Featured Park: Memorial Park Round Rock

Memorial Park is what I think of when I hear the phrase “small neighborhood park.” It is located at 600 N Lee Street in Round Rock and can be a little hard to get to, but it is worth finding. It offers a few amenities, including a softball field, but is mostly just a green and shady place to spend some time outside.

There are many parks along Brushy Creek in Round Rock and Cedar Park, including Memorial Park. It is a small park, but spans both sides of the creek. It is an excellent park for small children, with fishing, a new-ish playscape, easy hiking and ducks to feed. It is a short walk from this park to the round rock in Brushy Creek that gives the town its name. This stone marks a crossing place for the cattle drives on the Chisholm Trail, and you can still see ruts left in the soft rocks by the passing wagons. The ducks and squirrels are friendly, but the geese, like most, can be a little aggressive.

Memorial Park is always busy on the weekends with people fishing and picnicking at the many tables and grills. Fishing in the park is a mixed bag. There are sunfish and small bass in the stream, but the large carp and catfish are more fun to catch. The carp are up to about three feet long, and put up a nice fight. There are also decent sized big catfish in the creek. Big trees make it pleasant on hot summer days, so take a few hours some time soon to go check out this local gem.