My husband, Joe Thompson, and I were born and raised in Urbana and two of our three sons still live here; we are on our third generation of benefiting from all that the Urbana Park District has to offer. Urbana’s strong sense of community is largely due to the parks and schools and all that they do. The beauty and …

This winter, instead of running away from the snow, embrace it! Lace up your hiking boots and head out to Urbana’s parks. Urbana is known for its four unique seasons – and with the winter months bring new opportunities to enjoy some of Urbana’s finest parks and their features.

On a warm spring morning, I was walking a mown grass trail along the east side of the wooded corridor of McCullough Creek in Meadowbrook Park. I was looking for birds, hoping especially for a brilliant orange Baltimore oriole, when I saw something run across the path in front of me. It was far too small for a deer and …

My first memory of spending time in an Urbana Park was as a college student who wanted to get away from the fray on campus. As a student, I discovered that Carle Park was a great place to study as well as to discover that there was a community outside of campus. Little did I know during those days that …

By Corky Emberson, CPRP Superintendent of Recreation, Urbana Park District Urbana Park District parks, facilities, programs and classes are for everybody. We make sure that the trust the public places in us with their tax dollars is honored with high-quality, safe and enriching activities. It is easy to pay lip service to inclusivity. But, lip service isn’t enough. Each Park …