Great Places Help Chatham County . . .  

   

 

Check ALL The Boxes For Great Government!

 

Since 1991, the National Association of Counties (NACo) has encouraged all counties to actively promote their roles and responsibilities in serving their community residents.   April is National County Government Month, so it is the perfect time for Chatham County to do exactly that.  We decided to let you know what we know: our Great People, Great Services, and Great Places help Chatham County, Georgia check ALL the boxes for great government.

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of National County Government Month, Chatham County’s social media has been breaking down these broad categories.  We show images of the beautiful places, the dedicated people and the outstanding services, and we tell you a little about them. 

In truth we could write a book.  We could write many books on these subjects!  We’ve kept it short, though, so that in just a minute or so each day, you could know a little more about why we’re so proud of our Great People, Great Places, and Great Services.  If you haven’t seen the posts in this series yet, visit Chatham County Government on Facebook or Instagram to check them out.  You’ll be glad you did!

Let’s wrap them up here -- Great Places seems like the perfect place to start!  Chatham County Government is committed to improving quality of life for all our residents, and one of the ways it does that is by providing and maintaining 50 great parks properties scattered across our county. 

We have to admit, in some ways we’re just lucky.  Chatham County is located on the beautiful Atlantic coast in a subtropical climate zone – it’s just a great place to be!  We live in a four-seasons garden environment, and our weather permits us to enjoy being out in it year-round.  If it weren’t for the gnats it would just about be paradise.

 

Some of Chatham County’s favorite parks properties offer us the opportunity to get out and immerse ourselves in nature.  It’s a fact – everyone feels better after spending some time out in the fresh air and sunshine, smelling the pines or the salt air, feeling the breeze and listening to the birds chirping or the fish jumping.

Some folks prefer to do their running or walking in the cool shade of the deep woods.  Some love the excitement of flying along twisty, bumpy trails on bicycles.  Some love the remote clearings for picnics or catching some rays, and some love the lakes or tidal waters for catching some fish.  Some love the fact that you can walk the same trail a dozen times and see it a dozen different ways as the seasons change.  Some love to look for birds or turtles or mushrooms or wildflowers that live in in these natural environments.

Our Community Parks all offer beautiful outdoor spaces and some offer lively indoor spaces as well.  Walking, jogging, and biking trails wind through woodsy acres and around lakes; pavilions and community center buildings can be reserved for events as small as a family picnic and as large as a class reunion.

They’re designed for a range of recreation activities, allowing individuals to get away from it all or allowing friends and families to get together.  Varied programming is available for those who’d like to join a crafting group, take a yoga class, or learn to dance.  Whether your game is basketball, tennis, or pickleball and whether your idea of fun is catching fish, feeding ducks, or getting your steps, Community Parks are there for you. 

 

Our fishing piers are popular places for residents and visitors to cast a line or drop a net for saltwater crab, shrimp or fish. Boats, kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards can put in at adjacent boat ramps or tie up at the piers.

Some of the piers are designed for simple water access, and some are set in pretty parks with picnic tables and pavilions, restrooms, concessions, and playgrounds.  Above all, we want you to always be safe on the water. If you don’t have enough flotation devices for every member of your crew, you can borrow one from our free life-jacket loaner stations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If athletics are your game, you can play ball – or swim, or skate, or lift weights, or shoot arrows – at our dedicated sports facilities. There is programming for everyone from toddlers to senior citizens through Chatham County Parks and Recreation or one of its partner organizations. League sports include soccer, football, baseball, softball, and basketball. Community or traveling sports programs bring more of those, as well as lacrosse, swimming, golf, and weightlifting to our fields and facilities.

 

The Challenger League welcomes children and adults with disabilities to fully participate in team sports. Ambuc Park’s Miracle Field and its adjacent playgrounds are designed for adaptive participation. Their special wheelchair-friendly surfaces and accommodating equipment make play accessible for all.

Lastly, Chatham County’s Neighborhood Parks offer localized options for outdoor recreation within walking distance of eleven separate neighborhoods.  Neighborhood Parks were created to be gathering places for their surrounding neighborhoods, enhancing quality of life and strengthening the bonds of communities. 

Each park is different, but one near you may have basketball courts, ballfields, picnic pavilions, playgrounds, or simply lots of open space to run off some energy. Some are green and open to blue sky, and some are leafy brown under the shade of many trees; some are oversized, and some are pocket-sized; some are tidy little landscapes and some are wild little chunks of woodland; some are great places to get out in the sun and some are great places to get away from the heat. 

 

Visit Parks & Recreation Home to learn more about all of Chatham County’s great parks and where they’re located. 

They’re all Great Places!