Azalea Park offers active and passive recreational activities. It lies amongst several residential neighborhoods, but manages to preserve unique landscapes and open spaces. Azalea Park, however, is much more than both of those things. It is a community project that supports Brookings' claim to be "The City of Volunteers'.
The native azaleas had long been overgrown with berry vines and needed pruning. A decade ago a private Brookings resident recognized a need and started to care for the bushes. This encouraged the Department of Parks and Recreation to begin restoring the plants. This, in turn, released a flood of volunteer energy that built walkways and planting areas, cleaned up debris and planted rhododendrons and bulbs. The revitalization of this park has brought much beauty and joy to the residents of Brookings as well as to guests visiting our area.
The abundance of the native azalea bushes is a direct reflection of the care given to these very old plants by local citizens. If you are here in the springtime when the native azalea are in full bloom, you will be surprised by their beauty and fragrance. The turf is fifty year old bent grass, and there is newer ryegrass on the two combination softball/baseball/soccer fields.
Other park amenities include a sand volleyball court, picnic tables, handicapped accessible restrooms and water fountains and horseshoe pits. A "Stage under the Stars" band shell hosts summer concerts, and the "Kidtown" bark groundcover play area provides younger children with a play area offering forts, bridges, slides, tires and ropes. Both the shell stage and the wonderful playground were built by volunteer power.