Goodwin Park (Hartford, Connecticut) facts for kids

Goodwin Park is a large city park and golf course. You can find it in Hartford and Wethersfield, Connecticut. It first opened to the public in 1901.

This park covers about 227 acres, which is like 170 football fields! It has a fun playground, a community swimming pool, and a big 27-hole golf course.

Every December, Goodwin Park becomes a magical place. It hosts the Holiday Lights Fantasia. This event has been a special tradition since 1999. The park's roads are filled with amazing lighted displays. Thousands of cars drive through to see over a million sparkling lights.

Park History: How It Started

In the late 1800s, the city of Hartford was building many new parks. A person named Reverend Francis Goodwin was very important in this effort. He led the Hartford Parks Commission. He believed strongly in creating green spaces for everyone. His famous saying was, "More Parks for Hartford!"

Reverend Goodwin had a big idea. He wanted to surround the city with parks. This was similar to the "Emerald Necklace" park system in Boston. He convinced rich landowners to donate their property. Charles Pond and Henry Keney gave land for new parks. These areas later became Elizabeth Park and Keney Park.

Goodwin Park's Early Days

A park called South Park was developed in the southern part of the city. It officially became a park on November 4, 1895. It opened to the public in 1901. More land was added in 1927. The next year, the park commission decided to rename it. They called it Goodwin Park to honor Reverend Goodwin's hard work.

The famous landscape designer Frederick Law Olmsted helped plan the park in 1900. His design showed a large open field surrounded by trees. There were also smaller groups of trees and a small pond. The park was built mostly as he designed it. The plan was later expanded to include more land. This extra land now holds part of the golf course and a second pond.

From Meadow to Golf Course

The middle of the park was once a huge, open area. It was about 90 acres and was called the Great Meadow. For a while in the 1920s, this meadow was even used as a landing strip! Early airmail planes would land there.

Later, the Great Meadow was changed. It became the Goodwin Park Public Golf Course. During World War II, the golf course area was used again. It served as an emergency landing spot for airplanes.

Goodwin Park Golf Course

The Goodwin Park Golf Course is a large golf facility. It has 27 holes for playing golf. The course first opened way back in 1906.

Recently, the city of Hartford spent $1 million to make improvements. The golf course reopened after these upgrades in 2013. Now it's even better for golfers to enjoy!