Gatton Park on the Town Branch is downtown Lexington's newest attraction

Downtown Lexington, celebrating the 250th year of its founding, received a welcomed facelift over the weekend.

Gatton Park on the Town Branch, located off Manchester Street right next to Rupp Arena, officially opened this past Saturday after over a decade of planning of two years of construction. Thousands of Lexingtonians gathered at the 10-acre park to celebrate its grand reveal. Centered around a 5,000-seat amphitheater in its heart, the park features a massive four-story playground, a water play area, two dog parks, a dining area, and endless green space. Elkhorn Creek runs right through the park, which uses multiple walking/bike paths to connect other areas of downtown.

With some free time after dinner Monday night, my girlfriend and I made the short trip from our apartment near UK’s campus to Gatton Park — we had to see what all the fuss was about. After circling the entire park for a quick tour, we’re already planning return trips.

With the park only a few days old, not even a Monday could keep people from checking it out. There were easily a couple of hundred residents soaking it in. Parking wasn’t difficult for the time we went (we’re within walking distance, but wanted to drive for our first trip), and it was only a short walk down the street to reach the actual park entrance.

Our journey started at the main bridge over Elkhorn Creek. But instead of crossing over immediately, we took a path to the right that led us up a small hill toward Rupp Arena and looped us around the entire park. The sidewalk was etched with small animal and flower prints. This allowed us to check out the amphitheater, which is much more impressive in person than it seems in pictures. The tiered grass seats will be filled when The Beach Boys: The Sounds of Summer Tour comes to town on Sept. 17. There will be free weekly events to come, as well.

We continued on our loop, walking behind the grassy seats and around the right side of the amphitheater as trees lined the outside perimeter. Behind the amphitheater was The Boxcar dining experience, which didn’t appear to be open at the time, but featured a decent amount of outdoor seating and the restrooms. Still going along the edge of the park, we ran into a giant fossil. The art piece, titled First Impressions, is inscribed with significant historical events, some relating to the city of Lexington.

We’re a little too old for the playground, but I can understand why it would be popular among the youth of tomorrow (although I was certainly tempted — they made it look like fun). If your child likes to climb, this is the place for them. A less intense water play area sits right between the playground and amphitheater. Right behind the playground are two dog parks — a smaller one and a larger one, whichever one suits your pup best.

We ended up completing the entire loop of the park itself, which took about 30 minutes total as we stopped to observe and take pictures. We took the main bridge over Elkhorn Creek — which features a great look of the park and Rupp Arena from a low view — to reach our starting point. Of all the things the city of Lexington could have done with the space, this longtime resident was happy to see the end result.