Elmwood Park — Attraction in Roanoke

I have attended concerts at Elmwood Park as well as strolled through just walking downtown. Such a beautiful place. The design of the amphitheater is terrific and the hillside in front of the stage is ideal for bringing a blanket and lying on the grass while listening to a great band. There is plenty of parking. There is street parking on all sides of the block where Elmwood Park is located. There is a parking lot directly across the street. And there is also a parking structure directly across the street, next to the parking lot. *Note to anyone parking in the parking structure to attend a concert. * In order to make pulling out into exciting traffic after the show has ended much easier and prevent a backup of cars winding all the way to the top floor of the structure, when parking, PLEASE BACK YOUR VEHICLE INTO YOUR PARKING SPACE!!! Trust me on this one! The new pay for parking system requires you to pay through an app that you download on your mobile phone. So no more stuffing one dollar bills through a tiny slot in a metal box in the parking lot, or losing your ticket that you need to exit...

I think my first and main complaint is Elmwood ampitheatre was built to attract national acts, but there is no covered seating and what seating that is there is concrete slabs with no backs. Very uncomfotable for older people and people with back problems. Most the bands are up and coming or old school that arent major attractions. I suppose Roanoke City didnt have the money for a more comfortable place. So its nice to have what you have. Better than nothing.

As far as the park itself, its ok. A place for dowtown workers to go for lunchtime. I doubt anyone drives to the park for the playground, but a good place for kids at an event. Or staying in a downtown hotel.

Skating rink is nice for winter. My 12 year old son loves it. I have with him on weekends and havent seen it overly crowded, but we havent been the first few weekends its open or when there is a Holiday event downtown.

Roanoke has a large homeless population and they sometimes hang out im and around the park. Not in large numbers though.

Bathrooms are locked when no event. Porta johns for the...

This is an appealing, pedestrian-friendly park, perfect for informal picnics or simple relaxation. (As there are several components thereto [playground, skating-rink area, promenade, venue], i am humbled to confess that i don't actually know where it begins or ends.) I do know that it's centered around the amphitheater, which is actually quite lovely. There is also some greenery, and a beautiful slope on the south side suggests the park's general layout is natural.

For events, Elmwood Park is akin to many other small cities that host in-town outdoor events. A lot of music and a bit of traffic/concert-goer congestion, with bottlenecks from people trying to park their oversized vehicles. Although my tastes differ from much of what they host, I've encountered some worthwhile surprises. I am most grateful for this...