If you’re visiting Blairsville, Georgia, and looking for the perfect place to relax, stretch your legs, or let the kids burn off some energy, Meeks Park is where it’s at. Just a mile west of downtown, this huge city park has been a go-to spot for locals and visitors since it opened in 1992. With the Butternut Creek and Nottely River weaving through it, Meeks Park feels more like a nature preserve crossed with a sports complex crossed with a small festival ground (in the best way). Whether you’re into kayaking, walking trails, disc golf, or just finding a shady spot to picnic, Meeks has a little something for everyone.
What to Do at Meeks Park
This park is seriously loaded with activities, and it’s easy to spend a whole afternoon here without running out of things to do. Here’s a breakdown of everything you can check out, whether you’re flying solo or traveling with kids, dogs, or adventure buddies:
- Walking & Nature Trails: There are over 4.5 miles of trails winding through the woods, along the river, and around the open fields. Some are paved, some are more natural, but all of them are scenic. Great for a peaceful stroll or a morning jog.
- Playgrounds, Splash Pad, and Pool: There are two playgrounds, plus a splash pad and swimming pool that open from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The pool has lifeguards, water aerobics classes, and even party rentals. (Open 12–5:30pm daily, except Wednesdays which close a little earlier. It’s $6/person unless your kids are under 4- they’re free!)
- Water Activities: If you’re into paddling, there’s a canoe and kayak launch right on the Nottely River. Bring your own or just come watch others float by while you chill by the water.
- Sports Fields Galore: You’ll find 7 ball fields, 4 batting cages, a basketball court, and 4 tennis courts, basically, all the space you need for pickup games or team practices.
- Dog Park & Disc Golf: Across the road (near the senior center), there’s a dog park for your four-legged friends and a disc golf course that’s gotten great reviews on UDisc. If you’re into disc golf, definitely plan to bring your gear.
- Skatepark, Outdoor Gym & More: The skatepark is a hit with local teens, and there’s also an exercise area with outdoor fitness equipment if you’re trying to squeeze in a workout between activities.
- Festivals & Events: Meeks Park is also the home base for some of Blairsville’s biggest annual festivals, including:
- Blairsville Scottish Festival & Highland Games (held in early June)
- Butternut Creek Festival (held in mid-July)
- Blairsville Sorghum Festival (held in early October)
- Art & History Touches: Keep your eyes out for installations from the Appalachian Sculpture Project, and don’t miss the charming grist mill water wheel near the river.
Whether you want to paddle a kayak, chase your toddler through the splash pad, or just find a quiet bench by the river to eat a sandwich, you can do it all at Meeks Park!
How to Visit Meeks Park
Address: 490 Meeks Park Rd., Blairsville GA 30512
Website: https://www.unioncountyga.gov/Facilities/Facility/Details/Meeks-Park-2
Our Visit to Meeks Park
We visited Meeks Park during our weeklong stay in northern Georgia as an afternoon activity after work. I originally found out about it while looking for disc golf courses, and that’s where we started the adventure.
We’re both amateur disc golfers, so I feel weird reviewing courses, but we liked and disliked a few things here. We liked most of the holes themselves, especially the woods ones. There were some fun holes with trees to work around. One of our biggest issues though is that there are walking trails through this part of the park that sometimes went right through the path between the tee and hole. Especially as people who aren’t great at disc golf, we were really worried about accidentally hitting people. We didn’t end up playing the whole course, because we started having trouble finding the next tee. There was no posted map, and I didn’t have great cell signal to look up a course map online. The course could really use a few signs with arrows to help you navigate. The early holes were fine and it was obvious where to go, but midway through it’s not as clear.
After disc golf, we headed across the street to check out the main part of the park. We were really impressed with how big it was! We checked out the gristmill and walked along Butternut Creek. Josh needed to take a work call, so I checked out the outdoor exercise area while he was on the phone. This is one of the better maintain fitness areas I’ve seen in parks. It seems like a lot of cities get funding to install one and then it gets neglected. It was actually really fun, and if I was local I could totally see coming here regularly.
After that we walked one of the nature trails that winds up and down a hill. We saw some cool plants and some of the sculptures from the Appalachian Sculpture Project. The sculptures are designed to be kinetic, but the wind wasn’t coming the right direction for them to be moving. Overall, we really enjoyed our visit to Meeks Park! We would definitely recommend visiting if you’re in the area.
