Parks & Outdoors

Our Vision: A City in a Park.

In Chattanooga everyone will have access to a well-loved, well-used and well-cared for system of parks, recreation and outdoor spaces that fosters community belonging and well-being and enhances our unique and breathtaking natural setting.

Follow us!

Our Mission:

We are community builders, connecting all Chattanoogans and guests to the benefits of parks, recreation, nature, adventure, history, culture and the arts.

Our Core Values:

We believe PEOPLE

Have a fundamental right to the benefits offered by the natural spaces surrounding us.
Have a fundamental right to be safe, welcomed and respected in all public spaces.
Deserve to have the highest level of trust in those who represent the Department of Parks and Outdoors.

We believe COMMUNITY

Acknowledgement of historic inequity of and injustice in public spaces is necessary for individual and community healing, now and for generations to come.
Is powerfully nurtured in public parks and playgrounds, on playing fields and in sport, in outdoor adventures, closeness to nature, and in public gatherings, celebrations and the arts.
Is enriched and supported by public parks and spaces that have a strong sense of place.

We believe NATURE:

Is necessary for sustaining healthy and happy lives, connecting us to one another and to every living being.
Has provided Chattanooga with its stunningly beautiful landscape and it deserves our respect, care, understanding, and preservation.
Offers lessons that can guide us to a more sustaining and healthy relationship with the natural environment and the climate we depend on for life and livelihood.