The City of Emporia offers a great deal of recreational functions. A person
can easily find themselves enjoying the splashes of the Jones Aquatic Center,
playing racquetball at Emporia’s public recreation center, or wandering around
in one of Emporia’s 18 parks. Whatever the affair might be, Emporia does its
best to compliment the event.
The parks of Emporia are the flagship of recreation due to their variety and
size. In all, Emporia’s 18 parks mass a little over 250 acres; all of which are
packed full of more than enough amenities for even the most adventurous and
active persons. The four largest parks are Peter Pan Park, Jones Youth
Recreation Park, Hammond Park, and Soden's Grove Park home of the David Traylor
Zoo of Emporia. Combined, these parks offer the City of Emporia a place for
tennis, disc golf, basketball, bocce ball, nature trails, covered picnic
shelters, fishing ponds, amphitheater, and basic playground environment.
If you do not feel like a day at the park, Emporia’s Recreational Center has
other fun and games. Inside you will find a gymnasium that hosts basketball and
volleyball, a game room with billiard tables, snooker table, air hockey rinks,
electronic dart boards, and an indoor pool for those more aquatic.
If you are looking for swimming, the Jones Aquatic Center offers more
variety than Emporia’s Recreational Center. Opened on May 25th 2002, the Jones
Aquatic Center has been serving Emporia every summer. Complete with slides,
sprinkling waterfalls, aquatic basketball, and a lazy river; the Jones Aquatic
Center has it all.
For golfers, Emporia hosts an 18-hole public golf course a few miles south
of town. Opened in 1970, the Emporia Municipal Golf Course has been serving the
community at reasonable prices. The golf course also bares host to many
corporate and personal tournaments throughout Emporia and the state of Kansas.
All these options allow for the City of Emporia to provide the community
with both fun and safe recreational activities.