New park opens in New Hanover County. Here's what it includes.
New Hanover County opened new Hanover Pines Nature Park to the public Monday morning.
The park, located on Carolina Beach Road, features many outdoor amenities for neighboring residents as well as anyone who wants to visit.
If you're looking to check out the park, here's everything you need to know.
What does the park include?
The 42.5-acre facility's amenities include a playground, dog park, picnic shelter, restrooms, a 1.25-mile walking trail and environmental education elements.
The centerpiece of the park's playground is a colorful owl attraction that the county had shipped in from Denmark. The owl features a rock climbing wall, a slide and other features for kids to play on.
New Hanover County Parks and Gardens Director Tara Duckworth said the idea of the park was to have active and passive reaction from the walking trails to the rock climbing walls or the fitness pieces on the playground.
Monkey Junction resident Kelsey Kiser said that she and her family have been anticipating the opening of Hanover Pines Nature Park for a while.
Kiser said she brings her 4-year-old daughter Nova to parks regularly and that sometimes she brings Nova's 8-year-old cousin. She said that the park's playground equipment seems like it will allow for different ages of children to play together well.
Duckworth said Hanover Pines Nature Park is unique because it allows for a little escape for those in the densely populated area of Carolina Beach and that the park also features the county's largest dog park so far.
The county defined the park as a "passive park," which is a park that is designed for use in an unstructured for informal way and is generally a space that requires minimal development.
"Passive recreation is typically unorganized, unstructured, and non-competitive, and places minimal stress on a site's resources," says the county's website.
Where is the park located?
Hanover Pines Nature Park, formerly known as Battle Park, is located at 6101 Carolina Beach Road, just south of Manassas Drive in the southern end of the county.
The park backs up to the Congleton Farms neighborhood in Myrtle Grove and neighborhood resident Janessa Lawrence brought her child to the park's opening.
"We are so excited to have it right up the hill from our house," Lawrence said.
Kiser said her daughter was already a fan of the owl on the playground. She said the new park's location is convenient for her family since her mother, who joins her and her daughter regularly, lives in Carolina Beach.
More: Pender County is building a new park and expanding another. Here's what you can expect.
Why a new park?
County Manager Chris Coudriet said Hanover Pines Nature Park is a testament to the county's investment in parks and green space.
New Hanover County Commissioner Jonathan Barfield Jr. stressed the importance of parks and green space in the county as well as listening to county residents who have been asking for a park in the area.
The new park is one of 17 in the county's park system and in total the parks take up about 1,800 acres of green space in the county.
Coudriet said that New Hanover County's investment in parks and green space in the 199-square mile county is unique to other counties in the state.
"I continue to believe that parks and open space is something we give direct benefits to our citizens where they can get out and enjoy the sunshine and be healthy and do things with their family," said Vice Chair LeAnn Pierce.
How much did it cost?
The county purchased the parcel of land with a parks bond in 1990 and at that time the park was known as Battle Park.
The $2.8 million project was designed by Paramount Engineering and Sawyer and Sherwood architecture. Scott Childs with New Hanover Parks and Gardens designed the sparks landscaping.
WB Brawley Company started the project's construction in late 2022 and Duckworth said that they are still putting in some fine-tuned items to enhance the park a bit more.
When is it open?
The park is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to sunset.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: New Hanover County opens Hanover Pines Nature Park in Wilmington, NC
