The Best Parks in Newark to visit

Branch Brook Park, the nation’s first county park, is located in the North Ward of Newark, between the neighborhoods of Forest Hill and Roseville. A portion of the park is also located within the Township of Belleville. The park is noted for the largest collection of cherry blossom trees in the United States.The Newark Light Rail runs on the park’s west side, providing multiple access points to the park from Downtown Newark. With a long history and beautiful scenery to show, this park is definitely worth making your way through.

Independence Park is found in the eastern section of Essex County, in an area of Newark known as the ‘Ironbound’ or ‘Down Neck’ section. Its 12.69 acres are bordered by Walnut Street on the north, Oliver Street on the south, and Adams & Van Buren Streets west and east. The Olmsted-designed park serves the neighborhood with athletic fields, basketball courts, a playground and walking paths. This is a great spot to bring the children and their friends for a day out in the Newark summer sunshine.

The Ivy Hill Park has 18 acres and was purchased by the Essex County Parks Commission in 1927 from the City of Newark. The impetus for park construction was recreational needs in Maplewood, South Orange, and Irvington as well as the needs of Newark. The park includes an Olmsted-designed landscape, baseball fields, a football and soccer field, a band concert area, lighted basketball court, and a playground. All in all, this is a spot for everyone to visit and enjoy.

Vailsburg Park, an Olmsted-designed landscape, is a mid-sized park in a densely populated neighborhood. The park is used by residents for its athletic fields, jogging paths, and playground. It lies within the Vailsburg area of Newark and is the tenth largest park within the county park system. The park has a range of softball fields, baseball fields, and soccer fields for the kids and adults. It also has a playground, field house, lighted basketball courts, a half-mile jogging path and bocce courts.

Essex County Weequahic Park Golf Course is set on a beautifully rolling property. New bunkers have been added to the course through their renovations process that have greatly enhanced its strategic and visual appeal. Tucked in the corner of the historic Essex County Weequahic Park, this is the oldest public course in New Jersey, having been designed by Baltusrol Golf Club professional George Low in 1913. While Weequahic measures slightly less than 6,000 yards, the course offers an ideal golfing landscape and its small greens make low scoring difficult. Why not have a go?

By Talitha Duncan-Todd

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