Pittsburg fitness venue brings ‘world’s best outdoor gym’ to East Texas region
Published 5:35 am Friday, May 8, 2026
Editor’s Note: This is one of the stories published in the May/June 2026 issue of ETX View Magazine, a product of the Tyler Morning Telegraph and Longview News-Journal. More stories will be posted in the coming days. To read the full digital flipbook, visit etxview.com .
PITTSBURG — There’s a new spot in Pittsburg that can help residents with their health and wellness goals while enjoying some fresh air – all for free.
The City of Pittsburg – in partnership with UT Health Pittsburg and UT Health East Texas Rehabilitation, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, and National Fitness Campaign (NFC) – recently opened an outdoor Fitness Court and digital wellness programming to Pittsburg. The Fitness Court, located at Fair Park at 303 N. Texas, opened last May.
This court aims to expand free access to high-quality workouts and create equitable access to exercise for communities across the region. The Fitness Court is the “world’s best outdoor gym that lets users leverage their own body weight to get a complete workout using seven exercise stations,” the city said.
Created for adults of all abilities ages 14 and up, the Fitness Court workouts are adaptable for all fitness levels, allowing participants to move at their own pace. Users also may download the free Fitness Court app which acts as a coach-in-your-pocket and enhances the outdoor gym into a digitally supported wellness experience. The City of Pittsburg in partnership with UT Health Pittsburg and UT Health East Texas Rehabilitation is one of 35 Campaign Partners building a network of Fitness Courts across the state, with the help of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas.
“The City of Pittsburg is fortunate to have wonderful local partners in UT Health Pittsburg and UT Health East Texas Rehabilitation with the same commitment of providing healthy infrastructure for our community. We hope the Fitness Court at Fair Park will be another resource to stay active and outdoors,” Pittsburg City Manager Clint Hardeman said.
There are numerous health benefits to working out in the outdoors, also known as “green exercise activities.” People can experience the sunshine, green surroundings of trees and grass, look up at the clouds in the sky and enjoy other aspects of nature – all while getting a workout in. It may even be more than just beneficial; studies are underway to determine just how powerful this combination can be for disease and combatting physical inactivity.
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“The synergistic combination of exercise and exposure to nature and thus the ‘great outdoors’ could be used as a powerful tool to help fight the growing incidence of both physical inactivity and non-communicable disease,” according to the National Library of Medicine.
This sort of fitness can boost physical and mental health but also provide more social interaction for residents.
Fair Park fitness court Wednesday, February 4, 2026, in Pittsburg. (Les Hassell/ETX View)
This court aims to expand free access to high-quality workouts and create equitable access to exercise for communities across the region. (Contributed Photo)
The Fitness Court is the “world’s best outdoor gym that lets users leverage their own body weight to get a complete workout using seven exercise stations,” the city said. (Contributed Photo)
“In addition to improvement in physical health, physical activity improves behavioral health conditions and can foster opportunities to make new social connections,” said Dr. Mark Chassay, chief medical officer at BCBSTX. “About half of U.S. adults are not getting enough physical activity in their daily lives. Helping fund these Fitness Courts is just one example of how we can support optimal health outcomes for all Texans, right in their own communities.”
The National Fitness Campaign said this project aligns with its mission.
“We are excited to have The City of Pittsburg in partnership with UT Health Pittsburg and UT Health East Texas Rehabilitation join us in the journey to improve health and wellness as we work to make a powerful and long lasting impact on health outcomes and happiness by building healthy communities across America,’’ said Mitch Menaged, founder of National Fitness Campaign. “The addition of the outdoor Fitness Court, along with digital wellness programming, demonstrates a tremendous commitment to the health and wellbeing within the Pittsburg community.”
Fair Park is a 20-acre park and also features baseball and softball fields, playgrounds, slides, swing sets, benches, pavilions, seasonal concessions, concrete walking paths, half-court basketball court, huge open green space, large fishing pond, lighted double tennis court, and more.
For more information, visit www.pittsburgtx.gov, or contact city hall at 903-856-3621. For more information on Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas’s support of NFC, visit www.nationalfitnesscampaign.com/texas.