OUR PARKS

The city’s first park is considered by many to be the “crown jewel” of our municipal park system. It was founded in 1904 by the Belfast Improvement Society, a group of local women activists. This popular park offers diverse recreational opportunities.

This park is the site of frequent outdoor summer events and musical performances. In addition, Come Boating! provides on-the-water recreational opportunities on Penobscot Bay – launches it six-oared gigs from the park for community rows. In 2019, the historic Presidential yacht “USS Sequoia” arrived in Belfast to be restored on-site by Belfast-based boatbuilding/restoration experts. The vessel is dry-docked in the park.

While City Park may be the “crown jewel” of the park system, Belfast Common can be described as the “Emerald overlooking Belfast Bay.” In 1996, MBNA provided funding for the city to purchase the site on which an abandoned chicken-processing plant was located. The buildings were demolished and the land was graded. Belfast Common was dedicated as a park in 1999. On a clear day, across the bay, Blue Hill and Acadia National Park’s Cadillac Mountain, are visible, some 40 miles away.

Mr. Skinner began a career with the foreign service in 1897 and served in various diplomatic positions in Europe in the early years of the 20th century. In their later years, the Skinners relocated to Belfast and lived in the home on the corner of Congress Street and Main Street. Today Wales Park offers a welcoming green space for visitors entering Belfast from the west. It is the site a community garden which provides gardening opportunities for people to rent plots through a lottery system.

This pocket park was established in 2014 by Our Town Belfast, with support from the Elmina B. Sewall Foundation and Rollie’s Bar and Grill, in partnership with local volunteer groups. it is a walking connector between Front Street and lower Main Street. The shady setting offers views of Belfast’s two bridges, the bustling working waterfront, and the historic downtown and is the perfect spot to sit and enjoy an ice cream or coffee from nearby shops, “people watch” or take in a music performance.