Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts Department

Asheville Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts (APRCA)- Home

Below you will find our “How to links” - designed to guide you to the most requested information.  You may also use the Index or Site Map or Search the City of Asheville
website to find the information you need.

How To Links | APRCA Index | APRCA Section Map

Partnerships

Asheville Parks and Greenways Foundation

Friends of the Nature Center

Pack Square Conservancy

"The Arts -Ask for More" - Americans for the Arts

Other Park Systems Historic Sites in the Asheville Region
Blue Ridge Parkway
Buncombe County Parks, Greenways & Recreation 
National Parks Service
National Register of Historic Places 
NC State Parks

Department Overview

Open spaces, parks, recreation and cultural arts provide opportunities for living, learning and leading a full and productive life. Parks and recreation benefit individuals and neighborhoods while having a positive impact on economic growth and environmental preservation.
Asheville Parks and Recreation maintains 54 public parks, 6 miles of greenways, 11 community centers, numerous programs for youth, seniors and outdoor enthusiasts, a comprehensive athletics program, and many facilities that provide resources for a range of activities.

Speakers Bureau
Some department staff are available to speak to community groups on a variety of topics. These may include: Park Planning and Development, Public Art, Recreation Programs, and Senior Programs, to name a few. To request a speaker, call Frank McGowan, Superintendent of Business Services, at 259-5811 or send an e-mail to fmcgowan@ashevillenc.gov
Please be specific in your request and provide at least a month of lead time for staff to adjust their schedules accordingly.

Public Comment

Help Plan the Nature Center’s Future
Asheville, NC – The Western North Carolina Nature Center is currently working with a well-known strategic planning firm to chart a course for our future development and we want to hear from you!

On Wednesday March 17th from 6:30 – 8:00 pm, there will be a special Town Hall meeting at the City of Asheville’s Public Work Building, 161 S. Charlotte Street.  All interested citizens are invited to come and share ideas and suggestions to help grow our wonderful Nature Center. 

For more information, contact the Nature Center at 828 298–5600.

The Asheville Parks, Recreation & Cultural Arts Department invites comment on City related issues that impact our Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts community.  Please check this page periodically  for topics that concern your neighborhoods and our community at large.

News & Current Events

BoJangles Easter Eggstravaganza
Saturday, March 27, 2-4 p.m., Carrier Park

Pack up the family, grab your Easter baskets and join the Easter Bunny at the largest FREE Easter celebration in Western North Carolina at the Bojangles’ Easter Eggstravaganza. The day will be packed full of fun, with egg hunts for ages 10 and under, plenty of inflatable toys, crafts, face painting, balloon art and a performance by the Mountain Thunder Cloggers.  Enjoy visiting with Asheville firefighters and police officers, who will be a part of the day’s festivities.  The WNC Nature Center will also be on site, with several animals native to the region.

First 800 children will receive an Easter goody bag full of fun surprises.

Look for the giant, yellow Bojangles’ tent and snack on Bo-Berry biscuits and refreshing ice tea.  Do the chicken dance with Bo, the Bojangles’ Chicken!

Stop by the Star 104.3 or 99.9 Kiss Country booths for giveaways and to meet the DJ’s.

Easter egg hunts will wrap up this day of fun at 4 p.m.  Hunts will be held at the ball field for three different age groups:  4-5, 6-7, and 8-10.  Ages three and under can visit a special toddler hunt area anytime during the event, to select their own prize eggs.

All hunts will be chocked full of eggs stuffed with small prizes.  Parents are asked to bring their child to the hunt area and remain outside the hunt boundaries while the child participates. Volunteers will be on hand to assist young children.

Click here for directions to Carrier Park

Shuttle Available
To accommodate overflow parking, a shuttle van will run from the National Guard Armory to the park.  First shuttle leaves the armory at 1:45 pm., running every 30 minutes, with the last shuttle departing the park at 4:15 p.m.

For more information about the Bojangles Easter Eggstravaganza call 828-253-3714.
Sponsored by: Bojangles, Star 104.3, 99.9 Kiss Country

Asheville, NC – The City of Asheville Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Arts Department is proud to announce that local artists Ray Noland, Naomi Johnson, and Nina Ruffini will have their artwork appear on City of Asheville busses as part of the  City of Asheville “Art on Transit” Bus Graphics Program.  Each of the artists will receive a $750 honorarium and their designs will cover the sides of a single transit bus.

The artists were selected by a five-member jury who met in January and reviewed submittals by over thirty artists.  The jury’s selections were approved unanimously by members of the City of Asheville Public Art Board at a special meeting on January 29, 2010.

The busses are scheduled to be completed by the first week of March, 2010 and the artwork will remain for a minimum of four months.

For further information about contact Diane Ruggiero, Superintendent of Cultural Arts at 828-259-5815 or druggiero@ashevillenc.gov.

Bid Requests and RFP's

SEALED BIDS for: French Broad River Greenway Riverbank Stabilization 

Professional services for Special Inspections (SI) and Construction Materials Testing (CMT) for the new Recreation Center at Livingston Street Park
IPS RFQ for Testing
RFQ for Testing
Statement of Special Inspections 2009-11-01

Contact Information
Roderick Simmons, Director
Main office location: Asheville City Hall, Fourth Floor, 70 Court Plaza
Mailing address: P.O. Box 7148, Asheville, NC 28802
Phone: (828) 259-5800
E-mail:parks@ashevillenc.gov

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Department History

The City of Asheville began park and recreation services in the late 1890s with the construction of Riverside, Montford and Aston Parks. Shortly after, Recreation Park, McCormick Field and the Municipal Golf Course were added to the system. With a growing park system, the City developed the Parks and Playgrounds Division under the Public Works Department.

Augusta L. Barnett was appointed the first director of the Parks and Recreation Department in 1956. Although Barnett made significant improvements to recreation programs, she did not have the luxury of having quality facilities, and was forced to use schools and YMCA facilities to house programs.

After Barnett's retirement in 1971, Ray L. Kisiah became the director. During his tenure, Parks and Recreation experienced tremendous growth due to the abundance of federal funds to support public parks and recreation facilities throughout the United States. In all, over $5.2 million of non-city funds renovated existing facilities and built new ones.

Kisiah retired in 1995 and Irby Brinson was named director. In 1994, Parks and Recreation became the first municipal recreation department to receive national accreditation from the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies and was re-accredited in 2004.

In 1997, Parks and Recreation began upgrading Asheville's parks and recreation system by developing the first long-range comprehensive master plan, the Asheville Parks and Recreation 2015 Comprehensive Master Plan and the Asheville Greenways Master Plan in 1998. Both serve as the guide to improvements to existing facilities and addition of new, greenway development, land acquisition, expansion of services and staff, and development of funding opportunities.

The National Recreation and Parks Association named Asheville Parks and Recreation the Gold Medal winner in 2002. Top-notch departments from around the country vie for the award each year in four different categories based on population size.

In 2005, the City of Asheville received significant recreation facilities from Buncombe County as part of the water agreement negotiations. The Municipal Golf Course, Nature Center, McCormick Field, Aston Park and Recreation Park joined the Asheville Parks and Recreation family.

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Vision & Master Plan

The City of Asheville Parks, Recreation, Cultural Arts and Greenways Master Plan was completed in 2009 to guide how the City provides these services over the next several years.

For information about the master plan contact the City of Asheville Parks, Recreation and Cultural Art Department at (828) 259-5800 or parks@ashevillenc.gov.

Master Plan Documents

• Asheville FINAL Report
• Asheville FINAL Executive Summary

Appendicies:

• Appendix I Demographics and Trends
• Appendix II Focus Groups Summary
• Appendix III Cost Recovery Pyramid Methodology
• Appendix IV GRASP History and Methodology
• Appendix V Asheville Park and Facility Inventory and GRASP A
• Appendix XI.Description of Parks
• Appendix VII Alternative Funding
• Appendix VIII Sample Partnership Policy
• Appendix IX Sample Sponsorship Policy
• Appendix X Example Park Development Menu List and Walkability

Maps:

• Map A Asheville Regional
• Perspective A Neighborhood Access to Components
• Perspective B Walkable Access to Components
• Perspective C Neighborhood Access Indoor Facilities
• Perspective D Neighborhood Access Parks & Outdoor Facilities
• Perspective E Neighborhood Access Trails
• Recommendation Map
• Resource Map B System Inventory Map
• Resource Map C Sub Area Map
• Greenways Recommendation Map

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