Northampton, PA: Parks to Visit

A visit to the borough of Northampton means you also must see the parks in and around town. Here is a short breakdown on what to expect:

1 – Borough Parks

Northampton currently manages five community parks that each serves the needs of its residents for recreation. Park permits intended for pavilion reservations are also available for all Borough residents. They can be availed during the first working day of the month of March every year. For non-residents, they still can make reservations a month after, or specifically on the first working day in the month of April. The nice thing about all the parks managed by the borough is that they come with electricity.

2 – Municipal Park

Aside from the Borough Parks, another option for recreation if you’re in Northampton is the Municipal Park, which is located along the Laubach Avenue or north of the Borough Administration Office and Police Headquarters. The park is one of the recipients of the 19-acre parcel donation to the borough of Northampton, courtesy of the Universal Atlas Cement Company in 1944. The very same parcel is the current location of the Municipal Swimming Pool as well as the Northampton Memorial Community Center.

For the Municipal Park, visitors and picnic enthusiasts are given the option of reserving one or a couple of pavilions located inside the park. The first one is larger with the capacity of 150 people, while the smaller one can accommodate 125. Additionally, the park includes other amenities like a lighted basketball court, two lighted tennis courts, sand volley ball court, softball field, and several horseshoe pits. Meanwhile, there’s also a tot lot intended for kids. There are modern and clean restrooms around the park and near the pavilions for added convenience.

3 – Canal Street Park

The sight of the Canal Street Park was once the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company. Because of the improvements in public transportation, the canal where the company operated was no longer considered as the most efficient method of moving products. Therefore, the area was eventually abandoned. For the next three decades, the borough of Northampton, PA reclaimed and later on restructured the area. At first, it was designed as an area where residents can jog and walk, where there is no motor traffic allowed. Today, it has significantly improved, paving the way for more park-like amenities like basketball and tennis courts and a pavilion that can accommodate up to 75 guests. There’s also a recently added tot lot for children to play. But the newest additions are the various exercise stations along the Heritage Trail provided by the Northampton Area Exchange Club. These stations come with an instructional guide for the most convenient use of the equipment. They’re also comfortably located along the Trail.

Other than those three parks we just discussed, there are several nice options for recreation in the Borough of Northampton. You can go to the 26th Street Playground, the 4th Street Playground that has a sand volleyball court, basketball court, softball field, and tot lot, and the Atlas Sports Complex, which by the way is the newest facility in the borough.