By Amy Taylor
The City of Manassas Park may be small, but they serve up big fun with their Department of Parks and Recreation facilities. Learn about the best spots to visit, relax and get fit in the City of Manassas Park.
Signal Hill Park
If you’re looking for a place to play sports with friends and family, enjoy the great outdoors, picnic and relax, Signal Hill Park is the place for you.
“Signal Hill Park features approximately 42 acres of open space for patrons to enjoy being outside, play sports with family and friends, and to picnic and relax,” said Jason Shriner, marketing manager for the City of Manassas Park, Department of Parks and Recreation. “The park has four multiuse fields, one softball
field, two tennis courts, two basketball courts, a playground, a pavilion with picnic tables and restrooms, a pond area with picnic tables and a cornhole area with picnic tables. The park also has two walking trails that travel through open spaces of the park as well as the wooded area.”
Additionally, the park is home to Signal Bay Waterpark. “The waterpark has an activity pool for kids and a lazy river for adults. There are shade structures with picnic tables that are available to rent for birthday parties,” Shriner said.
The park is free to use and open to the public. There is a fee to enter the waterpark. You can rent fields, the pavilion and gathering spaces for a fee.
The park hosts several events throughout the year, including the Kite Festival and July 4th Fireworks, put on by the Department of Parks and Recreation. They also host the City’s National Night Out for the City of Manassas Park Police Department.
“One of my favorite things about Signal Hill Park is how our Parks staff does a great job keeping the trails and wooded areas natural looking while still maintaining them for safety. It’s one of my favorite places in the city to take photos,” Shriner said.
Manassas Park Community Center
No matter what activity you’re into, the Manassas Park Community Center has loads of options for you. Their facilities include:
- NCAA short course swimming pool with eight 25-yard lanes, heated to 82 degrees
- 14-person hot tub
- Wellness area with a dance studio designed for group exercise classes
- Two fitness rooms with weightlifting and cardio equipment
- Two full basketball courts which can be flexed to volleyball, dodgeball, pickleball, indoor soccer and more
- Seven multipurpose rooms (available to rent)
- Three conference rooms (available to rent)
- Banquet hall with a catering kitchen (available to rent)
Outdoor facilities include:
- Teen garden
- Dog park
- Miracle field
- Cornhole
- Basketball court
- Pavilion
In nearby Costello Park, there are two softball fields, four baseball fields and a cricket field.
You do not need to be a resident of the City of Manassas Park to take part in the fun at the community center.
“There are fees associated to use the Community Center based on age and residency. Residents of Manassas Park pay less to use the Community Center. Teens (12-17) and seniors (ages 60+)
also pay reduced rates,” Shriner said.
The community center is important for area residents not just for recreation, but to provide a safe place for people to get warm in the winter, cool in the summer and shelter from emergencies.
“The department sees the community center as our city’s resource for fitness, community building and fun. We encourage our patrons to stay healthy, make friends and find enjoyment in our various recreation programs. Aside from providing important quality-of-life opportunities, the community center is also a
cooling center, warming center and emergency shelter,” Shriner said.
Many events happen at the community center and the surrounding park, including Cupid’s Party, Easter egg hunts, yard sales, job fairs, ice cream socials, Fall Family Fun Night, Trunk-or-Treat, Breakfast with Santa and more.
“Since we host so many programs and activities, I would encourage any visitors to call the front desk prior to visiting to make sure the facilities they wish to use aren’t occupied by a program. For example, in the winter we host our youth basketball league which reduces the availability of the basketball courts during weekends in winter. More information about the community center and the programs the department offers is available on the department’s website at ManassasParkCommunityCenter.com and in the MOSAIC (our program catalog),” Shriner said.
“We’d like to invite families to join us for Fall Family Fun Night on Oct. 19 (only $12 per household—please register in advance online) from 6 to 8 p.m. and for Trunk or Treat on Oct. 31 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. We welcome vendors and volunteers to help pass out candy for Trunk-or-Treat. Anybody interested can
call Kaitlyn Collier at 703-335-8872,” Shriner said.
Amy Taylor (Ataylor@princewilliamliving.com) is a freelance writer and editor. She earned her BLS in English from the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
