Four parks are in Watts Hospital-Hillandale:

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Oval Drive Park, for some, is the centerpiece of the neighborhood. It is located along Club Blvd at Oakland Ave and Oval Drive. The park is divided by Club into two portions. North of Club are playground activities for children, moveable picnic tables, an amphitheater setting, and an open field. Food Truck Rodeo is held here the first Thursday of each month from April-October. South of Club are a picnic shelter which can be reserved through the City, two picnic tables, two tennis courts (set to be replaced, probably with additional lines for pickleball), and a basketball court. The rest of the park is open for all kinds of activities. Most often, you will see soccer and volleyball. Feel free to create your own activity or game.

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Belmont Park is at Albany and Sovereign and seems a work of art. The key feature here is a bicycle pump track. Look for sculpted animals embedded in the ground and mingled with the benches. Unlike our other parks, Belmont is rarely underwater.

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Indian Trail Park runs along Albany from Sprunt to Indian Trail Drive. It features an exercise trail, children's playground equipment, picnic tables, and Ellerbe Creek. The bridge over the creek is closed and will be replaced. Warning: a large portion of the park stays wet most of the year but there are paved paths throughout. Parking is available at the entrance from Indian Trail Drive.

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Westover Park is a jewel of a park bordered by Maryland Ave, Wagoner St, and Guess Rd and Ellerbe Creek. It has picnic tables, playground equipment, and benches. A paved path runs through it and connects the Ellerbe Creek Trail with Guess Road and continues across Guess.

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In addition, let's not overlook the 17-Acre Wood Nature Preserve along Ellerbe Creek Trail. It has a wonderful trail with informative signs about the native flora. This trail is a good off-the-beaten-path alternative to Ellerbe Creek Trail, especially in mild weather when there are no mosquitos, and the weather has been dry. Thank you, Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association, www.ellerbecreek.org, for 17-Acre Wood Nature Preserve.

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All parks feature vegetation planted and maintained by volunteers. Feel free to volunteer on an ad hoc basis by pulling weeds, making repairs, removing branches, pruning an out-of-control plant, and removing litter. The neighborhood association has adopted the parks which gives us the right to do some maintenance, remove litter, and add plants. Durham Parks and Recreation does the larger tasks such as mowing and maintaining the fixtures. Long ago, we had monthly litter pickups in the parks but litter became less of a problem. As you use the parks or walk by, feel free to do your own litter pickup. Sometimes, we engage in a large project requiring a group effort by volunteers. Be on the lookout for these volunteer opportunities. Finally, make any suggestions about the parks to the Board. The neighborhood is always looking for ways to improve the beauty and uses of the park.