Raleigh's Gipson Play Plaza opens this weekend
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Raleigh's Gipson Play Plaza opens Friday, June 6, giving Dix Park and the city a new park destination that could attract hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.
Why it matters: The $69 million investment is being billed as the new entrance into Dix Park and one of the largest playgrounds in the Southeast.
- Raleigh hopes to turn the 300-acre Dix Park — the former grounds of the Dorothea Dix Hospital the city acquired in 2015 — into one of the leading urban parks in the country. Gipson represents the first phase of a long-term plan to fill it with amenities and enhancements.
The big picture: The park is already as much of an economic development driver as it is a source of a new green space for the city's residents to gather and for its children to play.
- Billions of dollars are being invested into areas around the park, adding thousands of new apartments and new shops and restaurants.
Zoom in: More than $43 million funding Gipson Play Plaza comes from a $275 million parks bond Raleigh voters approved in 2022.
- Other funds included a major philanthropic effort, with Tom Gipson, a major home builder in the area, and his wife Pat gifting $10 million to the effort.
The end result is an 18.4-acre area featuring multiple playgrounds and gathering spaces, including a waterfall wall, picnic grove, food vendors and skywalks.
What to expect: The city is hosting multiple events all weekend to celebrate the opening of Gipson Play Plaza, featuring live music, an immersive light experience, workshops and activities for young children.
- Food and drink will be available at the House of Many Porches, the first food-and-drink vendor to set up shop in the park.
Of note: You can text GIPSONPLAY to 888777 to receive messages, like event updates and parking details, about the park's grand opening.
