Local parks benefits cities in many ways. They promote public health, give the community a special yet convenient place to gather, provide families a safe space to spend the weekend, and help strengthen community ties.
Because parks are important for a thriving community, it is a must to maintain them and keep them from closing down or being turned into just another commercial space. When parks are well-visited by locals and tourists alike, it’s important to keep them interesting so people will never get tired of hanging out there.
So how do you keep your local park fun and fresh for everyone? Here are a few suggestions.
Set up spots for social gatherings
Some of the main reasons people go to the park is to meet up with other people in the neighborhood or take their family out. Scattered benches or chairs won’t be enough to hold a gathering for hours. Set up some gazebos or picnic tables beneath the shade of trees to allow your locals to have fun in groups.
Holding a picnic is one of the most popular family activities in parks. It would help if you set up special places in the park where people can eat comfortably and set up their cooking stations with ease. It would also be great if you add barbecue pits in selected areas so families won’t always have to bring their bulky cookers when they visit.
Keep a well-maintained playground
Parks are supposed to be family-friendly, and what more can say family-friendly than a playground, right? One of the benefits of parks to locals is that it gives them a safe place where they can allow their children to play outdoors and meet new people without having to worry about running cars or the kids getting lost in the neighborhood.
It’s not enough that you have a playground with slides, sandbox, swings, and the like. You must also make sure everything is well-maintained and constantly cleaned. These things are used by children every day, after all. You wouldn’t want any hazard that could possibly harm the kids.
Have an animal-friendly area
As you know, pets are family, too! And pet owners wouldn’t want any part of their family to be left behind when they’re having fun outside. Have a dedicated area where pets can play and run freely.
A lot of pet owners also love taking their pets outside for some fresh air and exercise. Having a special area for pets will allow for some healthy quality time between the pet owner and the pet. This is especially helpful for cities with crowded environments where homes or apartments are usually cramped and there’s just not enough room at home for the pets to run around and play. Having a pet-friendly area in the park also lessens the chances of stray cats or dogs roaming around the neighborhood when they escape from their leash. It’s likely they’ll go straight to the park when they become familiar with it.
Hold outdoor recreation programs
One of the best things about parks is that it allows you to enjoy the great outdoors without having to go on a vacation. Urban life can be tiring, but having a small part of town where you can shortly escape the city environment is a great help to a person’s overall well-being.
Let your neighbors take advantage of the sweet little escape they can find in the local park. Hold outdoor recreation programs such as yoga, roller skating lessons, aerobics class, and other fun activities. Sure these can be held in indoor studios but offering them in a place that also allows them to breathe fresh air will make it even more fun.
If the park happens to be near a lake or any body of water, take advantage of that, too! Offer simple water activities they can do to enjoy nature such as kayak or stand up paddle boarding.
Educate and increase the community’s environmental awareness
Use the local park to educate and increase the neighborhood’s environmental awareness. Set up campaign posters that will inform people how to take better care of nature. They will appreciate the insights more when they are around nature.
Label plants and flowers or animal shelters, too. This can catch people’s interest and let them learn something new. It’s also a good idea to put recycling bins around the park to remind people to lessen their waste. It would also be great if you can hold a community park clean up to remind the people that the park and the environment is also their responsibility. This is also a good way to strengthen community ties.
Local parks offer a lot of benefits to towns or cities but they can easily be taken for granted. Make sure to keep things fresh and fun so both locals and tourists will keep coming back.
Maintaining the public park is the responsibility of both the local government and its citizens. Strengthen community ties by having everyone do their fair share for the environment and the neighborhood.
Do you want to offer your community something fun and exciting to do in your local park? We at Suppama can help you set up a station of the world’s fastest growing water sport – stand up paddle boarding!
Stand up paddle boarding is a popular and simple water sport that would make a great addition to your local park. It will allow people to have fun while they take in and enjoy Mother Nature.
We add even more fun to an already exciting sport while also making it easy so everyone can try it. Plus, our automated rental station allows people to access the equipment through a mobile app which means you won’t need extra manpower to handle the rentals.
