Bicentennial Park (formerly Southeast Area Park)

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Overview

Bicentennial Park is a 26.5-acre park located at the corner of Ellsworth Road and Platt Road in southeast Ann Arbor. This park was formerly known as Southeast Area Park. City Council voted unanimously to rename the park in observation of the city's bicentennial anniversary on May 15th, 2023. View the Ann Arbor Parks and Nature Areas map for location context. This recreation area contains two playground areas, lighted softball and baseball fields, athletic fields, a full basketball court, a picnic shelter, a drinking fountain, restrooms, picnic tables and grills.  There is a paved multi use pathway loop around the perimeter of the park popular for walking. This outer loop is just over a 1/2 mile.​

Bicentennial Park's 200th Anniversary Legacy Projects
Bicentennial Park call for support
Please help enrich the lives of many families in Ann Arbor and beyond! The much-needed and well-deserved enhancements to transform Bicentennial Park will not happen without private donations. We appreciate your support and we look forward to seeing you at the park.


Plaque Donation
One of the many ways to help support enhancements to Bicentennial Park and leave a legacy of your own is to donate a plaque for one of the new benches or picnic tables at the park. Plaques can be donated for $5,000/each. If interested in donating, please fill out the Bicentennial Donation Form below and return via mail or email. Mail to: Ann Arbor Parks & Recreation, 301 E. Huron St., Ann Arbor, MI, 48104 or email: [email protected].  After receipt of the donation application form, parks and recreation staff will contact the potential donor. The chart below indicates the availability of park items. The cell will say "taken" if it's no longer available . There are four picnic tables and 16 benches in total.

Amenity #Available#Total
Bench1616
Picnic Table44


Park Enhancements, Splash Pad and More
To celebrate the milestone, Southeast Area Park was renamed Bicentennial Park with a plan to improve the park. The primary enhancement will be Ann Arbor's first universal-access splash pad, updated playground, pavilion and restrooms, all of which will be solar-powered. Additional items being considered are a new building and shelter to support park operations and programming, trail improvements and more. By supporting these enhancements, the park will see an increase in accessibility that will offer a vibrant, innovative and inclusive environment where neighbors, friends and families can connect. See artists renderings below. 

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Winter at Bicentennial Park

The Bicentennial Park pathways are scheduled for clearing when it snows. For more information on which parks are on the path clearing routes, visit Parks in the Wintertime . This park has also served as a Christmas tree disposal site seasonally.​

Park Notices

Unless otherwise posted per City Council resolution, when a park is closed, no person shall remain in or enter it other than to quietly sit or walk.​

Refer to Chapter 39 of the City of Ann Arbor Code of Ordinances for park regulations and rules.

Park Hours

6 a.m. – Midnight

Amenities

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Shelter

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Playgrounds

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Restrooms

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Basketball Court

 

Grills

Picnic Tabl​es

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Softball Fields

 

Open Field

 

Parking​​​​​​​​

 

Landfill & Recycling Bins


 
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Access and Parking

Bicentennial park is located on the north side of Ellsworth Road, just west of Platt Road. There is a large parking lot located at the entrance. There is also a connected dirt lot for additional parking to the east of the ball fields.

Public Transportation

There are several bus stops within a 5 minute walk to the park. There is a bus stop on Ellsworth​ right in front of the park. Check out TheRide Guide​​​​​ for more details.​​


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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 a​bout the early history of the land here.​​

This land was acquired by the City in the early 1990s. In the mid 90s it went through two phases of development to create the park it is today. The photo below was taken in October of 1991.​


Active Adopters

A local Mitsubishi office ​​has been committed to volunteering at Southeast Area Park since 2018. This group maintains the park by picking up litter, weeding, maintaining the garden at the park sign and more! Email [email protected] if you would like to join any volunteer workdays at Southeast Area Park.

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Volunteer

Volunteer in the parks

Looking to make an impact in a park or nature area? Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation provides volunteer opportunities for almost every interest, ability, and commitment level.

Learn more about volunteer opportunities
Park Finder

Park Finder

Discover parks and find amenities through the City of Ann Arbor Park Finder. This map allows you to search park names or search by amenity type or keyword.

View the Park Finder
A2 Fix It

A2Fix It - Service request tool

A2 Fix It is an online system you can use to report any maintenance issues or other problems during your park visit. When reporting an issue in a park please include detailed location information in the "details and description" section near the end of the request process. Pictures that provide location context are very helpful.

Submit a request