Canton Parks - Welcome

About Us

Thank you for visiting the online home of the Canton Park System.  More than 100 years ago, the citizens of Canton recognized that our parks were some of our greatest assets.  For this reason, they formed the Board of Commissioners of the Canton Park System to control and manage the many wonderful outdoor parks in our community.

In 1890 there were only six City parks - the Canton Park System has grown over the years and now includes 60 park locations both inside and outside the city limits.  With roughly 800 acres of recreation land available for public use, citizens can enjoy a wide variety of amenities, including:

• 5 play areas
• 2 skate parks
• 22 picnic shelters
• 2 rental halls
• 52 softball/baseball fields
• 21 tennis courts
• A 24-hole Disc Golf course
• Bocce courts
• Shuffleboard courts
• A children’s garden
• The JFK Memorial Fountain
• The Stark County Veterans Memorial
      and
• A 1-mile rubberized walk/run/exercise track, in addition to the incredible scenery and wildlife present throughout the city.

Oversight and Governance

The Canton Board of Park Commissioners is made up of three individuals appointed by the Mayor. The Board is semi-autonomous and operates under Section 755 of the Ohio Revised Code. The Board is committed to “maintaining and conserving diverse park, recreation, and open space opportunities by providing for safe, adaptable, and environmentally conscience park areas”.

Please come visit us!  All are welcome to enjoy one of the City of Canton’s finest features - our historic public park system!

Parks News

Nimisilla Park: In the Heart of the Heartland
By Julie Sparks
Posted: Dec 25, 2009

Filled with hundreds of stately trees and a history as old as the city itself, Nimisilla Park evokes many warm memories in the minds of Canton residents.  Once home to the Stark County Fairgrounds, the Canton Garden Center, and a fondly remembered zoo, the area now known as Nimisilla Park (located at the corner of 12th Street and Maple Avenue NE) has entertained thousands of families for more than a century on the northeast side of Canton.

But, as children grew up, families moved out, and neighborhoods began to change, the …

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