Burnet Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Burnet Park |
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Burnet Park c.1910
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| Location | Bounded by Grand Ave. on south, S. Avery Ave. on west, Coleridge Ave. on north and Wilbur Ave. on east Syracuse, NY |
| Area | 88 acres (36 ha) |
| Created | 1886 |
Burnet Park is the largest park in Syracuse, New York, USA. It covers about 88 acres (36 hectares). This big park is located on the west side of the city. You can find it in a neighborhood called Tipperary Hill.
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Park History: How Burnet Park Began
Burnet Park is in the Far Westside area, specifically in Tipperary Hill. It is surrounded by Coleridge Avenue to the north, South Avery Avenue to the west, South Wilbur Avenue to the east, and Grand Avenue to the south.
Geddes Joins Syracuse
In 1886, the nearby village of Geddes became part of the city of Syracuse. At that time, a man named Major John P. Burnet owned a large farm on Tipperary Hill. He decided to donate about 100 acres of his hilltop land to Syracuse. This land became what we now know as Burnet Park.
Major Burnet had one condition for his gift. He asked the city to spend $6,000 to build roads and plant trees in the new park.
A year later, in 1887, Major Burnet was happy with the city's work. So, he gave the city even more land. This extra piece of land was called the Oak Grove. It is still full of oak trees today, located at the corner of South Avery Avenue and Whittier Avenue.
Growing the Park: The Burnet Park Extension
In 1890, Major Burnet divided the rest of his farm, which was south of the park, into lots for houses. He called this new housing area the Burnet Park Extension. The plans for these new streets were drawn by Charles Colson, an architect from Syracuse. He also designed Syracuse's City Hall.
The streets in the "extension" were named by a state worker. This new area offered 100 building lots. A big selling point was how close they were to Burnet Park. It was advertised as having "the most beautiful building lots for residences in the city of Syracuse."
Fun Things to Do at Burnet Park
Burnet Park offers many activities for people living nearby. The park has lots of different facilities for sports and recreation.
Sports and Games
At Burnet Park, you can find:
- Three softball fields
- A basketball court
- An outdoor racquetball court
- Two tennis courts
- A 50-meter swimming pool
- A nine-hole, par-three golf course
Most of the park is free for everyone to enjoy. However, you need to pay to use the golf course and to visit the zoo.
Burnet Park Golf Course
The Burnet Park golf course is one of the oldest in the country. It was built way back in 1901.
This golf course is located at the highest point in the city. You can find it at the corner of Avery and Coleridge Avenues.
The very first hole on this course has a special "shamrock" shaped sand trap. This is the only one of its kind in the country! The course has changed over the years. A big update happened in 1988 when it was completely redone.
Rosamond Gifford Zoo
The Rosamond Gifford Zoo is a zoo located inside Burnet Park. In its early years, the city of Syracuse ran the zoo. But now, it is managed by Onondaga County Parks.
The zoo is home to almost 1,000 animals and covers about 43 acres. Some of the popular animals you can see there include Asian elephants, Humboldt penguins, Amur tigers, and African lions. The zoo also has a center for conservation and education, a cafe, and a gift shop.
George Washington Memorial Forest
In July 1935, a local newspaper reported on the George Washington Memorial Forest. This forest had thousands of evergreen trees along the southern edge of Burnet Park, near Grand Avenue. These trees were meant to provide young trees for the park over many years as they grew. At that time, the trees were only one to two feet tall.
It was thought that it would take 30 or 40 years for these young trees to become a full forest. The trees were given to the city by New York State through the Experimental Station of the College of Agriculture. By the mid-1960s, the forest had grown just as expected.
This forest is located south of the golf course, on the southern border of the park on Grand Avenue.
Activities All Year Round
Burnet Park is busy with activities no matter the season!
Summer Fun
In the warmer months, people enjoy softball games, golf, and swimming. Many local residents also use the park for bicycling, jogging, and walking. On windy days, a great spot to fly a kite is Lover's Lane. This is on the western edge of the park, on top of a hill next to South Avery Avenue.
The handball courts were built in the early 1970s and have been popular for many years. The picnic areas in Oak Grove, on the northwest side of the park, are perfect for family gatherings.
Winter Fun
Buffalo Hill has always been a favorite place for winter sports. People love to use their sleds and toboggans there. By January 1917, sledding and skiing were very popular. The hill was even called The Little Alps!
Ice-skating was also a popular activity for many years. An ice-skating rink was built every January. Park staff would use a snowplow to make a circle with tall snowbanks. Then, they would fill the area with water using a fire hose. It would take about 24 hours for the ice to freeze. In the mid-1960s, the city built a permanent outdoor ice-skating rink next to the clubhouse.
This old rink is now closed for public ice skating. It closed in 2003 because a new ice-skating rink opened downtown. However, the old rink at Burnet Park is still used for broomball and roller hockey during the summer months. It is not open to the general public for these activities.
