About The Author: Bobby DeMuro is the Founder of FusionSouth, a personal training/sports conditioning firm in Charlotte, NC. He is also the Executive Director of NoFizz Charlotte, a non-profit dedicated to bringing awareness on the importance of hydration. He resides on Lake Norman with his boxer, Dakota. You can follow him on Twitter @bodemuro.
Our park reviews proved to be so popular, that we’re expanding the model! Instead of a three-part series, we are instead going to break the articles into different Charlotte neighborhoods, and go one-by-one for the next few weeks.
This week, I reviewed Uptown area parks. Over the next weeks, I’ll review: southeast Charlotte, southwest Charlotte, south Charlotte (Dilworth/Myers Park), University area, and Lake Norman.
Got a park you want us to review? Tweet us, or Facebook us and let us know what you’d like to see reviewed!
Independence Park
Elizabeth
300 Hawthorne Lane
Charlotte, NC 28263
Independence is really two separate parks. The north side of the park, on which Elizabeth Elementary School sits, is the action-oriented portion, with fields, tennis courts, a track, and jungle gym equipment that serves as the school’s playground. This end of the park also has a great view of the city skyline. Because of the school component, this part of the park is busy.
The south end of the park on the other side of Hawthorne Lane is the “neighborhood” side of the park. With mature trees and bushes, it is calm, quiet, and overlooked. The garden on the park’s south end is well-tended; sources tell me that many brides snap wedding portraits there!
Miscellaneous: Independence Park is one of the oldest of Charlotte’s city parks, having opened in 1904. Only Latta Park (1897) predates it. In fact, Independence Boulevard (that dreaded stretch of road) got its name from Independence Park. Until the late 1940s, much of the park was located in the corridor where the Charlottetowne/Independence name change occurs.
My Take: I ran the Humane Society of Charlotte’s PetPalooza 5k at Independence Park back in May – and I was really surprised with it. It’s sunken down from the road, at a lower elevation, and tucked behind some of the buildings and parking decks surrounding it – definitely a great place to try out!
Cordelia Park
Villa Heights
2100 North Davidson Street
Charlotte, NC 28205
Cordelia Park is another one of Charlotte’s oldest parks, dating back almost as far as Independence Park. Cordelia is a 24-acre park featuring a full-court basketball court, an outdoor swimming pool, a sprayground, picnic shelters, and plenty of walking trails.
It also is a connector for the Little Sugar Creek Greenway, which traces down Belmont Avenue and hits Alexander Street Park (which we’ll review below!), making it the perfect place to start a jog!
Miscellaneous: Cordelia Park has a disc golf course, promoted by the Charlotte Disc Golf Club and The Mecklenburg County Parks & Rec Department.
My Take: Cordelia has a great asset (at least for us wanna-be NBA players) in that it hosts one of the few full-size, full-court basketball courts in the Uptown area. But it’s best asset is probably it’s kid-friendly facilities – the playground and sprayground are great, and it’s always full of youngsters during the day!
Alexander Street Park
Trinity Neighborhood
739 East 12th Street
Charlotte, NC 28206
Just south of Cordelia Park, and right off the Brookshire Freeway in Alexander Neighborhood, Alexander Street Park sits, newly renovated. The park’s formation is a pretty interesting story – it was formed from a partnership between Trinity Episcopal School, the Charlotte Housing Authority, and the CharMeck Parks Department in August of 2009.
The four-acre park, which opened in phases, includes tennis courts, two half-court basketball courts, a soccer field, a picnic pavilion, and playgrounds. Walking trails, and the Little Sugar Creek Greenway connector to Cordelia Park, were added in 2010.
Miscellaneous: The park sits next to Seigle Point, a community of the Charlotte Housing Authority. Geographically speaking, Alexander Street Park is the largest active play space closest to Trade and Tryon in Uptown Charlotte.
My Take: I’ve driven by Alexander Street Park hundreds of times in the past two years, and watched it undergo construction the whole time. It was refreshing to finally visit it last week and see the park in all its glory!
Frazier Park
Uptown
1201 West 4th Street Extension
Charlotte, NC 28202
Tucked between Interstate 77 and uptown Charlotte, Frazier Park is a small but well-kept park for Fourth Ward residents. With just 11.9 acres and one soccer field, Frazier Park isn’t the place to get a long bike ride, like McAlpine Creek Park, but it still has its merits.
With 2 full court basketball courts, and 2 regulation tennis courts, you can still get friends together for a game – or, bring your dog out to the dog park, which opened a little more than a year ago.
Miscellaneous: Check out the Community Garden in Frazier Park! Garden plots, 10 ft x 15 ft in size, are available for rent. Water is available on site. For more information, call the Parks Department at (704) 353-1237.
My Take: Frazier Park is a cool little park with good energy. Upon my visit, there were plenty of children playing on their playgrounds, and a good representation of people and dogs being active. Definitely recommend it as one to hit after work, if your offices are Uptown!
Abbott Park
Wilmore
1300 Spruce Street
Charlotte, NC 28203
Abbott Park features a 5.7-acre open space, including a softball field, a couple of tennis courts, a basketball court, and picnic shelters. A playground for the children is also a big part of Abbott Park’s amenities, and a big reason people visit this park!
Just across Interstate 77 from Revolution Park (which we’ll review below), Abbott Park is a little smaller than Revolution, with a few less amenities, but it’s no less valuable.
Miscellaneous: Less organized than other parks we’ve reviewed, Abbott is a great place if you’re just looking for open space. Take the dog, or your friends, and enjoy running through the wide open green spaces!
My Take: Abbott Park is one of my favorite places to go after training sessions in South End. I’ll almost always do some sprints in Abbott Park before heading north on Interstate 77 – it’s peaceful, tucked away from the bustle of the city, and in a quiet neighborhood just off West Boulevard!
Marshall Park
Uptown
800 East Third Street
Charlotte, NC 28204
Even though Alexander Street Park is the largest park closest to Uptown, Marshall is the closest open green space to City Center, regardless of size. Tucked at the corner of 2nd and McDowell Streets, Marshall is a great spot for walking, jogging, and even skateboarding.
It’s a well-used spot by business people for their lunch hour, and it’s on plenty of Charlotte posters and postcards, because of its amazing views of uptown Charlotte which provide a backdrop to its fountains and trails.
Miscellaneous: The Monument of Valor, which sits in Marshall Park, pays tribute to American war veterans.
My Take: Looking to go for a jog? Marshall Park is probably not your place. It’s on the smaller side, tucked in a busy area of Charlotte, and not great for a jog (unless you’re passing through down a different route). On the other hand, it’s the perfect spot for a picnic lunch, a get-together with friends, or a walk with your dog! Please note, there is no dedicated parking for Marshall Park.
Bryant Neighborhood Park
Wesley Heights
600 East Fourth Street
Charlotte, NC
Bryant Park was constructed in the mid-1930s for residents of the Wesley Heights neighborhood, and its granite walls were completed as part of the Works Progress Administration programs of the Great Depression.
Bryant Park comprises 6.6 acres of terraced hillside and flat playing field, bound on the north by West Morehead Street, on the west by Suttle Avenue, and on the east by a creek bed.
The main entrance to the park is located on the south end of the property, on the park’s highest elevation, and leads to the most impressive feature of the park – the stone seating for the park’s only remaining recreational space, the softball field.
Miscellaneous: Bryant Park is the only public park and green space in Charlotte’s West Morehead Street industrial sector. If you’re on that side of Interstate 77, check it out!
My Take: I drive by Bryant Park quite a bit, too – there’s not a ton here, but it is a good open space to take your dog, or do some walking, if you’re in the neighborhood!
Revolution Park
Arbor Glen
2425 Barringer Drive
Charlotte, NC 28208
Revolution Park Sports Academy
Recreation Center
1225 Remount Road
Charlotte, NC 28208
Just across the highway about a half-mile from some of the Dilworth parks we’ve been discussing sits Revolution Park, home to, among other things, a public golf course!
This 22-acre park (not including the golf course!) has a recreation center on site, a synthetic turf football field (put forth through a partnership with the Carolina Panthers), several softball fields, several playgrounds, and a couple of picnic shelters to boast about. Irwin Creek Greenway also takes off in Revolution Park
Miscellaneous: Revolution Park Sports Academy is a green facility – and a 30,000 square foot center for life skill development for youths and teens through non-traditional sports, fitness programs, and after-school enrichment events.
My Take: This park is a great place to be if you’re a runner. Plenty of trails, paths, and the start of the Irwin Creek Greenway make it a great spot to get a jog. Enjoy!
