Cristoforo Colombo Park, also known as East Park, is an important neighborhood and city-wide park located within the busy and vibrant Shrewsbury Street commercial district. East Park is easily recognizable because of the two stone griffins (lions with wings) flanking the park entrance.
The park contains lighted fields for football, as well as a tennis court and two basketball courts. The park also includes a splash pad in the warm weather months, a state-of-the-art children’s playground, amphitheater and many acres of undeveloped hillsides with trail connections to Bell Pond Park and Green Hill Park leading all the way to Lake Quinsigamond.
Cool off on a hot summer day at the Cristoforo Colombo Spray Park! Bring your kids down to splash around and get sprayed by spouts of water! It'll be a blast!
Cristoforo Colombo Park not only has a state-of-the-art children’s playground, but it also has a smaller play structure in the park, basketball courts and a baseball diamond where you can catch an exciting ball game or snag some fly balls of your own.
The amphitheater in the middle of the park is a unique structure that is host to many events throughout the warmer months. Most notably, during the City's annual Independence Day Celebration, the Massachusetts Symphony Orchestra wows a large crowd before the fireworks light up the sky.
In 1916, an ornamental gateway was installed making use of the two stone griffins (lions with wings) that formerly supported the arch of the train shed of the old Union Railroad Station. Next time you're at the park, look at the griffins and you will see that they are not a matching pair. One griffin's tail is facing Shrewsbury St and the other griffin's tail is unseen facing the park. It is believed that the griffins were transported by horse and sled.
View some of the other parks in this district. Get out and explore!
Dodge Park is a quaint 9 acre park located to the east of Indian Lake. Thomas Dodge donated the land to establish Dodge Park in 1889. In 1897, a rustic stone bridge was built over what was Arthur Spring at the time. Today, Dodge Park has a gazebo, a picnic area and nature trails to enjoy!
Ramshorn Island is a small island on Lake Quinsigamond. It is located on the south side of the Burns Bridge. While many of the islands on Lake Quinsigamond are privately owned, Ramshorn Island is owned by the City of Worcester; therefore it is open to public use.
Institute Park is a historic park which dates to the late 1800’s. Close to downtown, this park was originally an ordinary farm field and pasture. It was donated by the Honorable Stephen Salisbury III in 1887 as a park to supply a green space for the students and citizens of Worcester.
Location: 180 Shrewsbury Street - Map
District: 2
Size: 23.0 acres
Parking Lot(s): Yes
Features:
