Park Address: 1450 Pauline Blvd, Ann Arbor MI 48103
Hours and Rules
Open 6 a.m. - midnight with quiet hours starting at 10 p.m. Refer to Chapter 39 of the City of Ann Arbor Code of Ordinances for park regulations and rules. Smoking is prohibited, and dogs must be on leash.
Overview
Fritz Park is a 5-acre gem on
Pauline, between Seventh Street and Stadium Boulevard. View the Ann Arbor Parks and Nature Areas map for location context. The park is a
connector to the larger Eberwhite Woods and Eberwhite Nature Area and
creates a pleasant walk through the woods. Its ecosystem consists of mature
oak-hickory woodland with an understory of diverse, native, ground flora. Near
the middle of the park is a small mowed area with a playground. The park contains a play structure, picnic tables and grills. The play area in the middle of the park is surrounded by tall trees providing plenty of shade.
A total of 81 native plants have been recorded in the park. Flowers observed include black snakeroot, tall sunflower, May apple, white baneberry, bristly green brier, blue-stem goldenrod and woodland phlox. Shrubs found include maple-leaf arrowwood and red-osier dogwood and trees including ironwood, redbud and flowering dogwood.
Access and Parking
There is street parking along Hewett Drive and Russell Road on the park's east side. There is a park entrance at the corner of Hewett and Russell. There is also street parking on Northwood Street on the park's western side which has an entrance to the park.
The park can be reached on foot and bicycle by walking and riding on the surrounding streets. Pauline Boulevard has bike lanes and sidewalks. There are no bike racks at the park.
Public Transportation
There is a bus stop next to the park on Pauline Boulevard. Visit The Ride for closest stops and route details or check out the parks ride guide.
Using a phone? - Click for a GPS Tracker and Wayfinding Map
Amenities
Picnic tables and benches
Playground with structure and swings
Unpaved trail, view trail map
Landfill receptacles (one near playground, one at Pauline entrance)
Volunteer
There are many opportunities for volunteering and getting engaged with the Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation Services Unit. GIVE 365 and the seasonal Adopt-a-Park Program offer volunteer opportunities with many levels of commitment. Natural Area Preservation has volunteer opportunities to help protect and restore Ann Arbor’s natural areas and to foster an environmental ethic within the community.
Report a Problem - A2 Fix It
To report any maintenance issues or other problem during your park visit, please report through A2Fix It. Keep in mind that parks are large spaces and A2 Fix It requests can be hard to find without detailed information. When reporting an issue in a park please include location details. There is a details and description section near the end of the request process to help you provide this. Users can also utilize the pin (website) or X (mobile app) feature to provide specific location information inside the park. Please consider including a wide angle photo, which helps staff find and fix the problem.
Gifts and Donations
Information on donating to the parks and the Guide to Giving can be found here. If you have a park improvement idea, a great place to start is through Adopt-a-Park and the proposing a special park project guide. For information on donating a tree through Adopt-a-Park, the tree donation guide can help you get started.
History
Ann Arbor's city parks sit on the ancestral and traditional homelands of several indigenous Native peoples. Read a land acknowledgement from the city and learn more about the early history of the land here.
The land that is now Fritz Park was given to the city to be used as a public park in 1936. This land was given by Elsa Fritz DeFries, Jessie Fritz and John E. Fritz, who named the park after Michael J. Fritz , their uncle. Michael J. Fritz served on the park commission for over 20 years. The park had previously been known as the Ann Arbor Schutzenbund Park. It had been a historic meeting place for German-Americans. Read an article about the gift of the park from 1938, courtesy of the AADL. The park was in Ann Arbor Township until annexed by the City of Ann Arbor in 1948.
Fritz Park as seen from the air (from the northwest) in 1952 (Source: AADL)
Read a Natural Area Preservation newsletter article about the many native species in the park:
2003 Park Focus: Fritz Park by Maggie Hostetler
Email [email protected]a2gov.org for incorrect/outdated information.
