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www.cityofchesapeake.net/prt A general tour guide to many, but certainly not all, Chesapeake Parks, Recreation and Tourism parks and facilities. We encourage you to get out and explore! Parks, Recreation and Tourism Administrative Office: 382-6411 Athletic Information Hotline: 382-6400 Camelot Community Center: 485-7400 Deep Creek Community Center: 487-8841 Dr. Clarence V. Cuffee Comm. Ctr: 648-8549 Great Bridge Community Center: 382-6292 Indian River Community Center: 424-4238 River Crest Community Center: 436-3100 South Norfolk Community Center: 543-5721 Western Branch Community Center: 465-0211 Chesapeake City Park: 312-0243 Elizabeth River Park: 492-1202 Northwest River Park: 421-7151 The Portlock at South Norfolk: 502-4901 Rokeby Center: 822-6259 ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF NUMBERS: Mike Barber—Director 382-1305 Monica Christiansen—Assistant Director 382-1325 Ray Wharton - Parks Superintendent 382-1304 Thurman Diamond—Recreation Superintendent 382-1327 Kim Murden—Tourism Manager 382-1353 Karen Creef - Fiscal Administrator 382-1301 Lynn Jordan –Public Information Coordinator 382-1306 prgeneral@cityofchesapeake.net tourisminfo@cityofchesapeake.net www.visitchesapeake.com www.cityofchesapeake.net/prt chesapeakeprt visitchesapeake Find parks or community centers near you. Go to http://arcg.is/1qXC4C1 and click on the Park Finder picture. Chesapeake Parks, Recreation and Tourism Visit Chesapeake Battlefield Park North / 1775 Historic Way - WATERWAYS MUSEUM & VISITOR CENTER CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION “This historic 18-acre waterfront park is part of a land lease agreement with the Army Corp of Engineers and it serves as a tribute to the history of the Battle of Great Bridge. This facility has several features, including a historic 13-station self-guided tour, an outdoor auditorium, a re-creation of the Causeway from 1775, a family picnic area and a Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) monument to commemorate the Patriot soldiers that fought for our freedom. Local boy scouts have also built a wonderful overlook at the end of a long boardwalk. Park trails follow the marsh and give guests great views of the Intracoastal Waterway. A nicely paved and landscaped parking area provides safe and easy access to park amenities. The Great Bridge Battlefield & Waterways History Foundation has been instrumental in bringing this park to life and creating an opportunity for visitors to see, hear and feel this vital part of history. The Foundation hosts an active Docent program staffed with volunteers who work diligently to share the history. In September 2017, a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the new Waterways Museum/Visitor Center was held. This facility will be built on the site adjacent to the 280’ boat pier that was completely renovated in 2015. On the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of every month (April-October) from 4pm-dusk, the City and Foundation host an “Eat the Streets” fundraiser which provided food trucks offering a huge variety of gourmet dishes with 10% of profits going to the Foundation. These monthly fundraising events were moved in 2018 to Courtyard Square Park (City Hall complex) due to construction. Bell’s Mill Park / 424 Albemarle Drive — Formerly a landfill from the 1960’s to the mid 1980’s, Bell’s Mill Park is a 114-acre waterfront park that is situated at the southernmost point of the Elizabeth River in Chesapeake. The park is also adjacent to the Great Bridge Lock. The mound on the east side of the park is 35’ high and is the highest point on any park site in the City of Chesapeake. Approximately 2/3 of the property is covered by a 3’ clay cap to contain the trash below. It is a serene and beautiful park that is the home to a variety of distinct eco-habitats, which make it a great place for birding. Watch Rails and Egrets feeding in the mud flats or King Fishers swooping across the pond. Otters make their homes in the banks around the grass beds too. Don’t forget to keep an eye to the sky as Bald Eagles and Osprey are often seen here cruising the river. Due to the open fields and rolling terrain, this park is a great place to get away for a jog. It has become the premier regional location for cross country meets and is heavily used by area schools and colleges. In 2017, the entire entrance was redone to include a paved entry and parking lot. This location is one example, among many, of Parks, Recreation and Tourism sharing resources in a reciprocal way with Chesapeake Public Schools to maximize benefits to citizens. Camelot Community Center/ 948 King Arthur Drive— This community center was first dedicated in May 1997. The amenities included a gymnasium with a stage that is shared with Camelot Elementary School, a meeting room, game room, office and restrooms. In February 2011, a new addition was completed that included a large meeting room, locker room and the largest fitness room of any community center in the city. Additional renovations were made to the game room, small meeting room and restrooms. Zumba classes and Soul line dancing classes are popular at the site. The Camelot Senior Club meets here weekly and The Camelot Civic league is also active in the community to enhance the quality of life in Camelot. There is a Community Planter Box at this site that is proudly maintained by the Camelot Senior Club. Similar to a community gar- den on a smaller scale, these boxes are available at no charge for individuals, clubs or groups to plant and maintain at City of Chesapeake sites such as community centers and libraries. Next to this center is a multipurpose field with a recently renovated lighting system that is currently used for our youth football program. Camelot Park (an 11- acre park) is right across the street from this community center and it has two shelters available for rental, recently renovated walking trails, a large play area, a tennis court with backboard and a volleyball net. Cascade Park / 1401 Hoover Avenue - Cascade Park was originally constructed in the late 1940’s by the City of South Norfolk (incorporated into Chesapeake in 1963). At the time of its construction, this field was a state-of-the- art facility that included lights for night games. It also included locker rooms. A concession and press box building has always been a part of the park. Over the history of the park, many high school and recreational league teams have played championship games there. Over the years, the field fell into decay. In 2014, the South Norfolk Ruritans worked with Chesapeake Little League and Parks, Recreation and Tourism to bring this park back to life. The concession/press box building and dugouts received a much needed facelift and the field received some over- due maintenance (both infield and outfield). In 2015, the City installed new fencing and lights. So many lives have been touched by this particular baseball field. At the grand opening ceremony in 2014, a gentleman in his 70’s told a city employee through tears of joy, that he played there as a boy, his children did too and now his grandchildren would. He thanked the City for restoring this community treasure. Chesapeake City Hall (Municipal Center) and Courtyard Square Park— 306 Cedar Road Chesapeake City Hall is a six-story building that is home to various City departments and offices to include Public Works, Public Utilities, Development and Permits, Public Communications, Budget, Finance, Treasurer, Commissioner of the Revenue, City Clerk, City Attorney, and the City Manager’s Office. City Hall also houses the Council Chamber where our City’s policies are adopted by our elected Council the 2 nd , 3 rd , and 4 th Tuesday of each month. The Chesapeake Veterans Memorial sits directly in front of the building and hosts the Mayor’s Commission on Veterans Affairs Annual Memorial Day and Veterans Day Ceremonies. A six-foot blue heron, is perched at the back of City Hall. The Blue Heron Project is a City of Chesapeake community initiative. Chesapeake’s Public Safety Memorial is situated between City Hall and the General District Court Building. This memorial was built to honor Chesapeake’s fallen heroes. In 2018, the large grassy area behind City Hall was dedicated by City Council as Courtyard Square Park. This location will be used for City Events such as bimonthly food truck events with entertainment as well as being available for rental by the public. In 2018, as part of a statewide tourism campaign, Chesapeake designed and installed our own unique LOVE letters which are currently on display in Courtyard Square Park. TREE TRAIL— There is also a well marked 1+ mile Tree Trail that begins at the Great Bridge Community and goes throughout the municipal complex and includes 39 tree markers. Chesapeake Arboretum / 624 Oak Grove Road— The Chesapeake Arboretum is 48 acres of hardwood forest including a 3.5 mile trail system that is one of Virginia’s finest. This “Nature’s Classroom” promotes horticulture and environmental awareness. The property was formerly part of the Williamson Dairy Farm and the original Williamson homestead house (C 1700s) that is still being used today. The operation and maintenance of the Arboretum became the full responsibility of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism in 2015. There are now two Arboretum staff members, a full-time groundskeeper and a part-time Office Specialist who provide guided tours of the grounds and work with volunteer groups. This beautiful natural setting is heavily supported by a multitude of volunteers annually. Currently, staff is working to upgrade many areas of the property, new fencing has been installed, trails and bridges have been restored as well as rebuilding the plant greenhouse. Maintaining the trails is a continual responsibility of staff with the assistance of volunteers, but it is well worth the hard work that goes into it for all to enjoy. New outdoor programs have begun and the property is available for rental for outdoor events. A new gazebo was built behind the farmhouse and barn in early 2018 and is available, along with other portions of the property, for rental. Centerville Park / 1857 Centerville Turnpike—Centerville Park is a unique 90-acre park in southern Chesapeake. With 18 multipurpose fields, 11 of them irrigated game-sized fields, this former Mary Mast Yoder Farm property opened as Centerville Park in 2003. The park is home to the Chesapeake United Soccer Club, the Chesapeake Soccer Club, and the City of Chesapeake youth soccer program year round including league play and tournaments. This park has hosted a variety of activities to include youth soccer leagues, youth soccer tournaments, youth soccer camps, youth lacrosse camps and Spartan Race workouts. Adjacent to fields, the property has a permanent restroom that was renovated in 2017 and a storage building. Additional improvements include a newly installed playground (2018), sod and irrigation of fields as well as parking lot enhancements to include paving and new parking curbs to improve traffic flow and safety. City Park / 900 City Park Drive—The land where Chesapeake City Park is located was once a men’s state prison farm. Senator Bill Parker led efforts to obtain 75 of the approximately 89-acre prison for a park and, in the mid-1980’s, the City of Chesapeake acquired the property to create Chesapeake City Park. A grassroots group of community and business leaders then worked together to clear and prepare the land for active park use. The prison was also downsized and converted to a 14-acre women’s prison farm called Camp 22, and these last 14 acres were sold to the City of Chesapeake in the early 1990’s to bring Chesapeake City Park to its current District Park size of 89.7 acres. Significant renovations to the park have been done in the past few years to include an irrigated grass lawn surrounded by extensive sidewalks in front of the renovated Robert G. “Buddy” Bagley Stage. This beautiful stage was dedicated in 2003. It was built to honor former Chesapeake Fire Chief and City Councilman, Buddy Bagley, and was made possible through donations and workmanship of local businesses. Community groups have a long history of hosting events at this park and none more so than the Chesapeake Jubilee. This iconic Chesapeake event began at Greenbrier Mall in 1983 to celebrate the City turning 20 years old, and it was moved to the new City Park in 1986. Other annual large community events currently held here include the Great American Food Fest, the Chesapeake Wine Festival, the Chesapeake Farmers Market and Bark in the Park. The Bagley Stage area is the perfect venue for outdoor concerts. This park is also the home of numerous City-sponsored events including Eggstravaganza, Celebrate Freedom, Symphony Under the Stars, the “55 & Better” annual Fish Fry and Pig Pickin’, and our Movie & More series, which includes movie-themed evenings at parks around the city that will include family activities followed by an outdoor movie. City Park is packed with amenities to include 8 standard- size shelters and 3 large pavilions (all available for rental), the award-winning children’s play area called Fun Forest, a Skate Park (membership required), walking trails, an exercise park, 12 competition horseshoe courts, 3 regulation basketball courts, and 2 dog parks (membership required). It is also the site of Chesapeake’s 9/11 Memorial. Next >