Meadowbrook Park has a comfortable, lived-in feel. There's a reason. It's been around longer than any other Arlington park. In fact, Meadowbrook Park is bursting with firsts: first park in the city, first public outdoor pool, first golf course, the first site of an indoor recreation center.

Many people who use the park's picnic grounds, basketball courts, walking trails and 9-hole golf course think the park got its name from the neighborhood surrounding it. Nope. According to Arlington Historian Geraldine Mills, the park was there before the neighborhood.

“We've never come across anything that says exactly why it was named Meadowbrook except the fact that there are a meadow and creek,” Mills said.

The 52 acres that make up this slice of greenery were purchased by the City of Arlington in 1923 for $5,200. Its official opening was the following year. Located just east of downtown off Abram Street, Meadowbrook Park remains a well-populated park with residents enjoying its picnic grounds, playground, lighted basketball court, fully covered pavilion and horseshoe pits that feature local matches on Tuesdays and Saturdays and even regional tournaments.

Meadowbrook once had the only softball diamond in the city. Mills said the ninth hole once crossed through the diamond and golfers would yield to the softball players during summer evening hours. The golfers instead played a short ninth hole.

The 13,000-square-foot Meadowbrook Recreation Center was built on the northern edge of the park in 1964. In 1998, with funds identified from a previous bond election, the park was completely renovated.

Bradley Leonard enjoys playing basketball on the recreation center's court. “There's no other court like this in the city in terms of feeling real airy,” he said of the large windows. “It makes you feel like you're playing basketball outside.”

Visit www.naturallyfun.org for information on Meadowbrook Park or any other Arlington park.