Lincoln’s Department of Parks and Recreation offers a wide range of activities and resources.
The most visible of these resources are the more than 100 public parks spread throughout the city, but Parks & Rec also maintain and operate several community centers, swimming pools, golf courses, and several athletic leagues for softball, baseball, volleyball and flag football.
City parks are the most accessible of the offerings. Most (80) have playground equipment (see map) for the kids and picnic tables for a light meal. Larger parks also have bathroom facilities, water fountains, ball fields or even bike and hiking trails and even some fishing opportunities.
Most of the facilities at large parks, such as shelters, soccer and ball fields, can be rented and reserved for large group activities.
Parks range in sizes from the smallest at just 200 square meters to huge green spaces with ponds or lakes, such as 270-acre Holmes Park. Another popular park in the city is Pioneers Park & Nature Center, or “Buffalo Park” as some new Americans call it (for the life-sized buffalo statue on its grounds). The Nature Center features exhibits about the natural plants and animals that live in the area, including eight miles of nature trails where visitors can see herds of buffalo, elk, and white-tail deer.
