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Catawba Meadows Park
Parks & Recreation
Morganton's Catawba Meadows Park is the largest city park in Western North Carolina. The complex includes a wide variety of facilities, but the focus is amateur baseball and softball facilities.
Upon completion, the complex will offer 13 professionally designed ball fields. The amateur baseball/softball facilities will be complimented with numerous miles of existing and proposed Greenway paths; canoe, bike and raft rentals; tennis facilities; a mountain bike trail; a professional disc golf course; picnic areas and many other attractions.
The Catawba River Greenway links the Catawba Meadows Park to schools, shopping areas and other local recreation facilities.
Catawba Meadows Park Disc Golf Course
Ready for a game of disc golf? Catawba Meadows Park offers a 18-hole course that weaves through the former seed orchard at Catawba Meadows. You'll also enjoy the 9-hole disc golf course at Bethel Park
Catawba Meadows Park DCG Map
Catawba Meadows Park DCG Score Cards
Disc Golf Rules
History
In the early 1990's, the City of Morganton acquired large amounts of property along one of western North Carolina's most cherished natural resources, the Catawba River, which meanders nearly 8 miles through the corporate limits of the city. Through aggressive grant writing campaigns the City was able to acquire nearly 6 miles of river front in the early 1990s.
One of the properties acquired by the City during its Greenway development process, consisted of a very large 230 acre tract of land. The land was situated adjacent to 2.5 miles of river front approximately eighth tenths of a mile from the center city. The City had initially anticipated developing an active public park on the property, but the faltering economy caused the park's development to be delayed.
The City was approached by a local sports promoter with the idea of utilizing the delayed 230 acre planned park facility as a regional and national amateur baseball and softball event facility. The City was intrigued by the idea but also skeptical. The promoter was asked to develop a business plan to help local officials better understand how amateur athletics could bring people and dollars to our area.
In April of 2006, the City of Morganton opened the first phase – five little league fields – to a huge crowd of local citizens and as well as local little league teams. Following the opening of the park, the sports promoter hosted his first regional tournament event which brought 93 baseball teams to our area.
In the spring of 2007, the City opened the second phase of the complex – four softball/baseball fields.
Traveling Amateur Athletics is now big business. It generates new business in the United States and offers a tremendous economic development opportunity for Morganton and Western North Carolina. The Catawba Meadows project is modeled after similar facilities in Southaven, Miss., Atlanta Ga., and Cooperstown, Penn. Public and private sponsorship made the Southaven facility one of the States largest tourism regions and it recently won a State Economic Development Award.
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