Exploring Reservoir Park in Harrisburg

Reservoir Park is an 85-acre park located the Allison Hill area of Harrisburg. It's the largest municipal park within the city limits and is part of the Capital Area Greenbelt, a 20-mile greenway that surrounds the city of Harrisburg. The park is free to visit and offers free parking to visitors.

On the grounds of Reservoir Park you'll find the National Civil War Museum which sits on the top of the hill. If you want to enter the museum you'll have to pay an admission fee. With that said, you're more than welcome to walk the grounds and trails throughout the park and the ones that go around the museum for free.

Brief History: The park was established in 1845 with the addition of a reservoir for the city in 1872. At that time the area was known as Prospect Hill, but was later changed to Allison Hill. In 1890 the city official declared the area around the reservoir as a park and was for visitors and residents to enjoy.

What is really nice about Reservoir Park is that it's situated at the highest point in the city. While there you'll be treated to beautiful skyline views of Harrisburg, of the Susquehanna Valley & partial glimpses of the Susquehanna River and the surrounding Blue Mountains. The views are just stunning and I bet they're even prettier during the Fall Foliage season.

The park plays an important park to the city by housing one underground 30 million gallon reservoir, and two 6 million gallon above ground reservoirs, which gravity-feed freshwater to the city’s public water system.

Throughout the year you'll find various outdoor events, plays and festivals held at Reservoir Park. There is a small pavilion (Levitt Performing Arts Pavilion) located on the property with a ticket office and parking is nearby. If attending an event, you'll want to bring along your own lawn chairs or picnic blankets, as you have to provide your own seating.

There are paved walking trails at the park that you can enjoy. While strolling around the park we stumbled upon two beautiful water fountains which you'll see highlighted within our post. You can sit on a park bench and relax while taking in the beauty of each water fountain. We enjoyed seeing them, but wished they had some information plaques located near them, so that we could of learned more about them.

Also located within the park you'll find the Mansion at Reservoir Park. The mansion was designed by the architectural firm of Foose and Lloyd in the popular Shingle Queen Anne style and was completed in 1897. In the mid 1990's the house was restored under the Mayor's Parks Improvement Program for use as the Reservoir Park Office and that of the Harrisburg Parks Partnership. Much of the original woodwork and architectural detailing has been preserved. You can read all about it on the historical marker that is located nearby.

I wouldn't go out of my way to just plan a trip to Reservoir Park, but if you're planning a trip to visit the National Civil War Museum, I recommend that after your done visiting the museum that you take a stroll around the grounds of the park. We really enjoyed walking the paved trails and just being out in the sunshine and fresh air while we were there.