Buttonwood Park is the “crown jewel” of New Bedford’s parks. It’s the largest and most visited public park in the city. It’s also a historical treasure, designed by the famed architectural firm of Frederick Law Olmsted — the father of American landscape architecture.

Walk the paths. Romp around the playground and in the new basketball courts. Play with your dog on the Great Lawn. Relax and reflect as you rest on one of the benches, or simply enjoy the trees, flowers, and wildlife. And don’t forget to visit the animals at Buttonwood Park Zoo!

Buttonwood on the Move

We’re working to improve recreational facilities & encourage exercise in the park.

Basketball Courts

As our first Buttonwood on the Move project, we chose to restore the park’s basketball courts. These heavily used basketball courts had not been updated in 30 years. We raised more than $90,000 and built three new clean, safe basketball courts, which opened in 2014...[read more]

Nature Trail

Our next big Buttonwood on the Move project is to create a nature trail through 18 acres of woods that lie north of the pond. This area has been overgrown and neglected for years. We are presently having an engineering study performed by RDLA, Inc. of Boston for the Buttonwood Brook Trail, the first phase of the project...[read more]

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Tennis Courts

The tennis courts in the park have been significantly upgraded with the resurfacing of the courts, a new 8'x16' practice backboard, the addition of pickleball markings to two of the six courts and the installation of a brand new fence around the northernmost three courts thanks to a generous donation by Dr. Paul Chervinsky.

Upcoming Events

2022 Annual Meeting
Date - To be announced.
Tentatively via Zoom

Monthly Board Meeting
Thursday, Feb. 24, 6 :30 PM, via Zoom

Visit our Facebook page for all our upcoming events.

Donate

Every dollar goes to our park

Support the work of The Friends today! Your donation goes directly to projects that protect, improve, and maintain Buttonwood Park.

Take Action

Help us protect and improve Buttonwood Park

You can make a difference for Buttonwood Park. Become a member of The Friends, volunteer your time with us, or plant a commemorative tree at the park.