23,000-seat arena that served the region for two decades before it was imploded in June of 2007.

11. Thompson Park

City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (704) 432-4280
Address: 1129 East Third St.

Description: Just east of town, on the other side of the I-277 loop is this charming, 3.3-acre park. Thousands drive by it every day because it is nestled between Third and Fourth Streets, but few take advantage of this urban oasis. Its biggest draw is a powerful one—the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Vietnam Veterans’ War Memorial. The memorial, built entirely by private donations, honors the 105 Mecklenburg County soldiers lost in the war, and the thousands more who served. This tree-shaded park with gazebo is also known for its historic St. Mary’s Chapel, which is available for weddings and memorial services. The park is open dawn to dusk.

12. Veterans Park

City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (704) 432-4280
Address: 2136 Central Ave.

Description: Built to honor Lt. Budd Harris Andrews, who crashed his airplane in 1945 to avoid hitting a Charlotte neighborhood, this 19-acre park serves the Plaza-Midwood area. It has ball fields, lighted tennis courts, a playground, an indoor shelter, and a popular summer treat, a “sprayground.”

13. William R. Davie Park

City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (704) 554-0402
Address: 4635 Pineville-Matthews Rd.

Description: A park for the fast-growing southeast area of the city, Davie Park covers 106 acres with basketball courts, four softball fields, two soccer fields, a volleyball court, horseshoe pits, hopscotch courses, picnic shelters, a lake, a playground, and walking trails. The Davie Dog Park is a 5-acre, fenced-in, off-leash area for canines. There are two separate fenced-in sections—one for dogs 20 pounds and up, and another for dogs less than 20 pounds.

14. Mcgill Rose Garden

City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (704) 333-6497
Address: 940 North Davidson St.

Description: This petaled paradise on an industrialized edge of Uptown Charlotte started with a few roses to brighten a drab coal yard and has grown to more than 1,000 rose bushes, 200 varieties, and an AARS Rose Garden designation. Owner Henry McGill no longer enjoys the garden. He passed away in 2007 at the age of 103, but he did live long enough to see the renovation in 2002. The McGill Rose Garden’s 1.3-acre urban enclave has been featured in Southern Living and several regional magazines. Roses peak for the garden’s annual Mother’s Day celebration, when thousands of Charlotteans stroll through in their Sun finest. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tues through Fri year-round; free.

15. Unc Charlotte Botanical Gardens

City: Charlotte, NC
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 9201 University City Blvd.
Back to Charlotte, NC