portavisitorsguide

Swim, play at Community Park


Pickleball courts are available for play at the park. Equipment can be checked out for free.

Pickleball courts are available for play at the park. Equipment can be checked out for free.

If you want to go for a swim, let your dog run free in a dog park or try some new tricks on a skate board, the Port Aransas Community Park at 403 W. Cotter Ave. is the place to go.

Pool

The park’s pool has shade, lounge chairs, benches, showers and lockers for personal belongings. It also has a picnic area. A lily pad-themed splash area is open for children.

Water features such as slides, buckets and a shallow water entry make it a great place to get active and stay cool.

The pool is ADA-compliant and is heated during the winter months. It is available for lap swim and exercise general open-swim for the public.

The pool has scheduled activities every day of the week except for Monday when the pool is closed.

Give the pool folks a call at (361) 749-2416 or check out the city Parks and Recreation Department’s pool webpage, https:/ /cityofportaransas.org/departments/parks-and-recreation/port-aransas-community-pool/, to learn the specific hours that different kinds of pool use take place.

Lap, open swim and classes are offered at the park’s pool.

Lap, open swim and classes are offered at the park’s pool.

At last report, admission was free for children 2 and under; $1 for those age 3 to 18 and 60 and up; and $2 for folks between the ages of 19 and 59.

Dog park

The community park also features a fenced-off dog park with separate areas for large and small dogs. The dog park is open from dusk to dawn and has water stations, toys, pet waste pick-up stations and fire hydrants available for the call of nature. Benches are set up under shade structures.

Fields and courts

Baseball fields in the park are home to both Little League and Port Aransas High School baseball games. Concession stands and restrooms are located next to the fields. The park also has a basketball court and recently resurfaced and fenced pickleball courts. To find others to play, register at playtimesscheduler.com/login.php. See if anyone is scheduled under Port Aransas or invite other registered players to come at certain time. Using the sports facilities is free.

Skate park

This 10,000-square-foot skate area has concrete bowls, ramps, stairs and more skater-friendly obstacles such as “hubbas,” “flats,” “gaps” and “grinds.” There also is a 7.5-foot-deep kidney-shaped bowl if you’re looking for an adrenaline rush.

Trails

Starting at the park, folks can run, jog, hike, bike or walk on trails that lead into the Port Aransas Nature Preserve at Charlie’s Pasture. Dogs are prohibited on trails.

Visitors also can take a roadside hike-and-bike trail from the park south along Ross Avenue to the Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center, not far away.

Disc golf

A disc golf course stretches around the community park’s edge, from the skate area to locations just beyond the outfields of the baseball fields, and over near the swimming pool. It is played like golf, but with players throwing Frisbee-like discs, aiming at metal baskets on poles. Folks can show up with their discs throughout the daylight hours and play for free. No appointment is needed. Course maps are available online at cityofportaransas.org/departments/parks-and-recreation/community-park.

Playground

For the kiddos, a three-story baseball-themed playground is located near the little league baseball field.

The playground offers slides, a rock wall, games, tunnels and more.

Check the weekly editions of the South Jetty for information about special events at the park.

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