Garey Park Grand Opening Celebration planned for June 9

The City will celebrate the grand opening of Garey Park on June 9 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

“We are excited to celebrate the opening of this green oasis within our city that is sure to become a regional destination for outdoor recreation and special events,” Mayor Dale Ross said. “We hope many of you are able to join us for this historic event.”

Park gates will open at 9 a.m. for the event that will feature tours of Garey House, food trucks, pony rides, a petting zoo, fly fishing demos from the San Gabriel Fly Fishers, information from the Good Water Master Naturalists about wildlife viewing and the nature trail along the river, a temporary tattoo station from the Georgetown Public Library and more. The Georgetown Animal Shelter and Ride On Center for Kids will also be at the park for the opening event.

The ribbon cutting will be at 10 a.m., and other activities will be available throughout the event. The park will remain open to visitors until 8 p.m.

Amenities at the park include a playground, a splash pad, a dog park, an equestrian arena, the Garey House event space, pavilions, two fishing ponds, 4.7 miles of hiking trails, and 4.2 miles of equestrian trails.

At 525-acres, Garey Park is one of the largest city parks in the state and is roughly 1.5 times the size of Zilker Park in Austin. To maintain and plan programs for the City’s largest park, Garey Park will be staffed with six full-time and three part-time employees, including a park foreman, recreation coordinator, recreation specialist and group sales and servicing coordinator.

To help offset some of the operating and maintenance costs, there will be an entry fee for residents of $5 for two people, and for nonresidents of $10 for two people. Each additional person will be $2. The City is also offering annual park passes for $100 for residents and $150 nonresidents. These fees only cover a portion of the City’s annual operating costs and will allow the City to run this regional park in a manner in which Georgetown and the Garey family can be proud.

Park entrance fees will be waived for the first two weeks of operations. Park admission fees will begin on June 25. No admission fees will be collected on Tuesdays from Sept. 1-May 31. Park hours are 8 a.m.-8 p.m. from April 1-Sept. 30 and 8 a.m.-6 p.m. from Oct. 1-March 31.

The park, which is located along the South San Gabriel River at 6450 RM 2243, was donated by Jack and Camille Garey in 2004 along with $5 million for park development. In 2008 Georgetown voters approved a bond for an additional $10 million for the park’s construction. The total project cost of $15 million included $1.5 million for design and $13.5 million for construction.

For more information about the park, visit parks.georgetown.org/gareypark.