The Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks manages more than 6,900 acres of land within 205 parks and leased recreation sites throughout the county, and also conducts programs at 164 school-recreation centers. These parks and recreation sites offer a diversity of recreation and leisure time amenities and activities for all ages and interests. Whether you seek athletic fields and ball diamonds, fishing or boating facilities, swimming beaches, nature centers, farms, playgrounds, historical sites or picnic areas, Baltimore County has a park for you, your friends and family.
Oregon Ridge Park | Marshy Point Nature Center | Banneker Museum and Park
Cromwell Valley Park | Towson Courthouse Garden | Waterfront Parks | Beaches | Rocky Point Park
Loch Raven Fishing Center | Regional Parks | Skate Parks | Lurman Woodland Theatre
Holt Center for the Arts | Group Picnic Areas I B.A.R.C
List of County Parks | Find County Parks using "My Neighborhood" Mapping
At over 1,100 acres in size, Oregon Ridge Park is the largest park site owned and operated by the Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks. This dynamic park offers a wide range of recreational opportunities, from lake swimming, to nature study, to special events including outdoor concerts. A variety of natural areas and recreational improvements are available, including a conference center/lodge, concert shell and area, dinner theater, picnic pavilions, playground, swimming lake and beach house, nature center, interpretive areas and hiking trails. Two recreational entities operate within the park, as follows:
- Oregon Ridge Conference Center and Beach
The Oregon Ridge Conference Center and Beach are operated by the Department of Recreation and Parks' Enterprise Section; thus there are use or admissions charges for many events and for the reservation of park facilities. The rustic park lodge serves as a conference center, with rooms which may be rented for meetings, parties, wedding receptions or other special functions. The park office is also situated within the lodge. Designated picnic pavilions and areas may be reserved (fee) for family or company picnics or other outings. The beach, which operates from Memorial Day through Labor Day, offers lake swimming and a beach house. Numerous special events and concerts are held within the park, including festivals, walk-a-thons and runs, annual "Preakness Celebration" events, and a Baltimore Symphony Orchestra concert series with fireworks. All of the facilities and events, coupled with the beautiful setting, make Oregon Ridge Conference Center and Beach a popular Baltimore County attraction. - Oregon Ridge Nature Center
The Oregon Ridge Nature Center was created to promote a better appreciation for the environment by offering recreational and educational programs to the public. The Nature Center is run by full-time Naturalists and volunteers who team up to provide such activities as moonlight hikes, bird watching, bee keeping demonstrations, and maple syrup making, to name a few. Special events, including lectures on environmental issues, are offered throughout the year. The Center is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.
For more information, call 410-887-1815 or e-mail ornaturecenter-rp@baltimorecountymd.gov.
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Marshy Point Nature Center, located on Dundee and Saltpeter Creeks in eastern Baltimore County, is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna within the confines of the 490+ acre site. Boasting both wetland and forest areas, Marshy Point supports a vast array of wildlife and is in particular a bird watchers paradise. The Center is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
For more information, call 410-887-2817, or e-mail marshypt-rp@baltimorecountymd.gov.
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Encompassing 138 acres and containing extensive nature trails, the primary focus of this park is the museum highlighting the contributions of Benjamin Banneker - the first African American man of science. This site includes a Visitors Center, featuring a collection of Banneker's works, community gallery, gift shop and patio garden.
For information phone 410-887-1081or e-mail bannekermuseum@baltimorecountymd.gov.
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Cromwell Valley Park is located less than three miles from the heart of Towson in northeast Baltimore County. This pastoral valley combines three working farms to preserve a mixture of woodlands, pastures, cultivated fields, meadows, historic structures, springs and streams. The park is designed for families and school groups to learn about productive, sustainable agriculture as well as nature programming throughout the year. Call the park office for more information at 410-887-2503.
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The Courthouse has been in existence for almost 150 years, but the “new” courthouse garden wasn’t established until 1988. Previously, the courthouse garden consisted of an expansive flat lawn, a few trees, some shrubbery, which was trimmed up like large half spheres at the corners of the building and a nice wrought iron fence to neatly contain everything. Find out how the garden has changed.
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The Department is committed to providing the citizens of Baltimore County with ample opportunity to experience the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. The County's 30 waterfront parks , which protect well over ten miles of the County's shoreline, provide recreational amenities, including: boat ramps, fishing piers, walking paths and trails, picnic facilities, playgrounds, ballfields, sand volleyball courts, bathing beaches and horseshoe pits.
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On those hot steamy Maryland summer days you don't need to drive all the way to the ocean. Head to the cool waters of Rocky Point or Oregon Ridge Beach. They're just minutes away.
Since 1969, the Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks has owned and operated this 375-acre waterfront park. Located at the mouth of Back and Middle Rivers, Rocky Point Park boasts expansive views of the Chesapeake Bay, Hart-Miller Island, and Craighill Light.
The park features a 300' beach, a 40' x 60' beach front tent, a pavilion, a 20' x 30' tent, seven shaded picnic groves, fishing pier, two (2) boat ramps, and a bathhouse with first aid station. The Baltimore County Sailing Center is also located at Rocky Point, and lessons are offered forindividuals or groups.
Oregon Ridge Beach Located in the scenic thousand-acre Oregon Ridge park, the beach area borders a spring-fed lake, and offers both shallow and deep water for swimming. Amenities at this beach include a concession stand, bathhouse, pavilion, sand volleyball court, horseshoe pits and a playground area. There is also a room available to rent for small group gatherings.
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The Loch Raven Fishing Center is operated by Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks in cooperation with the Baltimore City Bureau of Water Supply. This user-financed facility offers fishing, boat launching and docking on a daily and seasonal basis. The Center's season runs from April through October, with the gates opening at 6 a.m. daily. Gasoline powered boats are prohibited.
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Among Baltimore County's newest recreation sites, six regional parks and facilities have been constructed to help meet the booming recreational needs of the growing county population. These sites offer special large-scale facilities, with each intended to serve numerous neighborhoods and communities. Five of the six sites are over 70 acres in size, with most featuring both active sports facilities and other amenities such as picnic pavilions, playgrounds and multi-use paths and trails. The sixth of the sites features the first "full-size" public indoor soccer field in Baltimore County. The regional parks and facilities will help the volunteer recreation and parks councils to serve their programs, and provide a wealth of recreational opportunities for Baltimore County citizens.
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The Department of Recreation and Parks is happy to announce the construction of three skate park "street course" facilities that will help meet growing demand for skateboarding and roller blading. The street course facilities, which have been spread geographically around the county, each feature a variety of ramps, jumps, and grinding rails, enclosed within a fenced court. The skate parks are supervised by Department of Recreation and Parks staff and have regular hours of operation that vary by season.
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One of the area's best-kept secrets, this beautiful outdoor theater is located at Bloomsbury Avenue and Hilltop Road in Catonsville, on the grounds of Catonsville High School Recreation Center. The site's amphitheater, which is surrounded and shaded by old growth trees, annually hosts a series of free outdoor concerts from June through August. This family-friendly park is handicap accessible and provides limited bench seating. Guests are welcome to bring blankets, lawn chairs, and picnic baskets to the concerts, or may opt to purchase snacks and refreshments from a small concession stand. A calendar of concerts will be available through the theatre's toll-free concert hotline at 1-877-278-0961.
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The Lillian Holt Park and Center for the Arts is located in the northeast region of the county in the Overlea-Fullerton community. The center offers a variety of art classes, music, poetry, holiday festivals and exhibits of contemporary visual arts in the art gallery. At Holt Park there are 13 acres of wooded trails, an arboretum, gardens, greenhouse, outdoor amphitheater with gazebo, lily pond and a labyrinth with a meditation garden path. For further information call 410-887-5307.
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Baltimore County is indeed quite fortunate to have thousands of acres of parkland and miles of beautiful shoreline on the Chesapeake Bay. Parks are the perfect location for your next family, company, church or other group picnic. Many of Baltimore County's parks feature picnic areas that may be reserved for your event.
The Reisterstown Recreation and Park Council's Dog Park Committee is now accepting registrations for the new, long-awaited Baltimore Animal Recreation Center (B.A.R.C.) Park at Hannah More. Baltimore County's first Off-leash Dog Park. Registered dogs and their owners may use the park from sun-up to sun-down each day of the year. To become a member, all dogs must have proof of current rabies vaccination shots and licensing. Membership costs $25/ family per year. The Baltimore Animal Recreation Center (B.A.R.C.) Park at Hannah More features two areas for dogs to roam and socialize with other dogs without a leash. The larger area is 1.5 acres and the smaller area is .75 acres. Each areas also features a dog water fountain.
The Dog Park Committee is looking for sponsors to help fund the dog playground equipment project. Equipment which the dogs can climb on, sit on and crawl underneath is one of the big plans for the committee. People believe that a dog is like a child where they see the playground equipment; they will not become as tiresome as when they see an open field. Registration forms and material can be found at www.reisterstownrec.com or contact barcparkathannahmore@yahoo.com for more information.
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The My Neighborhood: Facilities application, maintained by the County's Office of Information Technology, can display the location of parks and school recreation centers throughout the County as well as the facility name, address, the ADC Map Grid, the number of acres and a contact phone number. Users will find this application simple to use. After agreeing to the User Terms and Conditions, just enter your address in the appropriate box and check the "find info" box beside Parks. The application will display the majority of county parks and recreation centers near your address.
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Revised January 8, 2008
Oregon Ridge Park
Courthouse 