Best Parks in the Charlotte, North Carolina Area

One of the reasons why I love living in Pineville is the close proximity to so many wonderful parks in Charlotte, North Carolina . Pretty much any side of town you live in in Charlotte, you can find an awesome park for your children to enjoy. Here's a list of some of my top picks.

Pineville Lake Park

Technically, not Charlotte, but a suburb. Pineville Lake Park is a wonderful park, located at 1000 Johnston Dr, Pineville. There are lots of swings, climbing equipment, and small lake, with a fountain, as a centerpiece of the park. One of the great things about Pineville Park is that you will always find a nice breeze because of the lake in the center of it. In addition, they have two picnic shelters for families to enjoy. Pineville Park is also a great park for exercising as there is a paved walk all the way around the lake.

Freedom Park

Nestled in the Myers Park area of Charlotte is Freedom Park, 1900 East Boulevard, Charlotte. Everything you would expect at a park, you will find at Freedom. This park is is huge and is spread over 98 acres of land. You will find fields for all of your major sports, like soccer, baseball, and volleyball. In addition, they have tennis courts, batting cages, and an amphitheater. The centerpiece of this park, according to any child who has been there, is the locomotive in the children's play area. Kids can go inside an actual train and play. Freedom park also has lots of swings, a sandbox, and a huge jungle gym for the kids to play on. Freedom Park is also a popular destination for walkers as you will walking paths and trails. In addition, very close to Freedom Park there's the Charlotte Nature Museum . There is a small charge to get into the museum, but it's worth it, and the kids will have a ball.

William R Davie Park

Located at 4635 Pineville-Matthews Road, Charlotte. A lot of people refer to this park as "Castle Park" as one of the jungle gyms is shaped like a castle. What makes this park so wonderful is that they have several different jungle gyms, including smalls ones for the younger children. I like going to this park because the play area is completely fenced in and there's less of a chance your child will leave the playground area. There is also an enclosed shelter for picnics, as well as picnic tables outside of the park area. This is a very popular park and will get quite busy on nice days. In addition, will also find soccer fields behind the park.

Carmel Road Park

Located at 2365 Carmel Road, Charlotte. Carmel Park has a lot to offer. You will find swings and two jungle gyms, plus they have a basketball court and softball field. The basketball court, when there's not a game going on is a great place for kids to ride their bikes, scooters, roller skates, whatever they would like. The basketball court is also a great place for kids to practice learning how to ride a bike without training wheels. Also, you always see kids running around the bases on the softball field or playing in the dirt on the field. For some reason, this park does not get as busy as the other parks I have mentioned above, which makes it really nice. There's also lots of shady places for the hot summer days in Charlotte.

Reedy Creek Park

Located at 2900 Rocky River Road , Charlotte. There is so much to do at this 116 acre park. The kids will have so much fun at this park. Aside from having the regular park activities, like playgrounds, a basketball court, and sporting fields, you will find at Reedy Creek Park, a fishing pier, dog park, Reedy Creek Nature Center, community garden, 18 hole disc golf course, plus 10 miles of hiking trails. This is definitely a park you could spend a lot of time at.

Martha Rivers ParkThis park is a good 45 mile trip from Charlotte, but I had to include it because it's such a nice park. Located at 1515 Neal Hawkins Road, Gastonia, North Carolina. The park has a wonderful play area that is made out of wood and it is huge. There is so much for kids to do on this jungle gym that they could easy spend the entire morning wearing themselves out. In addition, there's also a sandbox for the kids to enjoy. You will also find picnic shelters close to the playground area. There are also lots of sports fields at this park, such as baseball and soccer.

Here is a link to the Charlotte Mecklenburg Parks and Rec Department to get additional information on the Charlotte Parks that I have listed above and all the other parks in Charlotte. Also, a link to the City of Gastonia Parks and Rec Department to get more information about Martha Rivers Park.

Sources:
Personal Experience
Char-Meck Parks and Rec
City of Gastonia Parks and Rec