Do you know of any sites where I could find some cool recreational shapefiles?

Question

Do you know of any sites that I could find some cool recreational shapefiles? An example would be shapefile of the golf courses, ski resorts, or maybe baseball fields in the united states?

Answer 1

I would suggest checking the other other questions that have the POI tag for a more comprehensive list, but a couple that come to mind right away are:

• SimpleGeo Places
• Yahoo GeoPlanet
• OpenStreetMap (Using the "amenity" keyword)
• POI Factory

As always, check each site's terms of use to make sure you can use it for your purposes.

Answer 2

GIS Datafinder (US) http://www.lib.unc.edu/reference/gis/datafinder/index.html?search_type=show_category_contents&datalayers=1&category_id=17

U.S. GDT Large Area Landmarks   Shapefile   1:100,000   2000    landmarks, military installations, reservations, penitentiaries, prisons, educational institutions, amusement parks, government centers, sports centers, sports complexes, golf courses, cemeteries, cemetery

U.S. GDT Recreation Areas   Shapefile   1:100,000   2002    recreation, golf courses, zoos, resorts, recreational facilities, society, beach resorts, golf clubs, hotels, country clubs, casinos, museums, gardens, historical sites, amusement parks, science museums, historical museums, parks, culture
U.S. GDT Recreation Areas   Shapefile   1:100,000   2000    recreation, golf courses, zoos, resorts, recreational facilities

U.S. GDT Recreation Areas   Shapefile   1:100,000   2002    point, recreation, golf courses, zoos, resorts, recreational facilities, society

U.S. GDT Recreation Areas   SDC (Smart Data Compression)    1:100,000   2002    point, recreation, golf courses, zoos, resorts, recreational facilities, society.

But Open Street Map is likely to be more up-to-date.

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/WikiProject_United_States

Answer 3

If your in the UK, the Ordnance Survey has a vast collection of data now available in public domain.

The "OS Vector-map Product" has lot's of things in from amenities to leisure centres, churches and a whole raft of other things.

There's many other map products too such as "Strategi Map" that include usefull data sets, all is available to download as Shapefiles, and they'll even send you the larger ones out on DVD's free if you request it.

You can find more details at : http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/products/os-opendata.html