About the Park
Stuart Nelson Park located at 175 Stuart Nelson Park Road is a large park (approximately 55 acres) off Park Avenue near Noble Park.
The Paducah Sports Park by CFSB, which opened in 2026, uses a majority of the park. The city-owned property is leased to the McCracken County Sports Tourism Commission. The Paducah Sports Park by CFSB is a partnership among the City of Paducah, McCracken County, and the McCracken Sports Tourism Commission to provide a premier outdoor recreational facility.
- Multi-use recreational fields as part of the Paducah Sports Park
- 18-hole disc golf course
- Greenway Trail access
- Dr. William Stuart Nelson Plaza
- Playground (coming soon) as part of the Paducah Sports Park
Disc Golf Course
The City of Paducah opened the 18-hole disc golf course at Stuart Nelson Park in March 2007. The facility is now managed through the Paducah Sports Park by CFSB. The course is located at the northern end of the park. Follow the main entrance road to the back. Parking is available. The Greenway Trail bisects the course.
The City of Paducah thanks West Kentucky Disc Golf Club member, Mark Koebel, in addition to other members for constructing benches out of logs. Paducah also appreciates the construction of a wooden bridge as a local Eagle Scout project.
Beginner or expert, visitors or local, disc golf players are invited to attend a meeting of the West Kentucky Disc Golf Club. This recreational club is for anyone interested in learning or playing disc golf. For information about other courses in the region, visit Bluegrass Disc Golf Series.
Learn more about the rules for disc golf by visiting the Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA).
Dr. William Stuart Nelson
Stuart Nelson Park is named for Dr. William Stuart Nelson. Included in the design of the Paducah Sports Park by CFSB, which uses a majority of Stuart Nelson Park, is plaza that includes a monument to Dr. Nelson and several informational panels telling the story of his life and legacy.
Historical Marker
A dedication ceremony was held August 4, 2016, at Stuart Nelson Park for the unveiling of historical marker #2495 through the Kentucky Historical Society. (Please note the Historical Marker has been removed due to the construction of the Paducah Sports Park. It will be reinstalled soon.)
The marker reads
Dr. William Stuart Nelson
1895-1977
Lincoln Grad Had Global Footprints
Dr. Nelson was born in Paris, Ky. and graduated from Lincoln High School in Paducah. During World War I he served in combat as a 1st lieutenant. Returning to his studies, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Howard University in 1920 and a divinity degree from Yale in 1924.
A professor of religion at Howard, Nelson studied at the Sorbonne in France in 1925 and was the first black president of Dillard and Shaw universities. Returning to Howard, he served as dean & vice president. He marched with Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and wrote several books and papers on non-violent resistance. This park was named for him in the 1940s.
