Mercer County Park facts for kids
Mercer County Park is a huge park in Mercer County, New Jersey. It's mostly in West Windsor, but parts also stretch into nearby Hamilton and Lawrence. The park is really big, covering over 2,500 acres (about 10 square kilometers)!
On October 15, 2009, the park was renamed the Richard J. Coffee Mercer County Park. It was named after Richard J. Coffee, who was a state senator in New Jersey. Even with the new name, many people still call it Mercer County Park.
Inside the park, you'll find Mercer Lake. This lake is super important because it's where the US Olympic Rowing Team trains! The park has also won awards. The National Softball Association gave the park a special award for its excellent softball fields. Plus, a professional lacrosse team, the New Jersey Pride, played some of their games here in the early 2000s.
Park History
The land for Mercer County Park was bought in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It wasn't just one big piece of land. Instead, it was made up of more than 50 different properties, including many farms.
Work on the park officially began in June 1971. A big part of building the park involved creating Mercer Lake. The lake's basin was dug out when major highways, I-95 and I-295, were being built nearby. The park sold gravel from the digging to the highway builders. This helped pay for the lake's creation.
Fun Things to Do
Mercer County Park has tons of activities for everyone! Here are some of the cool things you can do there:
- Golf: There are 32 holes of golf across two courses, Mercer Oaks East and West.
- Sports Fields: You can play soccer, American football, or lacrosse on 17 different athletic fields.
- Ice Skating: The park has an ice skating center. It's even home to a special hockey team called the Mercer Bulldogs.
- Tennis: There's a large tennis center with 24 courts. Six of these courts are covered and lit, so you can play even when it's dark or raining.
- Running and Biking: The park has a cross country course, a mountain biking area, and a 3-mile paved trail for hiking and jogging.
- Water Activities: At the boat house and marina, you can enjoy crew on the special course. There's also fishing in Mercer Lake.
- Nature Trails: Explore the park's beauty on its nature trails.
- Picnic Areas: Plenty of spots to have a picnic with family and friends.
- Dog Parks: Special areas where your furry friends can run and play.
- Disc Golf: Try out the frisbee golf course.
- Volleyball: Play a game on one of the three sand volleyball courts.
- Cricket: The park has two cricket pitches.
- Basketball: Shoot some hoops on one of seven basketball courts.
- Softball: There are ten softball fields ready for games.
- Veterans Memorial Park: A special area to honor veterans.
- 9/11 Memorial: A memorial with a steel beam from the World Trade Center remembers those from Mercer County who passed away during the September 11, 2001, attacks.
- Facilities: The park also has plenty of parking and seven washrooms.
