ARLINGTON, Texas—It’s no secret The Dream City is home to several parks—99 to be exact.

Chances are, if you’ve been around Arlington for at least a little while, you’ve probably heard of a few.

Phillip Rogers, Arlington’s marketing and enterprise development manager, said Arlington’s 99 parks cover almost 5,000 acres of land.

River Legacy is the largest of these parks. Spanning more than 1,000 acres, River Legacy follows the curves of the Trinity River. Rogers said there are more than 20 miles of trails in River Legacy, including at least eight miles of paved hiking and biking trails, a maintained 10-mile mountain bike trail, custom playgrounds and tons of wildlife.

“Our parks system is an important habitat of a wide array of birds, reptiles, animals and insects that call Arlington home,” Rogers said.

The Arlington Parks & Recreation Department works closely with the River Legacy Nature Center, Texas Parks and Wildlife and animal services on its wildlife conservation and management.

Randol Mill is another popular park in town. Sitting on nearly 150 acres, the park has a paved trail that loops around a pond and through the rest of the park. Visitors can enjoy basketball courts, rent pavilions and even fish in the pond.

The Arlington Park and Recreation Department maintains all 99 parks, although the maintenance varies based on the park. For example, those with ballfields and playgrounds might need more regular upkeep than the nature preserves. In 2022, the department conducted up to 42,467 hours of park maintenance.

Meadowbrook Park was the first park to open, debuting in 1924. Spanning 52 acres, the park is home to the Meadowbrook golf course and the Eunice Activity Center. The park has amenities such as hiking and bike trials, cooking grills and a Monarch butterfly waystation. a resource for monarchs to help sustain their annual two-way migration.

The Parks and Recreation Department will be celebrating its 100 year anniversary at Meadowbrook Park, only fitting because this was the park that started it all. To keep an eye out for details regarding the celebration, check out NaturallyFun.org. You can also check out the map to see more than 20 different Arlington park locations.