Vernon Hill Park is a 15-acre park located atop Vernon Hill featuring a playground, two baseball fields, two softball fields, a basketball court, a swimming pool and a dog park! It is the home of East Side Babe Ruth.

Cool Off in the Pool

Swim in the pool, zoom down the slide, or run around the spray park! There are many ways to cool off and have fun on a hot summer day at the Dennis F Shine Jr Swim Pool in Vernon Park!

Dennis F. Shine Jr. was a Vernon Hill corporal who was 21 years old when he was killed in Vietnam in 1969. As a local hero who grew up in Worcester, his family is grateful for the pool being dedicated in his name. The pool was originally dedicated to Corporal Shine one year after his death in 1970, but got a re-vamp in 2009 with a re-dedication ceremony.

The Dennis F. Shine Memorial Swimming Pool is located in the City park, but it is run by the state's Department of Conservation and Recreation.

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Let's Play!

If you're not playing an organized sport or just wanted to get the kids outside for some fun, you can also bring them to play around on the Vernon Hill Park playground! There are slides, monkey bars, climbing structures, swings and much more!

Play Ball!

If you enjoy sports and athletics, Vernon Hill Park offers many choices to fit your needs. You can either play an organized sport or free play on the two baseball diamonds, two softball diamonds, basketball court, handball court, two tennis courts, multipurpose field, playground, pool or spray park!

Vernon Hill Dog Park

The City's first ever off-leash dog park opened in August of 2017. This double-gated, fenced and secured area within Vernon Hill Park offers dogs and dog lovers a place to go and enjoy the company of other animals. The 17,400 square foot park is located next to the Dennis F. Shine Memorial Swimming Pool and the basketball court. It also offers complimentary dog waste disposal bags for dog owners to help keep the park clean.

The park is split into two fenced sections; one side for smaller dogs and one for larger dog breeds. All dogs are required to have a City of Worcester dog license on them at all times, required to have their vaccinations up-to-date, must be older than 6 months of age and a maximum of two dogs per adult/owner are allowed.

Dog Parks