Italian Lake is located in the uptown section of
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. If you're unfamiliar with the area, it's a public park located on 3rd and Division Streets. It's right across the street from the former William Penn High School and within a short walking distance from the Zembo Shrine.
The park consists of 9 1/2 beautifully landscaped acres which encompass Italian Lake and the surrounding botanical gardens. The south-end of the lake has a beautiful bronze sculpture and water fountain titled "Dance of Eternal Spring" which features the three muses of art, music and dance. You can get the best views of the bronze sculpture by walking down along the east or west sides of the lake.
Near the main entrance to the park you'll find the official welcome sign and historical marker. The Italian Lake historical marker is quite a lengthy read, but it will give you the overall history of the lake and park. Included on the marker are two old photographs of the site, to show you how it has changed over the years.
There is a paved walking path that surrounds the entire perimeter of the lake for visitors to enjoy. Along the path you'll find park benches where you can sit down and enjoy the view. If you're lucky, some of the park's residents may come up to you for a visit. During our visit we saw numerous ducks, geese and swans who call the lake home. While they're used to people, they do recommend that you don't touch them or feed them!
On the east side of the lake you'll find an area where they hold concerts and events during the summer months. There are benches, a small stage, a concession stand and restrooms. Parking for these events is located along the street running east of the lake. Just be forewarned, during events that area gets parked up pretty quickly, so you may need to park elsewhere and do a little bit of walking.
If you walk down to the opposite end of the lake you'll see a beautiful Japanese-style bridge. This bridge attracts a lot of visitors, especially from people who are looking for beautiful photographs. We spotted a wedding party up on the bridge the day that we were there. One of the locals who lives across the street told us that a lot of brides and grooms, people who are looking for family portraits, high school homecoming and promo photos, etc. come to Italian lake to get their professional photographs taken.
In our personal opinion, the best time to visit Italian Lake is during the late spring and early fall months. In the springtime you'll see a lot of spring flowers in bloom and birds flying around. During the early fall season you'll see the birds and you can enjoy some of the area's colorful fall foliage. Plus, the temperatures outside are just more enjoyable!
This is a public park, so admission is FREE and you can find free parking nearby. It's a great little park that's nestled in uptown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
1 comment:
This looks like a very beautiful park both to visit and to have events. I would love to visit there and see the walks, ducks, lake ,etc.
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