Village Profile Home Page | About our Company | Sales Opportunities | Community eStore | vpmobile.us

Parks & Recreation

With almost 2,000 acres of green spaces including over 40 parks, boats landings, five activity centers, year-round swimming, a multi- purpose arena, and RV parking, Tuscaloosa County Park and Recreation Authority (PARA), offers excellent recreational facilities and activities that enrich the quality of life in our community. From walking tracks and organized leisure activities to green spaces and parks, PARA has something for everyone.

PARA provides an outstanding lineup of athletics and leisure activities for people of all ages. Programs such as Aqua Babies for children, youth sports, day camp during school holidays, adult sports and leisure, travel, therapeutic recreations for individuals with disabilities, outdoor adventure and senior activities are just a few examples of continuous fun and learning for the entire family.

Although PARA’s five activity centers feature amenities unique to the communities they serve, most include the basics such as gymnasiums, workout rooms, meeting rooms, and catering kitchens. The centers are ideal sites for business meetings, professional development activities and trade shows. They are also great places to host family reunions, parties and church functions. Features unique to the five centers include:

Jerry Belk Activity Center, located in Bower’s Park, includes an indoor walking track and both hard court and sports court gymnasiums. Tennis courts, a stand-alone outdoor pool, and softball fields are also on the park grounds adjacent to the center.

McDonald Hughes Community Center, located on Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, has the largest rental space of all the centers and features commercial kitchen space.

Leroy McAbee, Sr. Activity Center, centrally located on Loop Road close to Tuscaloosa’s VA Hospital, includes an indoor therapeutic pool.

Bobby Miller Activity Center, located off Highway 69 South, contains indoor therapeutic and recreational pools, an indoor walking track, and a branch of the Tuscaloosa Public Library.

Mary Ann Phelps Center, located on the north side, includes an indoor walking track and meeting rooms overlooking beautiful Lake Tuscaloosa.

Green spaces and natural habitats abound in Tuscaloosa County. Most of PARA’s parks include green, open spaces, playground equipment, and athletic fields for softball, soccer or football. Some parks have special features, such as the model airfield and multipurpose arena at Sokol Park or the water feature at Shelby Park. And, in addition to the indoor walking tracks at PARA’s activity centers, there are several outdoor walking tracks/trails, including:

Bowers Park (1 mile), Braughton Park (0.5 mile), Foster’s Park (0.5 mile), Kentuck Park (0.3 mile), Snow Hinton Park (1 mile), Monnish Park (0.25 mile), Palmore Park (0.5 mile), Annette N. Shelby Park (0.5 mile long loop and 0.3 mile short loop), Jack Warner Parks East and West (3 miles round-trip), Jaycee Park (1.5 miles), Munny Sokol Park (1 mile), and Ol’ Colony walking trail (0.75 mile).

With an abundance of water in Alabama, Tuscaloosa County water sports are always in play! Lake Tuscaloosa, Lake Nichol, Oliver Lake, Holt Lake, Lake Lurleen and the Black Warrior River offer boating, fishing, and sailing.

There are a number of private country clubs for golfers, but they’d be hard-pressed to beat the beauty and “playability” of one of the best public courses in the country, Ol’ Colony. It’s an award- winning, Jerry Pate-designed, 18-hole course that is both beautiful and challenging.