Founded in 1898 as a gift from the locally prominent Hamilton family, it offers both passive and active recreation, with ballfields and other amenities.

It is located on 93 acres (38 ha) southeast of downtown Waterbury, accessed via entrances on East Main Street.

[1] Hamilton Park consists of 93 acres of rolling terrain, bounded on the north by East Main Street, the west by Silver Street Expressway and the Mad River the south by the river and Interstate 84, and the east by Idylwood Avenue, Plank Road, and a residential area.

The easternmost section of the park is a relatively unimproved wooded area which serves as a bird sanctuary.

[2] The park's origin was in the 1898 gift of 45 acres (18 ha) of land by Mrs. David Hamilton in memory of her late husband, owner of a silver factory in the city.