Florence, Alabama is located along the Tennessee River in the northwest corner of the state. With a population of just under 40,000, Florence offers residents and visitors a charming small city atmosphere and a variety of outdoor recreational activities.
| # | Park Name | Notable Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deibert Park | Walking trails, children’s museum, and ponds |
| 2 | McFarland Park | Camping, fishing piers, and boat ramps |
| 3 | Martin Park | Sports facilities and playground |
| 4 | Wilson Park | Historic fountain and event space |
| 5 | Veterans Park | Military memorials and walking paths |
| 6 | River Heritage Park | Interactive water feature and scenic river views |
| 7 | Florence Sportsplex | Baseball, softball fields, and playground |
| 8 | Wildwood Park | Disc golf course and walking trails |
| 9 | Killen Park | Community center and sports facilities |
| 10 | Cypress Creek Park | Canoe launch and natural habitats |
| 11 | Handy Park | Live music venue and community events space |
| 12 | Indian Mound and Museum | Historical site with Native American artifacts |
One of the best ways to enjoy the natural beauty of Florence is by visiting one of its many wonderful parks. The city maintains 12 major public parks ranging from passive neighborhood greenspaces to an expansive sports complex.
These well-kept public parks offer something for everyone including playgrounds, walking trails, sports fields, fishing areas and more.
McFarland Park – Family Fun Close To Home
Name and Location: McFarland Park is located at 200 James Hannah Drive in Florence, Alabama.
History and Significance: Named after a former mayor, this 129-acre park has offered recreation amenities like walking trails, sports fields, playgrounds and pavilions since originally opening in 1985, providing easy access to outdoor fun locally.
What to Expect: Families can enjoy playground equipment, walking the scenic fitness trail circling a lake, playing pickup games on the baseball and soccer fields, grilling in the picnic pavilion or feeding ducks while kids frolic in this peaceful green community space.
Visitor Information: McFarland Park is open daily from dawn till dusk. Admission is free. Some facilities like the pavilion available for event rental.
McFarland Park is conveniently located right off Cloyd Boulevard making it easily accessible for local families. Known for being one of the top spots for birthday parties and family gatherings, McFarland Park features picnic tables & grills, two age-appropriate playground areas, a baseball field, walking trail and open spaces for free play.
The playgrounds include standard equipment like slides, climbing structures and swings but also feature some unique elements like a rock wall, puppet theater stage and farm animal spring riders. Parents will appreciate the on-site restrooms and proximity to the residential neighborhoods.
Deibert Park – Riverside Recreation
Name and Location: Deibert Park is located at 310 Baker Drive in Florence, Alabama alongside the Tennessee River.
History and Significance: Situated on the Tennessee River since the 1930s, this park offers boat ramp access, walking trails, an arboretum, war memorial and recreation facilities for residents seeking outdoor leisure activities conveniently accessible downtown by the waterway.
What to Expect: Visitors can launch boats at the ramp, take riverside strolls on lush walking trails, play sports in the open field areas, brush up on local history at the war memorial exhibit, or picnic under pavilions at this scenic community park.
Visitor Information: Deibert Park opens daily from 5am-10:30pm. Usage fees may apply for boat launch.
Resting along the banks of the Tennessee River just north of McFarland Park, Deibert Park provides stellar views and access to the water. The main picnic area overlooks the water with picnic tables and grills spread overlooking the shoreline. The park also features a boat ramp and dock, providing visitors with direct water access.
Visitors can launch their own non-motorized watercraft like canoes and kayaks or try their hand at fishing right from shore. The park also includes a playground and walking trail that winds through the wooded sections overlooking the river. The trail connects to the larger River Heritage Trail system.
Rhodes Ferry Park & Campground – Gateway To The River Wilderness
Name and Location: Rhodes Ferry Park and Campground is located at 12625 River Road in Cherokee, Alabama stretching over a mile along the Tennessee River.
History and Significance: Named after the first settlers to operate a ferry crossing, this 1,200 acre park has offered swimming, boating, camping and water access since the 1960s, serving as the gateway to untamed wilderness areas and wildlife refuges further downriver.
What to Expect: Visitors can camp lakeside, hike nature trails to cascading waterfalls, cast a fishing line, launch boats at the marina, picnic under pavilions, and enjoy summer hours at the swimming beach and concession stand during this tucked away river adventure.
Visitor Information: Park open daily 5am-10pm. Seasonal fees for camping, pavilion rentals and boat launching may apply. Details at rhodesferrypark.com
Tucked away on the western bank of the Tennessee River just south of Florence sits the peaceful 122 site Rhodes Ferry Park & Campground operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority. This park provides direct access to the river as well as the Bear Creek embayment making it perfect for anglers. Kayakers and canoers also frequent this area which serves as the gateway to wider exploration along the river.
Campers will find both primitive tent sites as well as full hook-up RV sites available. Major amenities include bath houses, picnic tables & grills, dump station, convenience store, laundry facilities, volleyball net, horseshoe pit and playground. While it lies just outside the Florence city limits, Rhodes Ferry Park’s natural beauty and recreation opportunities warrant its inclusion.
Veterans Park – Honoring Hometown Heroes
Name and Location: Veterans Park is located at 625 County Road 22 in Florence, Alabama on the University of North Alabama campus.
History and Significance: Founded in 2005 through student veterans group efforts, this memorial park pays tribute to local military heroes with statutes, plaques, benches and monuments remembering service members while providing peaceful outdoor respite on scenic university grounds.
What to Expect: Visitors will find brick-lined walking paths, patriotic flag displays, commemorative seals and statue tributes branching across meticulously landscaped greenery and gardens creating an elegant honorable setting for quiet reflection honoring armed service sacrifices.
Visitor Information: Veterans Park is freely accessible daily from dawn to dusk. Guided tours available through university office of veteran student services.
Paying tribute to local veterans both past and present, Florence’s Veterans Park displays a patriotic theme. The focal point is a plaza surrounding a large American flag pole complete with brick pavers engraved with the names of local veterans. Other memorials scattered around the park honor prisoners of war, Pearl Harbor survivors, Purple Heart recipients and other members of the armed services.
Benches line the walking path providing places for quiet reflection. An expansive green space provides room for free play or sports practice. Families will also appreciate the fully featured playground area. Annual Memorial Day and Veterans Day events take place in the park along with other patriotic ceremonies. Veterans Park makes an ideally respectful addition when visiting Florence.
Haltom Park – Community Gathering Place
Name and Location: Haltom Park is located at 6225 County Road 333 in Florence, Alabama.
History and Significance: Serving as a community recreational hub since 1980, this quiet eight acre park provides open greenspace for local residents to walk, relax outdoors and hold small gatherings or family functions conveniently located within a residential neighborhood area.
What to Expect: Visitors will find smiling faces strolling along paved walking trails and children gleefully playing on playground equipment as well as pavilions and picnic tables for hosting relaxed small group picnics or reunions in the fresh open air.
Visitor Information: Haltom Park is open daily without entry fees from 7 AM to 10 PM for neighborhood recreation and exercise.
On the eastern bank of Town Creek sits Haltom Park, one of the newer parks built and maintained by the city of Florence. Serving as a community gathering space, Haltom Park hosts everything from little league baseball games to live concerts at its amphitheater stage. Sports enthusiasts will find lighted tennis courts, basketball courts, baseball fields, soccer fields and a football field encircling the central court area.
The playground appeals to all ages with standard equipment plus unique additions like a 40-foot zip line. The park also incorporates passive recreation with a walking trail, creek access and plenty of green space and picnic sites. Special events frequently call Haltom Park home ranging from arts & crafts fairs to youth fishing tournaments.
Wilson Park & Golf Course – Sporting Sanctuary
Name and Location: Wilson Park and Golf Course is located off Cloverdale Road outside Florence, Alabama.
History and Significance: Named after the former owner of this farmland along the Tennessee River, Wilson Park since 1946 has provided public golfing, disc golf, softball and tennis alongside pavilions and playgrounds nestled between scenic hardwood bottoms and lush competing turf grass.
What to Expect: Visitors can play rounds of golf, tennis or disc golf surrounded by natural beauty, catch a softball game, access batting cages, enjoy riverside views from hilltops or relax over picnic lunches under shade trees in this sporting sanctuary.
Visitor Information: Park open daily 7am-10pm. Golf course hours vary seasonally. Details at florenceal.org/149/Wilson-Park-Golf-Course
Golfers can tee up at Wilson Park’s Pine Hills Course located on the historic grounds of the former WWII era Pine Hill Prisoner of War Camp site. This 18-hole course features tree-lined fairways, challenging doglegs, sand bunkers and large greens. The clubhouse includes a pro shop for equipment and apparel. Casual and tournament play welcome.
Wilson Park also encompasses various sports fields for baseball, softball, soccer and football along with tennis courts, walking trail, and picnic areas. Anglers can also cast a line at the five acre lake. Nature lovers appreciate the scenic setting with mature pine and hardwood forests. Wilson Park delivers sporty fun and relaxation to all.
River Heritage Park – Trail Along The River Wilderness
Name and Location: River Heritage Park is located at the corner of Cedar and Tuscaloosa Streets in Sheffield, Alabama.
History and Significance: Previously an overgrown industrial site, community efforts transformed this Tennessee River shoreline section into an attractive landscaped green space and walking trail stretching over a mile long completed in 2008 providing public river access.
What to Expect: Park visitors can take relaxing strolls along this peaceful paved biking/walking trail overlooking the swirling river waters, appreciative metal cutout artwork installations through the park commenting on local history and community icons found along the trail.
Visitor Information: River Heritage Trail within the park welcomes pedestrians daily without fees from 5am-11pm for exploring Sheffield’s riverfront.
As the name implies, River Heritage Park follows alongside the Tennessee River just northwest of downtown Florence, connecting Deibert Park to McFarland Park. Part of the expanding River Heritage Trail system, this park allows people to traverse almost 4 miles along the river bank. Along the trail, users will find picnic tables, benches, interpretive signage and art sculptures.
Frequent access points to the river bank provide opportunities for fishing, kayak launching or just enjoying the view. Fully paved, the trail also accommodates cyclists and skaters. Fitness enthusiasts enjoy the long stretches which allow for walking, running and other exercise. Don’t miss the historic trail trestles crossing over Cypress Creek. River Heritage Trail lets everyone adventure along Florence’s beautiful Tennessee River.
Chisholm Park – Artistic & Authentic
Name and Location: Chisholm Park is located at 235 League Lane in Florence, Alabama.
History and Significance: Named after Mayor Chuck Chisholm, construction began on this 25-acre park in 2021 to create additional recreation facilities unique from others in the city, including creative playscapes, an amphitheater, and inclusive community gathering amenities.
What to Expect: When completed over the next few years, visitors can enjoy art sculptures, music performances, imaginative playgrounds, parkour features, disc golf, walking trails and open lawn event hosting capabilities at this distinctive new park space focused on cultivating cultural connections.
Visitor Information: Phased sections are opening as completed. Follow progress and facility updates at facebook.com/ChisholmParkFlorenceAL/
One of Florence’s newer neighborhood parks, Chisholm Park brings together public art and the authentic architecture of historic homes that once occupied the site. Several interpretive panels tell the story of its previous inhabitants along with other Florence history. The most eye-catching element is the Creative Play Sculptures.
This collection by artist Tom White includes 13 sculptures inspired by children’s games. Metal silhouettes depict children playing leapfrog, riding a seesaw, turning double dutch and more. These unique sculptures have become iconic images of Florence. Beyond the art, the park incorporates green space, walking paths, picnic tables and playground equipment. Chisholm Park creatively cultivates history and art.
Renaissance Park – Also known as Bicentennial Park
Name and Location: Renaissance Park, also known locally as Bicentennial Park, is located downtown at 600 Renaissance Drive in Sheffield, Alabama.
History and Significance: Named to commemorate the country’s 1976 bicentennial and Alabama’s territorial heritage, this downtown riverside park provides public space for community gatherings like Riverfest and the W.C. Handy Music Festival events attracting residents and visitors.
What to Expect: Visitors will find paved walking paths, an open air pavilion for small events, large grassy areas for concerts, festivals and rallies, river access for fishing, interpretive panels commemorating cultural icons and landmarks, and the Sheffield Railroad Station museum onsite highlighting railway history.
Visitor Information: Renaissance Park is open daily without entry fees from 5am to midnight for public enjoyment along Sheffield’s downtown riverfront.
Originally opened in 1976 to commemorate the country’s bicentennial then expanded over subsequent decades, Renaissance Park constitutes both banks of Town Creek as it flows through central Florence. Renamed to reflect the park’s continual rebirth, Renaissance Park connects the University of North Alabama campus to downtown forming a central greenspace corridor.
Strolling along the creek reveals fountains, waterfalls, flowering gardens and nooks for public art displays. Pedestrian bridges connect the two sides with ample walking paths. A performance pavilion accommodates live music events overlooking the creek.
Visitors also enjoy classic playground equipment, mini golf course and Veterans Memorial Amphitheater along with plenty of picnic spots. Whether meandering along the creek or taking in a show at the amphitheater, Renaissance Park delights the senses.
Riverview Park – Family Friendly Retreat
Name and Location: Riverview Park is located at 1000 Riverview Drive SE in Florence, Alabama.
History and Significance: Serving as a popular community park since 1980, Riverview spans 50 acres offering active recreation options for families along the Tennessee River from shaded playgrounds, a skate park and veteran memorials to camping sites with river access perfect for a full day outing.
What to Expect: Visitors will find playgrounds, walking trails, pavilions, lighted tennis courts, open and wooded green spaces plus overnight camping facilities available steps from the flowing Tennessee River waters beckoning adventure seekers.
Visitor Information: Riverview Park is open daily 5am-10:30pm with seasonal camping fees. Details at florenceal.org/149/Riverview-Park.
Resting atop a bluff overlooking the Tennessee River, the aptly named Riverview Park delivers panoramic vistas. Its location adjacent to both a city golf course and aquatic center gives it a natural resort feel. Spacious well-kept lawns provide room for kids to run free or lay down an afternoon picnic blanket. The playground captures the river theme with equipment shaped like canoes, rafts and fishing creels.
Game tables offer checkers, chess and ping pong. A design highlight is the River Overlook Pavilion – an open air pavilion perched right on the bluff’s edge. Visitors can linger at the pavilion picnic tables and enjoy glorious Tennessee River watching. Between the views and amenities, Riverview Park makes for an ideal family friendly Florence retreat.
Cox Creek Park – Walking in the Wild
Name and Location: Cox Creek Parkway encompasses 150 acres of wilderness areas following Cox Creek south of Tuscumbia, Alabama off Highway 157.
History and Significance: Permanently protected in 2021, this bio-diverse forest and wetland habitat supports 233 native plants species and 57 species of mammals and birds, now transversed by the new CreekLine nature trail for visitors to enjoy natural scenery.
What to Expect: Hikers can take the one-mile interpretive CreekLine trail spotting native plants and wildlife across creek-side landscapes, traversing modern bridges and boardwalk paths showcasing this lush, vibrant and resilient pocket of wilderness teeming with natural wonders.
Visitor Information: Trailhead accessed off Attoway Road. Park open daily sunrise to sunset. Details at creekline.org or Facebook @creeklinecolbert.
Surrounded by the William B. Bankhead National Forest about 10 minutes northwest of Florence, Cox Creek Park provides a more isolated natural area with an elevated boardwalk trail that transports hikers into a cypress swamp ecosystem. In addition to the rare chance to traverse through a creekside swamp environment, visitors should keep an eye out for wildlife including birds, deer and smaller mammals.
Interpretive panels describe the ecology, plant species and animals encountered in the park. The meandering boardwalks and decks also incorporate benches and overlooks perfect for resting and reflecting within this special habitat. Beyond the boardwalk trail, Cox Creek’s day use area includes picnic sites, walking trail, stream fishing access and playground. Exploring Cox Creek Park’s diverse ecosystems makes for a compelling adventure.
Conclusion
Florence’s twelve parks profiled here highlight just some of the outdoor recreation readily available within and around the city. Well-maintained pocket parks, sports complexes, cultural heritage sites, campgrounds, wild habitats and riverfront access points welcome outdoor enthusiasts.
Coupled with northern Alabama’s natural scenic beauty, Florence’s public parks system provides plenty of family fun, art and adventure. Whether a local resident or visiting tourist, be sure to venture out to these great greenspaces while in Florence.