Experience Tuscaloosa

Something for everyone

With over 2,200 acres of green spaces, including 47 parks, boat landings, five activity centers, an award winning public golf course (Ol' Colony), a multi-purpose arena, and RV parking, Tuscaloosa County Park & Recreation Authority offers excellent recreational facilities and activities that enrich the quality of life in our community. From walking tracks and organized leisure activities to green spaces and parks, PARA has something for everyone.

PARA provides an outstanding lineup of athletics and instructional classes for people of all ages. Programs such as Aqua Babies for children, youth sports, day camp during school holidays, adult sports, leisure classes and travel, therapeutic recreation for adults with disabilities, outdoor adventures and senior activities are examples of continuous fun and learning for the entire family.

PARA's five activity centers feature amenities unique to the communities they serve and most include gymnasiums, work out rooms, meeting rooms, and catering kitchens. The Centers are ideal sites for business meetings, professional development activities and trade shows. They are also great places to host family reunions, birthday parties, weddings and church functions. Features unique to the five centers include:

1. Jerry Belk Activity Center, located in Bower's Park, includes an indoor walking track and both hard court and sports court gymnasiums. Tennis courts, a stand alone outdoor pool, and softball fields are on the park grounds adjacent to the center.

2. McDonald Hughes Community Center, located on Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, has the largest rental space of all the centers and features a commercial kitchen.

3. Leroy McAbee, Sr. Activity Center, centrally located on Loop Road close to Tuscaloosa's VA Hospital, includes an indoor therapeutic pool.

4. Bobby Miller Activity Center, located off Hwy 69 South, contains indoor therapeutic and recreational pools, an indoor walking track, and a branch of the Tuscaloosa Public Library.

5. Mary Ann Phelps Center, located on the north side, includes an indoor walking track and meeting rooms overlooking beautiful Lake Tuscaloosa.

There are a number of private country clubs for golfers, but they'd be hard-pressed to beat the "playability" of one of the best public courses in the country, Ol' Colony. Ranked a Top 100 course by Golf Digest magazine, Ol' Colony is a beautiful and challenging course that is home to The University of Alabama's golf team and The First Tee, Tuscaloosa's only junior golf program. The award-winning 18-hole course designed by Jerry Pate continues to attract thousands of players each year from around the southeast.

Hurricane Creek is noted as the place in the eastern United States where the Appalachian Mountains meet the gulf coastal plain. It is unique in that geography representing each ecosystem occupies the same niche. Indigenous plants include three different species of native azalea, rare plants such as the silky camellia tree, along with ferns and wildflowers. PARA recently acquired 249 acres in this environmentally sensitive area known as the "M Bend" with plans to protect the area by establishing it as a park.

Green spaces and natural habitats abound in Tuscaloosa County. Most of PARA's parks include green, open spaces, playground equipment, and athletic fields for softball, soccer or football. Some parks have special features, such as the model airfield and multipurpose arena at Sokol Park or the water feature at Shelby Park. In addition to the indoor walking tracks at PARA's activity centers, there are several outdoor walking tracks/trails, including:

Bower's Park - 1 mile; Braughton Park - 0.5 miles; Faucett Brothers Park - 0.25 miles; Kentuck Park - 0.3 miles; Snow Hinton Park - 1 mile; Monnish Park - 0.25 miles; Palmore Park - 0.5 miles; Annette M. Shelby Park - 0.5 miles long loop or 0.3 miles short loop; Jack Warner Parks East and West -3 miles round trip; Jaycee Park - 1.5 miles; Sokol Park - 1 mile; Ol' Colony walking trail - 0.75 miles.

Also, the Riverwalk is a popular scenic trail that winds along the banks of the Black Warrior River in Tuscaloosa and Northport.

With an abundance of water in Alabama, Tuscaloosa County water sports are always in play! Lake Tuscaloosa, Lake Nicol, Oliver Lake, Harris Lake, Holt Lake, Lake Lurleen and the Black Warrior River offer boating, fishing, and sailing.