By Danelle Cutting
Hurley Park

It has been a great time to visit Hurley Park with the beautiful weather we’ve had lately. Since we have had such great weather and more visitors, we have received quite a few emails, phone calls and social media messages asking us specific questions about the park. Because many of the questions/concerns were of similar nature we thought it was about time for another Q&A for Hurley Park.

Question: Do you allow fishing and swimming in your pond? 

Answer: No, we absolutely do not allow swimming, wading or fishing in the park pond. There are many reasons why we do not allow any of these activities including safety hazards that could put you, your family and staff at risk for accident or injury. In addition, the water is from stormwater runoff from the roadways so the water is not the best to swim in either. As for fishing we never stock the pond so one should not have a need to fish. The pond area is very small so it is not a great place to kayak or boat. We have signs posted that state no swimming or fishing as well so we ask patrons to please adhere to our rules.

If you would like to fish City Lake (across the street from Hurley Park) and the Community Park (on Hurley School Road) allow fishing if you have a North Carolina fishing license. We are often confused with these two parks due to road names and location but once you visit these two gorgeous parks you will see they have larger ponds and each are stocked with fish.

Question: Do you rent the decks or gazebos for parties and weddings?

Answer: We do rent the park out for events and weddings. Many people select the large gazebo for their beautiful ceremonies and we are glad that they choose to have their special day at our park. However, we have multiple areas for weddings and events as well as picnics. We have the large gazebo, small gazebo, numerous bridges, the pond deck and we even have a few picnic tables. Attendance is still limited due to COVID-19 and we follow state restrictions. We ask that anyone planning on reserving the park for special events contact our office to review the guidelines of rental and there is also a fee to reserve the park. There is no fee for the picnic tables they are a first come first serve basis.

Question: Is this the park with the baseball fields/fishing area?

Answer: No, we are not the park with the baseball fields or fishing area. For a park that has been in existence for over 30 years and in today’s technology we are constantly asked this question. We are often confused with City Lake/City Park which is located directly across the street from us. Community Park is the one we are the most confused with because the park is located on Hurley School Road and many people just call it the park on Hurley School Road. We receive phone calls after hours asking us about fishing and when the games are being played and we have neither.

Question: Where are you exactly located?

Our physical address is 304 Annandale Ave. and this will take you directly to our parking area overlooking our small pond. We have four major areas that we encourage people to visit; the annex is a large open space filled with trees from an urban tree study that is surrounded by Lake Drive, Confederate Avenue, Annandale Avenue and Club Drive. The pond area/large gazebo side of the park is the area along Annandale Avenue and Lake Drive. The small gazebo side is surrounded by Hobson Road, N. Caldwell Street, W. Henderson Street. and N. Craige Street. The hospital side has our picnic tables and it is cornered by Annandale Avenue and W. Henderson Street. Each section has its own unique features and all are beautiful in their own special way. When you come to visit, be sure you have plenty of time since it can take a bit to see all of the park. Our trails total a mile and are a great way to enjoy nature and see all of the scenery at Hurley Park.

Thanks to everyone for sending in your questions about Hurley Park. If you have any additional questions about the park or what is going on, please give us a call at 704-638-4459, or contact us on Facebook or Instagram @HurleyParkNC. If you would like to donate to Hurley Park, visit our website at salisburync.gov/hurleypark.

Danelle Cutting is manager of Hurley Park.