Durham Parks and Recreation: Play More!

On Thursday, October 24, the Durham Parks and Recreation School-Age Care Unit and the National After School Alliance celebrated the 20th Annual 'Lights on After School' event! What is 'Lights on After School'? Did you know that today in America, a total of 11.3 million children are unsupervised and alone after school!? In October 2000, 'Lights on After School', created by a nonprofit organization called Afterschool Alliance, launched in over 1,000 communities around the nation. The event was created to highlight the importance of providing places for kids to be safe, learn new things and assist with the busy schedule of working families. The program continued to grow across the Nation and now more than 8,000 rallies are held every year! What is offered in Durham Parks and Recreations's After School Program? Continue the fun and learning after school at one of our After School program locations! We offer a balanced mix of academic support, sports, recre...

It's time to trade in your clubs and golf balls for a flying disc! Disc Golf is the perfect outdoor sport for all ages and activity levels to participate in. Whether you're looking to master the sport or play a casual game, we're here to share the in's and out's of playing Disc Golf in the City of Durham! What is Disc Golf? Very similar to the traditional game of golf, Disc Golf involves landing a flying disc (or Frisbee) into a metal basket. A typical Disc Golf course consists of 9 to 18 holes scattered across acres of land. How do you win? Hope your throwing arm is ready to go! To win a round of Disc Golf, one must have the lowest number of overall throws throughout the course. Sounds easy but make sure to watch out for obstacles like trees, water and other hazards! Ready to play? You'll need to bring your own discs with you to the course and can buy those at your local sporting goods store. Fortunately Disc Golf will cost you little to nothing except for...

We love our volunteers! And what better way to show them how much we love them than to do a little shoutout!? This week we want to say T-H-A-N-K Y-O-U to two of our Durham Girls Soccer League coaches and learn more about their volunteer story... What is your current volunteer role with Durham Parks and Recreation? Doreen and Charlie are co-coaches for Scotland in the DGSL 11-13 age group. When did you decide to start volunteering? Charlie: We each had a daughter playing for Scotland back in 2014 when they were both seven. The coaches were two Duke students who graduated before the end of the season. Doreen and I had gotten to know each other on the sidelines, so we volunteered to cover the last game as coaches. The girls played an amazing game, we had a great group of parents, and it was fun! So we stayed on as coaches and are still with the team five years later. Why did you want to sign up to be a DGSL Coach? Charlie: At first it was just to help and because some...

By Andre’ White, Recreation Operations Supervisor, WD Hill Recreation Center The W.D. Hill Recreation Center was the backdrop and host for the unveiling of a North Carolina Historical Highway Marker and program celebrating the legendary Algonquin Tennis Club on Thursday, August 15th, 2019.  Among the many tennis greats who played at the tennis club during a time span ranging from the 1930's thru the 1960's included Arthur Ashe (Wimbledon and U.S. Open Champion as well as human rights champion, Althea Gibson (1st African American female to win Wimbledon, (prelude to) the U.S. Open and 13 Grand Slam titles) John Lucas ( All –American at the University of Maryland), Bonnie Logan (1st African American Female in the Virginia Slims professional tennis circuit), Joe Williams (Men’s Singles NCAA Champion)  and Irwin Holmes (NC States first African American graduate and the 1st African American to compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference). The history of the W.D. Hill Recreation Cent...

By: Michael Honeycutt, Recreation Specialist Senior  The Mature Adult outing – “Old Durham/New Durham” held on Thursday, August 22 – began with a “true overview” of Durham. From the 28th floor of the new One City Center in downtown Durham, participants were treated to a panoramic birds-eye view of the city and beyond. In cooperation with the building management company, a tour of this “New Durham” addition was provided to a group of Mature Adults. They were whisked to the top floor of the building which provided wonderful views in all directions. Participants looked longingly at the roof-top pool as it was a truly hot August day. A brief overview of the history and construction of the building was provided, complete with an overview of all the amenities this luxury building has to offer. The tour was capped off by viewing one of the living spaces in the building. After “coming back to Earth” the group visited the Durham History Museum where an exhibit on the life on Durham ci...

October is right around the corner and we have a jam packed month full of events, activities, and programs for all ages! So you don't miss out on all the festivities, we created a go-to guide highlighting what to mark on your calendar and make sure you're in attendance. Keep in mind, we regularly update the calendar on our website with activities year round so make sure to check there for more details including how how to register and contact information! OCT 5 History Hike: Through Hugh's View : The Mangum family called West Point home for years, and their oldest son, Hugh, photographed the area for many of them. Join us as we visit some of the locations he captured through his camera lens. This hike will be about one mile long. No dogs on this hike as we will be going in and out of buildings. We will meet at the West Point Mill. [ 10 a.m. - 12 p.m., West Point on the Eno ] OCT 12 Pumpkin Splash : Select your favorite pumpkin from one of many FLOATING in the poo...

Planning a large work function, sports tournament, or birthday party? Did you know we offer rentals for our fields and courts including baseball, soccer, basketball and tennis? We've made it easy to get started and you can find everything you need to know on our website . Here's a quick crash course on things to keep in mind before, during and after you rent DPR facilities. Athletic Field Rentals Before officially putting in a request to rent an Athletic Field, check out our the Field Options and Dimensions for detailed information to help determine the field needed for your group and our Field Rental Policies and Procedures (PDF) . Once you've determined which field you want to rent, fill out the online Field Rental Request Form to submit a request. There is a $15 application fee for all requests (this does not apply until we have confirmed availability and received confirmation to move forward with the rental request). Non-City residents will have an additional ...

Did you know September is Hispanic Heritage Month!? Help us celebrate on Sunday, September 15 at the 7th Annual UniRumba en Fiestas Patrias, presented in partnership with Univision and UniMás Raleigh, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Compare Foods Parking Lot, 2000 Avondale Drive. This event is free for the whole family to enjoy as we learn and experience the Hispanic culture through music, local organizations, and delicious Latin-American food as a Durham community. The event will feature local music, appearances from on-air personalities from Noticias 40, and special guest Luis Sandoval from Despierta America. Get ready to move and groove to some amazing sounds! Make sure to check out our website for the current schedule of performances lined up for the event. You can also find out more information about each performer. For a complete overview of details, visit our  website . Have questions about the event? Contact Kristin Perez for more information via  email  or ...