Henrico’s new Taylor Farm Park brings unique features to the county’s park system

Taylor Farm Park, the Varina District’s first new community park since 1982, is set to open Tuesday, bringing a one-of-a-kind recreational area to Sandston.

The project began in 2016 after the county purchased the 99-acre plot off of Williamsburg Road in Sandston from the Taylor family. The county worked to transform the site – once used as farmland – into the community park that spans about 20 of those acres, Henrico Recreation and Parks Director John Zannino said.

Funding for Taylor Farm Park came as part of the county’s 2016 bond referendum approved by voters. Construction began in February 2023.

Multiple features make Taylor Farm Park unique in Henrico’s park system. The beginner, intermediate and advanced BMX dirt courses, for example, are the first of their kind in the area.

That isn’t the only thing that makes it special, though.

“One of the biggest parts is a splash park,” Varina District Supervisor Tyrone Nelson said. “We have mist mounds, little hills where water shoots out. We have a little stream that flows through the middle of the kids’ play area, so kids can get in and splash around.”

Such water features are new to Henrico parks.

“We [also] have the largest playground in our park system,” Zannino said. “It’s a nature-based playground, so we incorporated the trees. The playground has a lot of tree houses and a couple zip lines. You’ll see that it’s not just leveling a bunch of trees and creating concrete jungles.”

Designers played on natural elements as much as possible, Zannino explained, with details such as benches being logs.

Beyond that, the park also boasts a 17,000-square-foot skate park, a 12,000-square-foot flow bowl for skating and bikes, a memorial garden honoring the active branches of the military and first-responders, an event lawn and more.

County officials have planned five days of activities at the park to celebrate its grand opening, starting with a ribbon cutting on the event lawn Tuesday. Later this week, there will be activities and crafts for kids, food trucks, BMX bike demonstrations, a movie in the park, and much more.

“It’s kind of a big deal for us,” Zannino said. “We don’t get to open parks like this every day.”

Aside from the additional planting of more trees this fall as weather allows, the park will be completely finished when it opens to the public.