Great Parks of Hamilton County honors our millions of US veterans for making sacrifices to protect the freedoms we enjoy, including all the parks and natural areas around this great land. We thank them sincerely for their service to the country.

We are also making an extra effort, on Veterans Day and year-round, to ensure our veterans can access all the wellness benefits available to them among the thousands of acres and miles of trails in Great Parks.

Veterans Day Celebration at Sharon Woods

Great Parks has special activities planned for Veterans Day this year, on Saturday, November 11. Our free Veterans Day Celebration, starting at 10 a.m. at Sharon Centre, will offer educational guided hikes and the unique opportunity to learn to throw a spear using an atlatl, or spear-throwing tool. Throughout the day, we’ll have a warm fire burning, fixins to make s’mores, light refreshments, and lawn games.

At all of our fishing destinations in Great Parks, we’ll also provide veterans with one free fishing ticket to use on Veterans Day.

Special Golf Offers for Veterans

Great Parks golf courses are popular with veterans year-round. All six Great Parks courses will provide a free golf cart for military veterans on Veterans Day when they play golf. Throughout the year, veterans can take advantage of discounted greens fees, too.

Two Great Parks golf courses – Meadow Links and Little Miami Golf Center – are actively involved in PGA HOPE, a program that introduces golf to veterans and active duty military to enhance their physical, mental, social, and emotional well-being. HOPE stands for Helping Our Patriots Everywhere, and as a reflection of the good this program can do, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) can make direct referrals to PGA Hope programs as a form of therapy.

Not only is golf a fun way to enjoy an outing in nature – it helps veterans and everyone to feel better, too. Spending time in nature and being active outdoors has numerous health benefits, including reducing stress and anxiety, improving mood, and boosting self-esteem. Physical activities such as golf have been shown to be effective in relieving anxiety and depression.

Golf isn’t always easy, as anyone who’s hit a slice into the woods will agree. It forces players to use cognitive skills such as memory, focus, and problem-solving, which helps maintain brain functionality. Golf requires focus, patience, and strategy, helping to keep our minds sharp as we age. Studies have even shown that golfers live longer than non-golfers.

Welcoming Veterans Year-Round

Great Parks has much more than golf to offer our veterans. Current Hamilton County residents who have a 100% service-related disability as determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs, who are a former prisoner of war, or are a Medal of Honor recipient, can apply for a free Motor Vehicle Permit from Great Parks.

Veterans can also access all-day rowboat rental for just the cost of one hour at our lakes at Miami Whitewater Forest and Winton Woods (Monday-Friday, excluding holidays). Great Parks offers discounted campsite rental rates for veterans at Miami Whitewater Forest and Winton Woods Campground (Sunday-Thursday, excluding holidays). If fishing is more your passion, veterans can purchase a $10.50 daily fishing ticket at Lake Isabella (Monday-Thursday, excluding holidays).

At Great Parks, we like to say that we are planting the seed for future generations. Our veterans know just what we’re talking about, as they have worked to make today’s country better for tomorrow. We hope to see many veterans and their friends and families joining us at our Veterans Day Celebration, on the golf course or anywhere at Great Parks, enjoying all the good that comes from spending time in these wide open spaces.