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Bur-Mil Park is a 250-acre park in northwest Guilford County.
From hiking and biking trails to golf and tennis, Bur-Mil Park offers citizens a wide variety of active and passive recreational opportunities.

Rich with history, Bur-Mil Park was once owned by Burlington Industries and operated as a family recreation area for its employees.
In 1989, Guilford County purchased the property with a Land, Water and Conservation Fund grant, and in 1990, the county contracted the city of Greensboro to manage the facility.

The park completed a master plan in 2000 which brought about numerous changes in the facilities. P arking spaces were added, new picnic shelters were built, a Family Aquatic Center was built to replace a 45-year-old pool, and the tennis courts were resurfaced.
A three-way partnership resulted in the renovation of a 1900s barn into what is now known as the Frank Sharpe Jr. Wildlife Education Center.

Another partnership with Precision Instruction has resulted in an indoor golf instruction facility that allows golf lessons to continue even in the middle of winter.

A terrace was built on the back of the Clubhouse and is now a popular spot for outdoor weddings. The Clubhouse is a full-service meeting and events center featuring nine meeting rooms to accommodate groups of three to 300 people for social or business events.

This time of year is popular for the holiday get-togethers with family and friends. With the variety of facilities offered at Bur-Mil Park, families often visit Bur-Mil for a day of fun.

In addition to the facilities that Bur-Mil Park offers, there are a lot of events and classes coming up in November and December. On Dec. 6, Santa will be visiting Bur-Mil Park for the annual “Visit with Santa” program from 2 to 6 p.m. in the Clubhouse Meeting and Events Center.

The event is free to the public and features many different holiday activities, including arts and crafts, face painting, live music and a Winter Wonderland 3-D experience. Best of all, children get to spend time with Santa sharing their Christmas wish lists.

At the Frank Sharpe Jr. Wildlife Education Center, wildlife and environmental classes are offered year-round for the entire family.
“Good Trees, Bad Trees” teaches how to make the right choice for trees in our urban landscapes. Learn about plant selection, quality, sources, planting methods and maintenance to protect your investment. This class is from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Nov. 19 and costs $5 per participant.

From cockroaches to ladybugs, our “Household Wildlife” class will cover all the creepy crawly roommates and ways to control them or appreciate them, depending on your perspective. This class is from 6-7:30 p.m. Nov. 27 and costs $2 per participant.

If taking care of the wildlife around your home is of interest, attend our “Feeding Winter Wildlife” class to learn ways to create feeding zones around your home using bird feeders or natural feeding sources such as berry bushes. This class is from 6-7:30 p.m. Dec. 13 for $5 per participant.

With the holiday season around the corner, mark your calendars for the new “Christmas Centerpieces” class — 6:30-7:30 p.m. Dec . 3. Learn new tricks to create a sensational centerpiece combining fruit, flowers and seasonal materials that mix traditional with trendy to comple ment your holiday table.

Bring your favorite bowl or small container, and we will provide the rest. This class cost $15 per container.

Check out the “Natural Christmas Crafts” class from 6-8 p.m. Dec. 5. Participants will learn to make meaningful and interesting crafts for Christmas using supplies from nature. Bring the kids for child-friendly activities that go beyond simple ornaments and greeting cards. This class is $5 per participant.

With new laws regulating what you can and can’t put into the landfill, it may be time to take a recycling class to learn about what you can recycle. All sessions are free and cover the importance of recycling, what happens to recyclable materials when they leave the recycling center and what materials can be recycled in Greensboro. The next class is from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Dec. 8.

With so much going on at Bur-Mil Park, we hope you and your family will have a chance to come out and enjoy what nature has to offer. For more information about Bur-Mil Park, visit our Web site at www.burmilpark.org, become a fan on our Facebook page or call us at 373-3800.

Tracy Pegram is Bur-Mil Park manager.