Outdoors & Recreation

The City of Lawrence provides recreation opportunities for all of its residents. These opportunities help residents choose healthy lifestyles, and explore our regional ecosystems.

Projects & Policies for Citizens:

  • Bike lanes & paths: Lawrence maintains more than 70 miles of trails and paths to enjoy, plus links to bike lanes and bike-friendly routes.
  • Classes: The Lawrence Parks & Recreation Department (LPRD) offers hundreds of classes and activities for children, youth, and adults. Classes cover everything from baseball to computers and from personal finance to martial arts. These classes are often taught at the City’s five recreation centers and four pools.
  • Open space & parks: The LPRD oversees a park system which includes 54 parks. That’s over 3,500 acres of open space and parks!
  • Prairie Park Nature Center: The Prairie Park Nature Center teaches residents about the importance of conserving the natural environment. The nature center conducts a wide variety of environmental and recreation programs for the public, schools, scouts, adults, and other groups.
  • Pesticide Reduction: The LPRD is reducing its use of pesticides in parks.