MAHR PARK provides fun for everyone WRITER: CALEY SMITH
Mahr Park Arboretum features 2.5 miles of paved walking/biking trails and 40 acres of soft wooded trails for hiking. You will find many benches serving as places to rest and recover along the paved trails. The park also has species identification tags on many trees lining the paved trails for those interested in enjoying an educational walk around the park. Keep calm and enjoy disc golf at the park’s top-rated courses! The 18-hole disc golf course offers ample hills, water features, trees, and stunning natural features that are sure to delight any seasoned player. Fishing at Mahr Park Arboretum is the “reel” deal. With seven ponds on the property and a shoreline that borders the 420-acre Lake Pee Wee, you are sure to have a good 24
time. A fishing license is required, but no permit is needed. If you are looking for outdoor fun, Mahr Park offers kayak, pedal boat, and bike rentals at the Welcome Center. There is also a complimentary handicap-accessible kayak launch at the lake entrance. The newest addition to the park, which opened to the public in December 2021, is the Nature Play Area. This is a unique space to encourage children of all ages to interact with the environment while playing and exploring all while taking in their surroundings. The play space was created with all natural elements such as boulders, native plants and tunnels. The play equipment was made using natural materials coming from native Douglas Madisonville - Hopkins County
fir trees. Features include a custom log net climber, birds’ nest, log steppers, a giant rope swing, classic see-saw, group spinner, a log beam, custom mounds, custom benches and more. There are cement walkways intertwined throughout the play space so parents can be just as much involved and able to participate alongside their children. Surrounding the new area are roughly 300 native plants which offer natural sensory elements that children are allowed and encouraged to interact with. These thoughtchosen plants will teach your kids about the different smells, colors, and textures. Natural shade provided by the 22-foot native Burr oaks will keep the space cool in the warmer months.
