Durham Parks and Recreation: Play More!

In just a few weeks, Durham has the honor of hosting the 2019 USTA NC 40 & Over State Championships from Thursday, June 27 to Sunday, June 30. In May 2018, Durham submitted a bid to host the 2019 & 2020 championship and won! Previously this championship had been hosted in Winston Salem. Learn more about the USTA NC by visiting their website . With the tournament being played at several venues across the city, Durham Parks and Recreation facilities including Elmira Avenue Park, Morreene Road Park, Rock Quarry Park, Southern Boundaries Park and Whipporwill Park are set to host a good portion of the games. This tournament is expected to bring in approximately 1,200 players from across the state to compete and will require over 100 volunteers locally to host the event. In order to be eligible for participation, all players are current USTA members and have competed across the state in their local are for the opportunity to advance to the championship. For more information...

Every day, millions of people are celebrating birthdays and turning another year older! Whether you’re turning five or fifty years old, what better way to celebrate than to have a party with all of your close friends and family! And we have the perfect location for your party...our Durham parks!  Did you know that several of our parks and facilities are available to rent for your next event, family gathering, concert or birthday party? Make this year special and check out all of the rental options that we have to offer! Here are some tips to planning the perfect party… Choose a Theme Let’s decide what kind of birthday you’re trying to plan!? Are you going for a sports enthusiast party, summer water fun party, a quinceañera or a sweet 16 party? Your party theme will help determine which location you should rent based on what activities you want to have, how many people you are inviting and how long you are wanting to host the party. We can even accommodate those looking fo...

Can you believe summer is almost here!? This year has flown by...but we couldn't be more excited for all the fun things happening in Durham over the next few months. If you're making a list of things to do this summer, definitely add swinging by one of Durham's beautiful parks for an evening of music or movies at the Rock the Park Concert & Movie Series. And we couldn't be more excited to announce that Pulse FM is the Series Event Sponsor this summer. You'll be able to sit back, relax and enjoy family and friends while grooving to music or watching a movie on a big screen. Both activities are free and open to the public. There will be some food vendors will be on site and food will be available for purchase. We encourage bringing blankets and lawn chairs along but remember, no alcohol or smoking is allowed. If there is inclement weather in the forecast, our priority is keeping everyone safe! Before leaving for a concert or movie, call the Special Events weat...

By: Cynthia Booth, Public Affairs Specialist This year, Durham’s National Award Winning Bimbé Cultural Arts Festival will turn 50 years old. That’s right it’s 50 or as the younger generation would say, fiddy! Now I am going to go out on a limb and divulge a secret. Are you listening? Zoom in real close. Two years ago I turned 50 and it was a big deal. I mean huge! I had a big party and invited all of my friends. Well Bimbé is no different. We are hosting the biggest Bimbé Cultural Arts Festival celebration ever and all of you are invited to attend. Before I talk about the celebration, let me give you a little history about how Bimbé got started. I am not a gambling person, but I bet you know that Bimbé was created in 1969 by students from Duke University and North Carolina Central University. Yup. It was started towards the end of the Civil Rights era and there was a lot of racial tension in Durham. You see Duke did not enroll their first African American undergraduate students...

Looking for a fun and rewarding job that focuses on giving back to your community? We're currently hiring seasonal, part-time and full-time positions to join our amazing team of Parks and Recreation professionals. From Summer Camp Counselors and Outdoor Specialists to Master Program Specialists and Lifeguards, we have several positions open for hire. Take a look at which positions are open and consider applying today. For an updated list of job openings, visit the City of Durham website, specifically the careers page . About the City Currently the 4th largest municipality in North Carolina, the City of Durham is known to many as the "Bull City" or the "City of Medicine" and is home to over 254,620 people (as of 2016). Durham is located in the heart of the state, halfway between the NC Coast and Great Smoky Mountains. From science and art museums and nationally recognized medical facilities to Duke and North Carolina Central universities and Durham Bul...

Mark your calendar! Join us, rain or shine, for Canine Field Day on Saturday, May 4, from 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. at Rock Quarry Park! This event will host tons of fun events for you and your pooch. Come run your dog through our agility zone, try your luck at some of our games and contests, or even enter in the Hyperflite Skyhoundz State Championship Competition. Every pup and their person will have a dog-gone good time! Durham’s Canine Field Day will be hosting the Hyperflite Skyhoundz Championship Distance/Accuracy and Freestyle Completion. Skyhoundz is the largest disc dog competition series, and hosts competitions all over the globe, from Argentina to South Korea. There are no restrictions on the size or breed of dog competing; the only requirement is the desire to participate! This is the 4th year in a row that Canine Field Day has hosted the Skyhoundz State Championship. The competition consists of two 90-second rounds of freestyle and one 60-second round of distance/accuracy....

Who's ready to Go Green and celebrate our planet!? Folks of all ages are invited to join us for the 2019 Earth Day Festival on Sunday, April 28 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Durham Central Park. Enjoy a day filled with an eclectic mix of music, food, hands-on environmental education activities and much more! You'll want to plan out your day accordingly because we have more than enough activities and programs for you to enjoy! Festival goers will be able to explore local goods, crafts and resources at the Earth Day Market. And the kids are sure to have a blast climbing the Rock Wall, hanging out in the Family Fun Zone and receiving a free book at the Book Giveaway through Durham County Library. If you get hungry or need a drink, make sure to bring a refillable water bottle to fill at the Durham H20 2 Go Hydration Station and check out the local food trucks for a bit to eat. There will also be an opportunity to learn about how to 'be green' through transportation effort...

We’ve got a past...and it goes back to the early 1900’s! Durham Parks and Recreation has years and years of history and we're excited to share it all with you! Our website now features an in-depth, interactive timeline of the History of Durham Parks and Recreation. From constructing and acquiring buildings to organizing events to developing new parks and playgrounds, we have done it all!  Here’s a quick overview of what has happened in our history over the years… 1900’s - Brodie Duke donated land for, what would later be, Duke Park and the Civic League, created by Mattie Southgate Jones, urged the City Council to create public parks. 1910’s - The Durham Country Club was the first recreation facility open to the public in Durham, privately funded by John Sprunt Hill and other young Durhamites. Land for water reservoirs was donated that would be developed into new lakes for fishing and boating. 1920’s - Durham started parks and recreation with unofficial summer playgrounds...