Oread Castle Park is a 3-acre park located in the Main South neighborhood. It recently underwent a massive renovation and features basketball/futsal courts, outdoor fitness and exercise stations, a playground, picnic tables and nature trails.
If you enjoy casual sports and athletics, Oread Castle Park offers three marked out basketball courts, outdoor fitness/exercise stations and a playground.
As a unique bonus, one of the paved basketball court areas also has the markings and goals for futsal if you would like to try something new! Futsal is a variant of soccer played on a hard court, and uses a smaller, harder ball than a soccer ball.
Another unique feature set at Oread Castle Park is the outdoor fitness equipment stations. No gym fees, enjoy fresh air outdoors and spice up your exercise routine as you walk through the park. Be sure to check it out next time you're in the area and get fit!
Before this land was a nice neighborhood City park, it was originally a college, Oread Collegiate Institute. This institute opened in 1849 as one of the first women’s colleges in the country, established by Eli Thayer.
After Eli Thayer graduated from Brown University, he came back to Worcester and became principal at Worcester County Manual Labor High School (known today as Worcester Academy). He also established Oread Collegiate Institute for women. He built this institute on the top of the vacant 10-acre hill off of Main Street, known then as Goat Hill. Oread Collegiate Institute soon became known as "The Castle". In addition to the boarding students, Thayer lived in the Castle along with his family, until the school closed.
After the Castle closed in 1881, due to land disputes and the school not being incorporated, it aged into ruins. It was demolished in the mid-1930s. The City took the land in tax title and converted the site to the Oread Castle Park, also known as Castle Park.
View some of the other parks in this district. Get out and explore!
University Park is located in both a residential neighborhood and directly adjacent to a college campus. In the middle of the park is Crystal Pond, formerly used for swimming and ice skating. Today, activities on the Pond are limited to occasional paddle boating or toy boat races.
Located just south and east of Newton Hill, Winslow & Pleasant (Peace) Park is another of Worcester's newer parks, opened in 2008. At a little over half an acre, this is a simple and quaint park, featuring picnic tables, community garden plots and ample seating to just relax and enjoy the outdoors!
South Worcester Playground, also known as Harry Sherry Field and as Maloney Field, became a City park in 1986. This park is the home of the South Worcester Baseball league, featuring two baseball fields, a soccer area, two handball courts, a basketball court and a playground.
