Recreation in Huntington, West Virginia

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Huntington is home to eleven parks located in the neighborhoods of Huntington. An amusement park is also adjacent to the city.

Amusement parks

= Camden Park =

Huntington is also home to Camden Park, the state's only remaining amusement park. It features numerous children attractions and "The Big Dipper", its primary roller-coaster. Camden Park is located just west of the Westmoreland neighborhood in Wayne County along US 60.

City parks

Altizer Park

Located in the Altizer area of Huntington at the eastern most end of Altizer Avenue.

Camp Mad Anthony Wayne

Camp Mad Anthony Wayne is located on Spring Valley Drive. Named for a frontier army general, it contains vast open grounds, swings and sliding boards, hiking trails, a disc golf course, numerous picnic tables, an open campfire circle, and a lodge. The facility sleeps 28 and contains a bathroom and shower facilities. It is host to two large wood-fired fireplaces.

Harris Riverfront Park

After years of sluggish usage from the general public of Huntington and the Tri-State area, Harris Riverfront Park has seen a renewed interest in recent years from local citizens, city government, media and local businesses [Tarbett Hardiman, Jean. [http://www.herald-dispatch.com/special_reports/x1233873548/index.html?printview=true "Riverfront Area in Need of Repair"] , "Huntington Hearld-Dispatch", October 20, 2007.] . The public land continues to host a number of concert and music events [Spencer, Chris. [http://www.huntingtonnews.net/events/050703-spencer-jamboree.html "Thousands Jam Harris Riverfront Park for Music, Fireworks"] , "Huntington News Network", July 3, 2005.] [Seaton, Tony. [http://www.huntingtonnews.net/local/070902-localxfest.html "X-Fest Xcitement"] , "Huntington News Network", September 2, 2007.] , recently re-introduced a free open-air movie showing ["Huntington Herald-Dispatch". [http://www.herald-dispatch.com/entertainment/x1103452746/No-Headline Starlight Cinema Returns to Harris Riverfront Park] , July 17, 2008.] , and has been included in city-wide construction of additional surveillance cameras which will provide free public-access wireless internet connections [Chambers, Bryan. [http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x1103454250/Downtown-cameras-also-offer-way-to-the-Web "Downtown cameras also offer broader wireless web access"] , "Huntington Herald-Dispatch", July 20, 2008.] .

The park is situated between the city flood wall and the Ohio River, and is noted for its scenic riverview and grassy recreational area.

Harveytown Park

Harveytown Park is one of the newest parks in the Harveytown district. It features currently six picnic tables, one of which is handicap accessible, an electrical outlet, a grill, water fountain, and restrooms.

Construction on Phase I of the new park began on October 28, 2003. The financing and coordination was a joint effort between the city of Huntington, HUD CDBG funds, and the Greater Huntington Park and Recreation District. During Phase I, the initial park site was cleared and prepared, underground utilities were installed, a main entrance and parking lot was constructed, and the picnic shelter was installed. The shelter was unique in that it was both aesthetically pleasing and functional.

Possible expansion plans include a skateboard facility, bicycle trails and tennis courts [Smith, Sheanna. "Park district to unveil improvement plan." Herald-Dispatch. 29 April 2004. 26 Sept. 2006 [http://www.marshall.edu/cber/media/040429-HD-unveil.PDF] .] .

McClelland Park

McClelland Park is located along the Ohio River near St. Mary's Hospital. It is named after James L. McClelland, the Greater Huntington Park and Recreation District director. It features two tennis courts, a basketball court, and a picnic shelter. It was formerly named the "27th Street Park", named for the street it lies on. It is also the place of a tragic acciendent that killed two boys. The decided to go swimming and were caught in the under tow of one of the barges that set on the Ohio River. Rest in peace Randall Vaughn and Justin Smoot

Memorial Park

Memorial Park is located at 1301 Memorial Boulevard. It contains a walking trail, a small playground, a picnic shelter, and a small restroom. It formerly included a large swimming pool that featured two slides, but was abandoned and demolished in 2006. The two-mile walking trail merges with the one-mile trail around the main Ritter Park at 8th Street & North Blvd.

RPA Community Park

RPA Community Park is located on Spring Valley Drive on the west end of the city. It features a basketball court and a children's playground. It is home to the annual "Valley Ball 3-on-3 Tournament."

Ritter Park

Ritter Park is located in Huntington, West Virginia. It is a public park maintained by the Greater Huntington Park and Recreation District. It consists of numerous lengthy walking trails along Four Pole Creek, restroom facilities, picnic tables, shelter with grills and electrical outlets, a children's playground which has been nationally recognized for its architecture, and a 1,000 seat amphitheater that can be used for small concerts and plays. It is internationally known for its Rose Garden, including the "Room with a View" that can be reserved for weddings and special occasions.

It is also the location of the Ritter Park Tennis Center. This facility is open to the public and has eleven outdoor tennis courts and four indoor courts. The Ritter Park Tennis Center is host to many tournaments including: Huntington Area Qualifier, Ohio Valley Boys 16 & Under Championships, Ohio Valley Boys 12 & Under Indoor Championships and WV Open Indoor Championships. The facility also offers a wide range of instructional programs for the beginner to advanced player. Ritter park is also where the great Jeff Morrsion played his junior tennis before becoming a professional tennis player.

Rotary Park

Rotary Park is a disc golf venue, a challenging course with wild elavation changes and beautiful views.

Westmoreland Park

Stadiums

St. Cloud Commons

St. Cloud Commons is a stadium in Huntington. It is primarily used for baseball and was the home of Huntington Cubs. The ballpark has a capacity of 3,100 people and opened in 1990. It also gets flooded sometimes when it rains a lot. It looks like a lake with an island in the middle of it.

References

External links

* [http://www.ghprd.org/ Greater Huntington Park and Recreation District official site]

* [http://huntingtontennis.com/pages/index.cfm?siteid=12 Ritter Park Tennis Center]