The Grove City Public Park System

The Grove City Park System has been an important commodity to the Grove City community since the 1950s. In 1974, the first director for the Department of Parks and Recreation was hired. In 1982, the City Charter was amended to create a Park Board. Five members of the community are appointed by the Mayor to serve in an advisory capacity for the Department of Parks and Recreation.

The Department of Parks and Recreation is responsible for recreation programming including, but not limited to: aquatics, environmental education, preschool classes, preschool enrichment, youth and teen enrichment, after-school child care, gardening enrichment and education, youth and adult individual and team sports, adult enrichment, community special events, older adult (55 years +) enrichment and health and wellness programming.

Additionally, the Department of Parks and Recreation is responsible for the maintenance and development of parks and facilities. Current statistics about the parks include:

17 parks (1 retention area with parkland potential)

440 acres of parkland (not including Demorest Road retention area)

Facilities include:
1 outdoor waterpark (Big Splash)
1 herb garden (Gantz Park)
1 senior center (Evans Center)
1 renovated barn used for programming (Gantz Park)
4 rentable shelters and gazebos
13 shelters available on a first-come, first-serve basis

Community Parks

Big Splash at Evans Park, 2831 Southwest Blvd.
The Big Splash at Evans Park is a seasonal, municipal, family aquatic facility. It serves the citizens of the City of Grove City and Jackson Township. The Big Splash at Evans Park features a large zero-depth entrance, interactive water toys, a large body slide, tot slide, two drop slides, and a six-lane lap pool. Patrons also enjoy a concession stand, a sand volleyball area, a sand play area with toys, several funbrellas providing shade, green space in which to spread out, and many lounge chairs in which to relax. The Big Splash at Evans Park is open from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. for members, and 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. for daily admissions. Sunday hours of operation are noon to 8 p.m. for members and daily admissions.

Acres: 10
Shelter or Gazebos: 1
Bikeway Accessible: Yes
Restrooms: Yes (available only to Big Splash guests)
Play Equipment: Yes, inside the Big Splash
Parking Spaces: 251 total, 12 accessible (Brookpark Middle School)
Other Amenities: Sand Volleyball court
website
Map and Directions

Fryer Park, 3899 Orders Rd.
Fryer Park is an educational/recreational destination for residents of Grove City and the southwest area of Franklin County. The 110-acre park features Century Village, a turn-of-the-century historic area complete with a renovated one-room school house, a log cabin, a barn and plans for an assortment of other turn-of-the-century-style buildings; the Grove City YMCA for indoor and outdoor fitness and aquatic needs; eight softball diamonds; Rotary Lake for scenic picnics or fishing; a preserved wooded area for bird watching or nature walks; a one-mile recreational trail for walking or biking; a sledding hill and Discovery Frontier, an all-accessible playground featuring a space theme. Future plans for Fryer Park include additional recreational trails, an amphitheater, a three-season picnic shelter and multi-use sport fields.

Acres: 110
Shelter or Gazebos: 2
Bikeway Accessible: Yes (contained to park)
Restrooms: Yes
Play Equipment: Yes
Parking Spaces: 281 total, 8 accessible near softball complex
64 total, 4 accessible near Discovery Frontier
23 total near Fryer House
Other Amenities: Discovery Frontier Century Village
Softball diamonds (8) Rotary Lake
Fishing docks Bike/walking paths
Map and Directions

Gantz Park, 2255 Home Rd.
Gantz Park is blessed with beautiful rolling terrain, perfect for picnics and other gatherings. The two-story barn was renovated in 1988 to accommodate a variety of youth activities including dance, gymnastics, the RecSchool early childhood program, preschool enrichment classes and school-age programs in the summer. The Gardens at Gantz Farm is a public herb garden with an estimated 10,000 visitors per year. Both the gardens and the farmhouse also are used for programming. The entire eastern side of the park has been designated as the Gantz Park Arboretum. Residents and visitors alike can visit the arboretum to learn about different tree species.

Acres: 27
Shelter or Gazebos: 3
Bikeway Accessible: Yes
Restrooms: Yes
Play Equipment: Yes
Parking Spaces: 96 total, 5 accessible

Other Amenities: Gardens at Gantz (Herb Garden), Gantz Barn, Gantz Arboretum, Tennis courts, Basketball court
Map and Directions

Windsor Park, 4330 Dudley Ave.
Established 55 years ago, Windsor Park is the oldest community-sized park in Grove City. Windsor Park is home to youth baseball and features 11 diamonds which accommodate preschool children through adults in all skill levels of play. Windsor Park also is home of the Evans Center, a 14,000-square-foot center serving adults 55 and older, and providing additional space for other programming. The Evans Center offers diverse, cost efficient, recreational, educational, and health services to older adults residing in Grove City and surrounding areas. The Evans Center also serves as a hot-meal site for LifeCare Alliance and their Meals-on-Wheels program.

Acres: 26
Shelter or Gazebos: 2
Bikeway Accessible: Yes
Restrooms: Yes
Play Equipment: Yes
Parking Spaces (total/number of accessible): 452 total, 19 accessible

Other Amenities: Baseball diamonds (11), Evans Center, Tennis courts, Batting cages
Map and Directions

Grove City Skate Park, 3728 Hoover Rd.
Built in 2006, the Grove City Skate Park is the newest amenity to the Grove City Park system. This 11,000-square-foot skate park is all concrete and provides areas for the beginning skater to the pro skater. Bowls, ramps, rails, and boxes are featured in the design. The bowl sides are three to 18 feet in height. Future plans for the skate park include the addition of bleachers, shade structures, drinking fountains and restrooms.

Acres: 5
Shelter or Gazebos: None
Bikeway Accessible: No
Restrooms: Yes (portable only)
Play Equipment: No
Parking Spaces: 40 total, 2 accessible

Other Amenities: 11,000-square-foot concrete skate park
Map and Directions

Neighborhood Parks

Concord Lakes (3 sites), Carlotta Drive and Lake Mead Drive
Acres: 10 (all three sites)
Shelter or Gazebos: 1
Bikeway Accessible: Yes
Restrooms: No
Play Equipment: Yes (at 1 site)
Parking Spaces: Off-street parking only
Other Amenities: Ponds (2)
Basketball court

Creekside Park, Holton Road
Acres: 2
Shelter or Gazebos: 1
Bikeway Accessible: Yes
Restrooms: No
Play Equipment: Yes
Parking Spaces: Off-street parking only
Other Amenities: None

Hoover Park (2 sites, 1 undeveloped), Haughn Road and Edgarton Road
Acres: 6 (combined)
Shelter or Gazebos: None
Bikeway Accessible: Yes
Restrooms: No
Play Equipment: Yes
Parking Spaces: Off-street parking only
Other Amenities: Pond

Indian Trails Park, Buckeye Parkway
Acres: 5
Shelter or Gazebos: 1
Bikeway Accessible: Yes
Restrooms: Yes (portable)
Play Equipment: Yes
Parking Spaces: 10 total, 1 accessible
Other Amenities: Basketball court

Keller Farms Park, White Road
Acres: 6.25
Shelter or Gazebos: 1
Bikeway Accessible: No
Restrooms: No
Play Equipment: Yes
Parking Spaces Approximately 5 spaces in gravel lot off White Road
Other Amenities: Basketball court

Meadowgrove Park, Springhill Drive
Acres: 10
Shelter or Gazebos: 1
Bikeway Accessible: No
Restrooms: No
Play Equipment: Yes
Parking Spaces: Off-street parking only
Other Amenities: Greenway connectivity (long-term)

Westgrove Park, Magnolia Lane
Acres: 6
Shelter or Gazebos: 1
Bikeway Accessible: Yes
Restrooms: Yes (portable)
Play Equipment: Yes
Parking Spaces: 8 total, 1 accessible (also utilizes off-street parking)
Other Amenities: Basketball court

Mini/Pocket Parks

Blodwen Park, Blodwen Circle
Acres: .5
Shelter or Gazebos: 1
Bikeway Accessible: Yes
Restrooms: No
Play Equipment: Yes
Parking Spaces: Off-street parking

Creed Lawless Park, Kingston Avenue
Acres: .25
Shelter or Gazebos: 1
Bikeway Accessible: No
Restrooms: No
Play Equipment: Yes
Parking Spaces: Off-street parking

Swearingen Park, Columbus Street
Acres: 1
Shelter or Gazebos: 2
Bikeway Accessible: No
Restrooms: No
Play Equipment: Yes
Parking Spaces: Off-street parking

Under Development/Undeveloped

Henceroth Park, Mallow Lane
Acres: 22
Shelter or Gazebos: 0
Bikeway Accessible: Yes
Restrooms: No
Play Equipment: No
Parking Spaces: None
Other Amenities: Under development  Amenities include bike trail, parking, shelter, play equipment, picnic areas. Phase II proposed for 2008-09.

Talbott Park, Hibbs Road
Acres: 193
Shelter or Gazebos: 0
Bikeway Accessible: No
Restrooms: No
Play Equipment: No
Parking Spaces: None
Other Amenities: Park concepts include: disc golf course, trails, parking, and shelter. Long term plans call for park to serve as a trailhead for the Lower Scioto Bike Trail. Currently we are waiting to hear if we received a Natureworks grant for this area.

Demorest Road Retention Area, Demorest Road (Potential Parkland)
Acres: 23
Shelter or Gazebos: 0
Bikeway Accessible: No
Restrooms: No
Play Equipment: No
Parking Spaces: None
Other Amenities: Land is currently not classified as parkland, but has excellent parkland potential. Retention ponds create beautiful scenery that lend nicely to a passive picnic park. Site also has excellent potential for fenced in off-leash dog areas.