Bernardsville Recreation is known for its family-friendly municipal pool, quality
athletic fields, summer camps, and natural spaces. Residents of Bernardsville also enjoy access to parks and open spaces provided by several other entities. Because of the many local resources and opportunities available to borough residents, this 2021 Bernardsville Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Master Plan is important in part because it helps to clarify the department’s responsibilities for delivering parks, facilities, and recreational choices to the community.

For thousands of years before the first Europeans set foot in America, the land on which Bernardsville now sits was part of the Lenapehoking, or “homeland” of the Lenape Native American people. The first Europeans settled in our area in the mid-1700s, primarily from Holland, Scotland, Ireland, and England. In the early 20^th Century, Bernardsville became a “Mountain Colony” retreat for wealthy families who established large estates throughout the Somerset Hills to enjoy the natural beauty of the countryside. Many of the trails described below have long histories, dating back to these early settlers, the Revolutionary War, and the Mountain Colony period, when many were used as equestrian bridle paths.

The Polo Grounds consist of a football field, baseball field, and a multi-purpose field. Currently under construction for additional multi-purpose fields.

Upper Polo Field Turf Project Information
Turf Field Rules & Regulations
Turf Field Dimensions

Location: From the Rte. 202 Mt. Airy Road intersection travel 1 mile North on Anderson Hill Road. Right onto Seney Drive. Roadway 1/2 mile on Right at School.

Kiwanis consists of 2 Little League playing fields and Peter's Park Playground.

Location: From the Rte. 202 Mt. Airy Road intersection travel 1 mile South on Mt. Airy Road. Right onto Bernards Ave. Left onto Maple Street. Right onto Pine Street.

Claremont consists of a Little League field, Tiny Tot Playground, and the Recreation Field House.

Location: From the Rte. 202 Mt. Airy Road intersection travel North on Anderson Hill Road. Left onto Mine Mt. Road. Left onto Park Lane. Park is at the end of Park Lane.

Rosebowl is a lighted softball field.

Location: From the Rte. 202 Mt. Airy Road intersection travel 1 mile South on Route 202. Field is located after Borough Hall.

POLICY

It is the goal of the Bernardsville Recreation Committee to encourage the usage of its recreational fields for worthwhile, non-profit purposes when such uses do not interfere with the Borough or school-sponsored recreational programs.

The Department of Recreation reserves the exclusive right to determine the eligibility of an organization and to assign a classification and prioritization to any application for the use of fields.

These organizations whose aim and intended use are consistent with the general policy- entitled Terms for Use of Fields – shall be considered eligible and classified as follows:

1. Recreation shall be construed as any program sponsored by the Recreation Department.
2. School shall be construed to mean any program sponsored by the Somerset Hills School District.
3. Community shall be construed to mean an organization whose membership, the majority (50% + 1) of whose membership is domiciled in Bernardsville.
4. Area shall be construed to mean an organization whose members reside in neighboring towns and at least 25% are Bernardsville residents.
5. Out of Area shall be construed to mean an organization that has less than 25% of its members residing in Bernardsville.
6. Any Area or Out of Area group will be required to submit its game/practice schedule to determine its field allocation, which will be based upon its resident ratio.
7. Profit Organizations shall be assessed a fee under the following schedule as per Resolution #2000-31: Profit organizations: $200 for every 1 to 2 hrs block.
8. Non-Profit Organizations must submit proof of their 501-(c) status.

Field Allocations: Fields will be allocated to the above Community, Area, and Out of Area groups according to percentage of Bernardsville residents.

Equal Opportunity: No applicant shall, be discriminated against and no applicant shall be denied use of the fields on the basis of race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, religion or disability.

Code of Conduct: The Recreation Committee supports sportsmanship on behalf of all involved in events conducted on Borough of Bernardsville property. In accordance with NJ Statutes Chapter 74 of Title 5 (August 25, 2002), applicants are required to submit their Code of Conduct for athletes, parents coaches, and officials addressing their guidelines for verbal threats, physical threats, profanity and initiation of fighting or contact. This should include policies for banning and reinstitution of persons who violate the code of conduct.

Rosters: All team organizations, excluding the schools, must submit team rosters that include names and addresses of all participants along with the field usage request.

Along with rosters, all teams must submit the dates, days, times and field/fields requested. Every organization’s authorized representative must sign and return the form provided that they have read and understand all rules and regulations.

Please submit a Field Request Application along with any required documentation to the Recreation Department, Borough of Bernardsville, Route US 202, PO Box 158, Bernardsville, NJ 07924.

Bernardsville Recreation is known for its family-friendly municipal pool, quality
athletic fields, summer camps, and natural spaces. Residents of Bernardsville also enjoy access to parks and open spaces provided by several other entities. Because of the many local resources and opportunities available to borough residents, this 2021 Bernardsville Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Master Plan is important in part because it helps to clarify the department’s responsibilities for delivering parks, facilities, and recreational choices to the community.

You may register online here or you can come in person or mail the registration form available in the online forms to the Recreation office located at:

1 Anderson Hill Road, Suite 105, Bernardsville, NJ 07924

No, only if you live in the Borough of Bernardsville are you considered a resident.