Recreational Land

::   Residents and visitors to Wayne County have access to its 20,000 acres of recreational land located throughout the county. Parks are owned and operated by local communities, Wayne County, the Huron Clinton Metropark Authority, and the State of Michigan. Many of these parks take advantage of natural waterways and flood basins that are not suitable for other types of development.

Local Community Parks
::  All communities provide recreation space and most have year-round programs of varying degrees. Many communities have ice arenas, public golf courses, and fields for organized sports. Most local park systems are open to the general public, although some communities restrict access to their parks to residents of their communities only.

::   The City of Detroit Recreation program is also among the oldest in the nation, providing thousands of acres of parkland and open space for residents and visitors to Detroit. All city-owned parks are free and open to the public, paid for through tax revenues and a bonding issue. Detroit's Belle Isle is the nation's largest island park, and offers a variety of activities on its 940 acres. The Island is listed in the National register of Historic Places based on its historic resources and structures, including the nation's oldest aquarium, the Scripps Conservatory, the Dossin Great Lakes Museum, the Detroit Yacht Club, and the nation's oldest rowing club located in the Detroit Boat Club. The Detroit Recreation Department has created a master plan for restoring many of the natural features and buildings on Belle Isle, encouraging greater recreational use of the island by visitors to the city and residents alike.

::   Other major Detroit recreational sites include the Dodge Memorial Fountain at Hart Plaza between the Convention Complex and the Renaissance Center, a focal point of the annual fireworks display, ethnic festivals, and numerous other events held in the downtown area.

::   Other major city parks include Chandler Park on the East Side, Rouge Park on the West Side and Palmer Park on the north side. At Chandler Park, the City of Detroit and Wayne County Parks have joined together to create a theme water park. Several 18-hole golf courses are also owned by the city of Detroit, and operated through the American Golf Corporation.

County and Regional Parks
::  The County has its own park and parkway system composed of 4,000 acres of parkland and facilities. The Wayne County Park System was established in 1919 and is one of the nation's oldest. The park system has been successful in developing parkways along rivers, managing watersheds, planting the first public arboretum, opening the first public nature center and the only dedicated wildlife preserve in southeast Michigan.

::   In addition, the nationally recognized Huron-Clinton Metropolitan Authority has 10 parks in the metropolitan area, three of which are in Wayne County. The State of Michigan operates one park [Maybury State Park] in Wayne County, located on a former state hospital site. All parks provide a wide range of activities including active and passive recreation, but no overnight camping sites. Also within Wayne County are 5 lakes, 16 private yacht clubs, 33 commercial marinas, and 7 municipal marinas. Finally, a bike path system has been incorporated along the entire length of the 1-275 freeway through Wayne County.

::  Among the largest parks that are open to the public are the following:

• Bell Creek Park - Redford Township
• Crosswinds Marsh Wetland Interpretive Preserve - Sumpter Twp.
• Elizabeth Park - Trenton
• Edward Hines Park - Northville to Dearborn
• Inkster Valley Golf Course - Inkster
• Lake Erie Metropark - Rockwood
• Lola Valley Park - Redford Township
• Lower Huron Metropark - Belleville
• Rouge Park - Detroit to Dearborn
• Warren Valley Golf Course - Dearborn Heights
• William P. Holliday Forest and Wildlife Preserve - Westland
• Maybury State Park - Northville

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