Resurrecting recreation at RiverLink’s new Gateway Park

Recreation returns to riverside

Back in the early 1900s, the land was called Riverside Park. It boasted a carousel, a dance hall, and a baseball diamond. Visitors could take trolleys from downtown and West Asheville and gather in boats to watch films on an outdoor screen. Then, in 1916, it was destroyed by a flood. But now, RiverLink’s new Gateway Park will reinhabit the space. After years of the land’s neglect, the park will provide pathways, native flora, and a carousel-inspired pavilion. It will be a connection between the RAD greenway and the Woodfin Greenway Blueway expansion — and a connection between our past and our present.

Conservation at the core of the concept

Gateway Park will be built on Riverside Drive at the Pearson Bridge, land which was donated to RiverLink back in 2011 by OM Sanctuary. The public will be able to access 1.3 acres of the 2-acre property, and the remaining green space will be preserved to promote river health and flood resilience. Have a vision for the park’s revival? RiverLink wants to know.

Good news for Asheville