My mother and my aunt used to take me, my siblings, and my cousins to Freedom Park when we were wee tots in the early 1950s. She would pack a picnic lunch, and we would nap after eating under the cool shade of nearby trees. We children chased each other until we could hardly breathe, then recovered long enough to enjoy the swings. I rolled down the grassy hills overlooking the lake as an eight-year-old, danced the ""higland fling"" on stage in the bandshell as an elementary school student, and as a teen, I stopped atop the park in the traffic circle for a grand view, or a quick kiss from a beau. I skated as a child on one of the concrete skating rinks that dotted the park--primitive by today's standards, but what fun it was back then! Watching my cousin play Little Leage baseball on the ball field was a summer treat, as well. As an adult, I have showed my own child the pleasures to be found, just across from my grandmother's house on Princeton Ave. What luck that my grandmother would buy a house across the street! More recently, I have walked the concrete path for fitness, toured the park with my cherished grandchild, showing yet another generation the joys of Freedom Park. It has evolved over the years, always finding ways to improve and to be there for the residents of Charlotte to enjoy. I moved away from Charlotte, but because my family still lives there, I have the chance to return often. And any visit includes a walk through Freedom Park, a place where my heart still resides.
Pros: Accessibility
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