431 East Washington Street
Harrisonburg, VA 22802
Located on East Washington Street, Ralph Sampson Park covers 31 acres. The park has two picnic shelters, restroom facilities, three basketball courts, playground equipment, a sports field, and a Futsal Complex. A natural surface walking trail (0.3 miles) runs through the park as well. This park surrounds the Lucy F. Simms Continuing Education Center.
ARPA-Funded Creation of a Splashpad - In December 2022, Harrisonburg City Council approved utilizing $2.2 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for the creation of a splashpad at Ralph Sampson Park. A splashpad is a water feature that utilizes streams of water from different angles and at different times to create a unique, interactive play space outdoors. This project will be constructed within the space currently used by a baseball/softball field at the park and, in addition to the water feature, will include shade structures, benches and more to accommodate visitors. The City will soon work with interested vendors to receive their Request for Proposals submissions, which will allow the City to select a team to construct this project. It is currently anticipated that the splashpad will be open for public use by summer 2025.
Open House: The Harrisonburg community is invited to an open house Wednesday, April 24, from 4:00pm to 7:00pm at the Lucy F. Simms Continuing Education Center as Harrisonburg Parks and Recreation is seeking your input on the design of the new Spraygrounds at Ralph Sampson Park. This amenity will be located beside the Simms Center and open to our community in Summer 2025. Open house attendees will be able to speak with Parks and Recreation staff and consultants, telling them your ideas for the spraygrounds and asking any questions you have.
The Ralph Sampson Futsal Complex was constructed in 2021 and is located at the upper portion of the park. The dual-court complex is available for recreational open-play activities (weather permitting). Lights are on until 10:00pm nightly. Leagues or tournaments are prohibited without a Department issued permit. Visit our Futsal page for additional details, and future projects.
[7.5MB] 2008 Ralph Sampson Master Plan