Free Parking Only One of Many Highlights of This Family Fun Park
Tuscarora Park, located at 161 Tuscarora Ave. NW, New Philadelphia, OH is almost an anomaly in the 21st century in offering free parking to all guests. The highway signage isn't very good. The easiest route to the park (from NE Ohio) is I-77S, exit 81 New Philadelphia, and turn left. At the center of town, near the courthouse, make another left. There's a very large sign at the park’s actual entrance.
The reason there are no highway signs for the park is that it's not considered a tourist attraction, per se, since Tuscarora Park is more of a local favorite fun spot. Located near routes 77, 250, 39, and 800 and easily accessible from numerous towns such as Canton, Massillon, Bolivar, Dover, and Marietta, Tuscarora Park is well worth the quiet drive for a day of innocent entertainment. It's closer to home and doesn't have the expensive ticket prices of the major theme parks located an hour or more from the major mentioned cities.
New Philadelphia Similar to Youngstown: Signs of Life and Renewal Amidst Decay
While Tuscarora Park is just one sign of life and renewal in a city struggling to survive, it is a major one. Field sports are a major attraction: tennis, bocce, and basketball courts are located at the park, along with a baseball field, batting cages ($1 for 20 balls, from heavy speeds to a gentle lob), miniature golf ($1.50 per person), and a community walking track. Various playgrounds and myriad, stand-alone jungle gym equipment are located throughout the park, with benches nearby for parents to remain watchful.
A pond featuring always-hungry seagulls, geese, and ducks, also provides opportunities for fishing and leisurely strolls. Three swimming pools are available seven days a week from 11:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Season passes are available for residents and non-residents, and singular passes for students, adults, families, and senior citizens. Theoretically, a student could swim, tan, and lounge on a grassy patch all day for a mere $2.
Rides are also available for additional thrill-seeking adults and children alike, only $0.75 each or a book of 10 tickets for $7: Ferris wheel, carousel, rollercoaster, train, swings, airplanes, sky fighters, and dune buggies. When a break is needed in the excitement, there is a rather large concession stand begging for attention.
Special Event Planning Made Easy and Memorable at Tuscarora Park
Park hours are Monday to Thursday 4:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday to Sunday 12:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. There are large and small, covered and uncovered picnic tables, a dining hall, and Park Place – an air-conditioned teen center – not to mention benches scattered throughout the park and tables near the concession stand, for graduations, anniversaries, birthday parties, reunions, and just about any reason one could imagine for a special celebration.
The RTY, a not-for-profit group organized by the New Philadelphia Rotary Club which maintains the amusement rides and concession/catering, also produces the Tuscarora Park Amphitheater Summer Showcase, now in its 14th year, free for all visitors. So, no matter the celebratory reason or time of this summer season, plan a trip to New Philadelphia’s Tuscarora Park for a family-fun adventure easy on the budget.
Rhonda Baughman - Dr. Rhonda Baughman is a graduate of Kent State (Honors College), Antioch Univ. McGregor (Midwest), and Argosy University, Chicago.
Join the Conversation