Linear Park a scenic history lesson
Cross Creek Linear Park winds through downtown Fayetteville as a cool, green refuge. Shady passes lined with river birches and hawthorn, serenaded by the rushing of the creek, temper even the muggiest summer days.
And while the park is a celebration of green space, it also yields a history lesson with landmarks such as the home of Scottish heroine Flora Macdonald and a statue of the city's namesake, the Marquis de Lafayette, a hero of the American Revolution.
Broken into four phases, the greenway will ultimately link points of interest such as Festival Park, the Cape Fear Botanical Garden, Riverside Dog Park, J. Bayard Clark Park & Nature Center and the Cape Fear River Trail.
Phases 1 and 2 are complete, beginning at Ray Avenue and passing by the Linear Park Fountain on Mason Street. Phase 1 carries on to Green Street, and then Phase 2 runs to North Cool Spring Street.
Parts of Phase 4 have been completed and can be accessed from Riverside Dog Park. This includes two observation decks and a paved trail through the scenic wooded area adjacent to Cross Creek Cemetery No. 5 off Gale Street.
Phase 3 will pass underneath a bridge on Grove Street that the Department of Transportation is in the process of having removed. On the other side of the street, work has already begun on Phase 3B, which should be completed by the end of the 2010.