Freedom Park (Charlotte, North Carolina) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Freedom Park |
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Freedom Park Pavilion
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| Type | Public park |
| Location | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Area | 98 acres |
| Operated by | Mecklenburg County Parks and Recreation |
| Website | Freedom Park |
Freedom Park is a large, fun park in Charlotte, North Carolina. It covers 98 acres and is located between the historic Dilworth and Myers Park neighborhoods. The park has a beautiful 7-acre lake at its center. It's only about 3 miles (4.8 km) from the heart of Charlotte's downtown area.
This park is a great place for outdoor activities. You can find paved trails for walking or biking, courts for tennis and volleyball, and fields for sports. There's also playground equipment for younger kids to enjoy. A special feature is an old 2-8-0 steam engine. It's fenced for safety, but you can still walk into the driver's cab! Long ago, kids could even climb all over it. There were also old fire trucks and even a jet fighter and army tank to play on.
During the summer, you can enjoy free movies and music shows at the park's pavilion. Every September, Freedom Park hosts the Festival in the Park. This five-day event brings in over 100,000 visitors each year! It's even been named a "Top 20 Event" by the Southeast Tourism Society. Right next to Freedom Park is the Charlotte Nature Museum. This museum is a fun learning center for children. It's run by Discovery Place and shows off animals and plants from the Piedmont region of North Carolina.
Park History
Freedom Park was created after World War II. The Lions Club in Mecklenburg County raised money to build a park. They wanted to honor veterans, so they named it Freedom Park. The land was given to the City of Charlotte in 1949.
In September 2005, a new indoor building was opened. This building has a great view of the lake. It includes a large public room, a fireplace, and a big screen TV. People can rent it for events like weddings or community meetings.
In April 2012, the Little Sugar Creek Greenway was finished through Freedom Park. This greenway is a path that connects the park to uptown Charlotte in the north. It also links to the Park Road Shopping Center in the south.
Managing Wildlife: Canada Geese
One thing you might notice at Freedom Park is the large number of Canada geese. These geese often gather on the central lake all year. Some visitors enjoy seeing them, but they can cause problems for the park.
The geese leave a lot of droppings in public areas. They also damage the grass and can sometimes be aggressive, especially towards young children. For a while, the park tried different ways to manage the geese.
Since December 2012, Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation has worked with a company called Goose Busters, Inc. This company helps control the geese in a humane way. Now, only a few geese might visit the park, and they don't stay long. The park often goes for months without any geese at all. This has saved the park money on cleaning up. It also means visitors have cleaner areas and don't have to worry about aggressive geese.
A similar situation happens with beavers at Charlotte's Park Road Park.
