Faulkner Park mixes ballfields, sprayground, fishing, and nature trails

Faulkner Park is the everyday, all-ages side of Tyler's parks. The City of Tyler says it opened in 2001 on land donated by Robert Faulkner, the man the community park is named for.

The amenity list runs long: picnic areas, restrooms, pavilions, ballfields, batting cages, a playground, tennis facilities, a fishing pond, a sprayground for hot afternoons, and a skate park. Behind all of that sit roughly nine miles of nature trails, enough to get a real walk or ride in without leaving the park.

It rounds out the picture of Smith County outdoor life. Alongside the big reservoirs and pine forest, there's a neighborhood-scale place for ballgames, splashing, and trail time close to home.