About Parks and Recreation

Overview

In the past century, Lincoln’s park and recreation system has grown to become one of the best in the nation. Yet many don’t realize that every day, countless number of people of all  ages enjoy Lincoln’s 133 parks, 134 miles of trails, 89 playgrounds, nine public pools, six recreation centers, five golf courses and 4 dog runs. Studies show that many do not understand the value this brings to our community’s quality of life. We feel a responsibility to close that gap—and to inspire more people to learn why a quality parks and recreation system is fundamental to youth development, active living, neighborhoods and families, special places and community events, and economic development. Most of all, we want to inspire you to enjoy the opportunities we offer.

You can find a park, see a trails map, check pool hours, sign up for a tee time, buy a tribute brick and register for one of our many programs. Virtually everything about our parks and recreation system is here at your fingertips. We hope to add even more interactive features to add convenience and save paper!

As our City grows, so does demand for beautiful public places. Even with shrinking City budgets, our staff remains committed to being accessible to you through our new Web site and providing high quality facilities and recreation programs that everyone can enjoy.

Please check back and discover why Parks and Recreation is FUNdamental to Lincoln! 

Mission Statement

Lincoln Parks and Recreation is fundamental to:

• Youth development
• Active, healthy living for all
• Livable neighborhoods and families
• Environmental stewardship
• Special places and events
• Economic Development

Core Values:

• Positive Attitude – caring, dedicated approach to our tasks;
• Customer Friendly – relationships developed through quality interactions;
• Team Work – productively working together, and with partners, to serve our community;
• Servant Leaders – respectful and mindful of others’ needs.

Department Directory

Policies and Guidelines

• Mobility Devices Golf Courses(PDF, 485KB)
• Geocache Guidelines(PDF, 52KB) (adopted 2024)

Naming, On Site Donor Recognition & Acknowledgements, Inscriptions, Endowments, & Donor Records

• Inscriptions Policy(PDF, 701KB) (adopted 2022)
• Naming, On Site Donor Recognition & Acknowledgement Policy(PDF, 614KB) (adopted 2022)
• Endowment & Donor Records Policy(PDF, 606KB) (adopted 2022)

Volunteer Programs

• Adopt-A-Park & Adopt-A-Trail Application
• Adopt-A-Park & Adopt-A-Trail Guidelines(PDF, 675KB)

Municipal Codes and related resources may be found here:

Lincoln Municipal Code