On Wednesday, October 14, 2004 the Austin Parks and Recreation Department received National Recreation and Park Association's 2004 Gold Medal Award. The award given in partnership with the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration recognizes the best parks and recreation system in the nation.

On Friday, March 3, 2006 the Aquatics Division of the Austin Parks and Recreation Department received the National Recreation and Parks Association, National Aquatic Branch 2006 Excellence in Aquatic Award, in the Class I Award category (population over 650,000).

In 2003, the department celebrated 75 years of service to the citizens of Austin, 1928-2003. As a part of the celebration a history book was prepared highlighting some of the defining moments in the first 75 years of the department. The book is a 1038KB pdf file available for your viewing pleasure.

In 1997, the department prepared a "Long Range Plan for Land and Facilities" that was adopted by the City Council as the City's Master Plan for parks and recreation.

The parks system started with the founding of Austin in 1839. The City's original layout included three squares set aside for public use. Wooldridge, Brush, and Republic Squares were Austin's first parks and are still enjoyed today. Republic Square offers a tree lined respite from the construction currently renovating downtown. Brush Square is home to the O.Henry Museum and was in the national spotlight for hosting the Antiques Road Show, a popular broadcast of the PBS. Wooldridge Square came to popularity as a site for band concerts and political rallies and to this day still hosts civic events.

The year 1875 marked the first gift of land to the City of Austin with specific direction that it be used as a park. Governor E.M. Pease donated 23 acres of land around Shoal Creek known as Pease Park. A jewel of the park system, Barton Springs and 35 acres surrounding it was deeded to the City in 1918 by A.J. Zilker.

As Austin grew, so did its desire for parks and recreation facilities. In 1926, The City Council appropriated $14,395 for a parks division. The 1927 Southwest District Conference of the National Recreation Association was sponsored by the Austin Lions Club. This initiated a recreation survey for the City of Austin which proposed the creation of a City recreation agency. The City Council passed an ordinance in May 1928 creating the Austin Recreation Division, and W.T. Caswell chaired the advisory board appointed just six days later.

Recreation professional James A. Garrison, a graduate of the National Recreation School of New York, was the first superintendent of the Austin Recreation Division. He secured 36 volunteer playground leaders from the University of Texas Physical Education Department to help civic clubs, schools and churches with their sports programs and picnics. More than 139,000 participants enjoyed programs in less than a year's time of Recreation Division operation. Today, a park in south Austin bears Garrison's name.

By 1932, park acreage had increased to 594 acres and included Parque Zaragoza, Rosewood, and 300 additional acres in Zilker Park. By the end of the 1930s, a 1,006 acre park was being constructed on Lake Austin, now known as Emma Long Metropolitan Park.

During this decade, programs were operated at 12 playgrounds, Lions Golf Course became a facility of the Department and performances at Zilker Hillside began. The number of pools grew from two to eight and included Rosewood, Stacy, Palm and Shipe. Parkland grew to the 2,000 acre mark in the 1940s and included the purchase of Govalle Park in 1946.

New, Ramsey and East Avenue, were opened in 1941. The City began operating the Elisabet Ney Museum in 1942 attracting 3,732 visitors.

The 1950s started with parkland acquisitions. By 1952, 66 acres including Hancock, Patterson, and Joslin parks were acquired. The number of pools continued to grow with Gillis, Brentwood, Govalle and Patterson opening in 1954 alone. By the mid 1950s, 23 playgrounds were operated. By the end of the decade, more parks were added to the system, such as Northwest and Comal acquisitions in fiscal year 1954-55 and Bartholomew Park dedication in FY 1957-58, bring total parkland to around 3,000 acres.

The parks of Austin grew tremendously in the 1960s with acreage more than doubling to 7,000 acres. Land along Town Lake and Big Walnut Creek were purchased. New recreational opportunities hit the scene such as the Nature Center's debut in 1962. Construction on Morris Williams Golf Course and the Garden Center began in FY 1962-63 and both were operational in 1964. Then, in 1964, the City's Recreation Division became the Austin Parks and Recreation Department. Before the close of the decade, the Parks and Recreation Department became a National Gold Medal Award finalist in 1967.

The 1970s began with voter bond approved projects ranging from facility renovations to parkland acquisitions. Improvements were made at Pan Am and Kealing, land was acquired for Bull Creek Park, Ricky Guerrero Park and along Barton Creek. In the mid 1970s, a former Naval Reserve Center was given to Parks and Recreation to be remodeled as an arts center which later became the Dougherty Art Center.The city council established the 23rd Street Artist’s Market in 1972 on the popular intersection of 23rd Street and Guadalupe. Parkland acquisitions continued to increase through the 1980s. At the start of the decade, the park system consisted of about 8,000 acres. By 1989, there were 12,158. Among the acquisitions was 12.6 acres of pasture far in South Austin. Bought from diary farmer A.B. Dittmar in 1985, the park became home of the Dittmar Recreation Center which opened in 1988. Bond elections in the 1990s empowered the City to acquire thousands of acres of parkland. From an 8,000 acre Balcones Canyonlands Preserves in the west to thousands of acres of destination parkland still being purchased in the east along Walnut Creek and south to purchases along Onion and Barton Creek, Austin is surrounded by parks. Not only surrounded, but parks and recreation facilities fill the City.

Today, the Parks and Recreation Department oversees more than 17,576.06 acres of land containing 206 parks, 12 preserves. The department currently maintains more than 74 miles of hike-and-bike trails; 172 athletic fields; and 90 playscapes. Other facilities include 20 recreation centers; 3 senior activity centers; 1 garden center; 1 nature and science. ; 1 art center; 2 party houses; 5 museums, 6 amphitheaters; 6 golf courses; 108 tennis courts; 47 swimming pools and 2 beach-front facilities.

In and around the City are these thousands of acres of parks and hundreds of recreational opportunities.

Austin is a City within a Park.