Palestine Comes Together for Community Projects to Enhance Our Beautiful Outdoor Spaces

The Palestine Community Services Department maintains over 275 acres of beautiful outdoor public spaces that includes parks, playgrounds, and sports facilities. Thanks to their dedication, and the generous support of the community, including the PEDC who donates $50,000 annually, Palestine has some of the most beautiful parks in the region. In fact, the natural beauty of Palestine is so well known, it is one of the reasons families choose to move here.

The outdoor recreation activities in Palestine are vast ranging from Lake Palestine to the Gus Engeling Wildlife Management Area to Reagan Park and the Grapeland Safari. Each provides incredible opportunities to enjoy Palestine’s attractive climate and year-round sunshine. Lake Palestine, for example, is the ideal place to go boating, fishing, swimming or waterskiing. The lake is 18 miles and has 135 miles of shoreline, creating unlimited chances to enjoy a day in the water. Those who would rather strap on a pair of hiking boots should head to the Gus Engeling Wildlife Management Area where there are 11,000 acres of space to hunt, hike, camp, and bird watch. In the heart of Palestine is Reagan Park. This is a more traditional parklike setting with a splash pad for kids, a playground, walking paths and a museum.

There are many ways to enjoy the great outdoors when living in Palestine – even for those who don’t want to leave the main downtown area. The Palestine Main Street Association hosts a farmer’s market where visitors can try and buy fresh produce, flowers and locally made goods. They also host the Annual Art Tracks, an exhibit of outdoor sculptures placed in Main Street locations.

Palestine is also home to a Texas Water Smart Garden, a beautiful water conservation demonstration garden in downtown Palestine. This green space downtown provides a central gathering place for the entire community to enjoy. The Pionette Garden Club led the fundraising for this lovely park and the passion of Palestine’s community members helped to make it a reality.

The community also came together when it was time to build the splash pad at Reagan Park. Community fundraising and a grant from the Texas Parks & Wildlife made it possible to build the $354,000 Splashpark. That’s something we experience regularly in Palestine – the community coming together to create something extraordinary

Palestine’s natural beauty is also the perfect backdrop for events like the popular Dogwood Festival and new Fairy Garden Project – two events that easily draw a crowd of locals and visitors. The Dogwood Trails’ Fairy Garden Project was sponsored by Visit Palestine and included 37 fairy gardens on display. “People really enjoyed getting out on the trails, exploring and finding the fairy dwellings,” said Mary Raum tourism marketing manager for Visit Palestine. With Dogwood trails spanning over five miles, this event encouraged people to park their car, get out and explore the beautiful parklike setting and Dogwood trees in bloom. It also gave local artists the opportunity to get creative with the use of biodegradable materials and enjoy displaying their work in a natural and interactive setting.

We take our parks and beautiful outdoor spaces seriously in Palestine because, like with the Fairy Garden Project, they contribute so heavily to our community member’s quality of life and their ability to enjoy the great outdoors. As such, our community often hosts beautification projects designed to further enhance our park system. For example, the Ragan Park Beautification Project involved creating stone walking paths, laying attractive rocks and mulch and planting additional shrubs and bushes to create a pleasant walking and relaxing experience in this popular park. Other projects are underway to enhance the usability of Palestine’s parks, such as the addition of new restroom facilities at Davey Dogwood Park – home to the popular Dogwood Festival. That project received significant support from Palestine Rotarians – a demonstration of Palestine’s residents’ commitment to making it easier for everyone to access and enjoy area parks.

If you love the outdoors – come to Palestine.

To learn more about Palestine or to schedule a tour, contact us! We are confident that if you come for a visit, you may just stay for a lifetime.