I had a beautiful walk around City Lake Park today! The weather was perfect! I enjoyed taking…read morephotos of all the sculptures around the lake which was a nice touch. The lake had a 1/2 mile concrete path around it with plenty of benches. There's also a gazebo to enjoy shade at the center of the lake or go fishing. If you enjoy feeding the ducks, geese, and fish, there's food for 25 cents. When you're walking and work up an appetite, Chico's Mexican restaurant is a short walk away at the old power plant. Come enjoy the lake!

Always a great time. Walking around and looking at the whirligigs is one of my kids favorite…read morepastimes times. I encourage you to stay and check out a local eatery as well.

Plenty of free parking, located downtown and there are a few places to grab a bit to eat and enjoy…read morethe park. The park is small but a wonderful sight to see in person. If you're in town this is a must see.

This park is a hidden gem. The hiking & biking trails are well-maintained and the facilities,…read more(pavilion, campgrounds, restrooms) are clean and new. If you're in eastern NC and think Raleigh has a corner on the state park 'market' give this pretty place a try. Come up for a day trip. Hike the trails, go fishing in the creek(s) -- with a license of course then jet to Littleton for a good selection of cuisine. Or, camp at the pristine campground, where a sweet little cabin, complete with Adirondack chairs will finish off your relaxing, peaceful day. Kudos to the Medoc Mountain State Park crew.

I have always drove by the park entrance so I decided to visit one day with my dog for a little…read morehike. There are a lot of trails here that makes for an excellent workout via hiking, running, or walking. It has a visitor center with bathrooms. I particularly like that there are picnic tables and fun jungle gym area for kids. It is worth the visit.

This was worth the two-hour drive from the Triangle to spend a couple of hours in a…read morebeautifully-landscaped retreat with a huge variety of birds. It's a bargain at only $14 for adult entry. I recommend getting one of the seed sticks for the Landing Zone, where a flock of colorful parakeets will eagerly perch on the stick and eat out of your hand. If you're skittish, note that they will also maybe land on your shoulder or head, or pull at your shoelaces until they realize they aren't food. But for those who are game, it's a ton of fun and the birds come in a beautiful variety of colors. All of the various sections have plenty of birds, and they're easy to see, not hidden away in the back of some enclosure. They all look healthy and comfortable and seem to have plenty of room. There are also tons of plants and lovely flowering bushes throughout the park. Some particular favorites of mine were the Wings of the Tropics and the boardwalk (sponsored by Duke Energy) where you can get an idea just how much an impact beavers have on creating essential wetlands for bird habitats. All of the various zones are close together, and there are plenty of benches and places to rest throughout, so it's not physically taxing and guests with mobility issues could still enjoy it. It's definitely off the beaten path, but it's worth the trip if you have an interest in our feathered friends.

Excellent Visit; Worth the Drive!!…read more We spent our 28th anniversary here in November and it was lovely. As we proceeded through the exhibits, I really enjoyed the scenery of the well-kept aviaries throughout this park. Employees are all educated and helpful. The parakeets in the Landing were very active, but if they don't come to you right away, don't be afraid to scoop one up to encourage it to interact and/or eat the millet stick, per my husband & not me because I am afraid of birds swooping like that haha (Buy the seed sticks at ticket counter before going into park) Highlights: The kookaburra laughed for me and the cassowary ran back and forth like a Dino raptor and they were definitely my favorite exhibits of the day! We both have mobility issues, so I wanted to provide the following info: This park is laid out in a loop with many inclines, rocky pathways, & root growth under pavement making for treacherous rolling. Using a wheelchair with small front wheels proved challenging to say the least. (large wheels are recommended) That being said, I CAN walk a bit and had to to maneuver the wheelchair through some of the trails. Also, there are many benches and picnic areas to rest along the trails, but we still had carried a fold up stool for my husband but he only had to use it once. There is a golf cart rental= 5 people for $100 I think. So that will be what we do next time likely, because this park is worth every penny!

So I know I can't be the first person to want to hit the Thelonious Monk Trail in Rocky Mount. But…read moreit looks like I'll be the first to write about it. I was visiting Raleigh, and I wanted to do the pilgrimage so bad that I hit the road early one bright Sunday morn headed east. Here's what I saw: 1) Thelonious Monk Plaza - I came into town this way, just a slight bit north of the main downtown strip. This plaza is one in the old-school sense - you won't find a minimall with Bath & Body Works around here, rather it's the old train station. This is where the historical marker is planted that identifies one of the true American greats. It makes sense to have jazz markers by the old train stations - it brings back the America of old, and also reminds you that the musicians generally built their careers by moving out. 2) Thelonious Monk Mural - I walked about half a mile from the Plaza to see this (incidentally, on a bright Sunday morn I was the only sign of life in downtown Rocky Mount). If you didn't know it was a tribute to Monk, you would just think it's a slightly unusual mural - a triangle of houses with a trompe l'oeil river stream/piano keyboard that literally flows out onto the pavement (entitled "Monk's Corner"). This was apparently one wall an arts center that no longer exists, sadly - it's near the Harambee Street Apartments. I walked back to my car via Main Street, which allowed me to look at the attractive old historic buildings in downtown, none of whom were doing any business on Sunday. 3) Thelonious Monk Park - Now this was a slight hunt, considering not even Old Man Google registers this park as a place. Further, there's a street address given near Washington/Dunn, but the sign that names the park is over on Wye which spurs off of Washington. That confused me a bit - you can basically identify the park, but I felt like I was slightly trespassing when I wandered along the residential neighborhood to get there. This is a "park" in the sense that you can have a picnic under the gazebo or push your kids on some swings - otherwise it's just a small green space. Monk's childhood home no longer exists but would have been somewhere on the grounds. 4) Monk Rd - This road, just a block south of Monk Park, was obviously named after the man, but there's about as much significance to the name here as there is to the man they named Washington Street after (whoever that was) - its just the name. Nice that it runs parallel to the train tracks, at least. And that's pretty much it at this point. There's been talk about erecting a statue for Monk here, which would be a great idea - the great John Coltrane statue in High Point would be the model to follow, down to the sound samples and all. Here's hoping that happens. Until then, though, you've got this at least. And if you check it out, put on "Pannonica" for the soundtrack - that's what I was listening to, and it seemed to capture the feel perfectly.

Beautiful historic mill surrounded by delicious restaurants. Plenty to see and do if you're in the…read morearea.

Great area in Rocky Mount! My first mistake was not allowing enough time to visit...there's plenty…read moreto do when it comes to eating and drinking. When I arrived it was almost dark so I didn't make it to the river, but I look forward to visiting again soon and checking out the river front piece. All of the businesses, restaurants, and breweries are housed in historic buildings that were formally part of the mill. I love seeing historic places like this turning into destinations. I did notice a few places (restaurants and breweries) were closed midweek. It seems like Thursday - Saturday is the best time to visit. For untapped nerds...there are at least 4 breweries walkable to each other in here! The anchor brewery is HopFly brewing. Great IPAs and I also sampled a solid barrel aged stout. I also visited Koi Pond and Tarboro breweries in there. There are quite a few food options! I saw sandwiches, Italian, tacos, and a few other places. I settled in at the Prime Smokehouse and enjoyed some pretty good wings and a solid NC beer selection.

A hidden gem of a park! What a beautiful setting!…read more Ventured out to this park and brought my sidekick, Bo, with me. This is a lovely park, complete with trail options, restrooms, bbq grill, benches, play area for kiddos and a really nice butterfly park! The views are gorgeous! I took a lot of photos but honestly, my pics don't do this area justice. I was the only person here on a Saturday morning, the birds were chirping, the weather was perfect and it was a really nice day for the mile walk. The facilities are very well kept, the grounds were immaculate as well. Plenty of parking, too, with a few spots shaded by gorgeous trees. This park is fantastic!

We normally go multiple times a week, and it is always clean. It may look small but it is very…read morespacious, and our 3 dogs enjoy it very much. There are not very many safe places we can take our pups where they can be themselves. It is very enjoyable for us to see them so happy. Thank you!

I was looking for a dog park in the area to take my pooch Shadow and came upon this gem. Shadow is…read morepredominantly around humans and I want him to get some animal interaction to socialize him. The park is amazingly big with plenty of room for dogs to run around freely, meet and greet, and play with other dogs. There is a small dog area, a large dog area, and an agility area. There are benches and water fountains in each area. The large dog area has pools in it for dogs to get wet. I do wish there was one in the small dog area however I don't mind going in the large dog area so that my Shadow can enjoy and cool off. The agility area has a few obstacles that pets can run and jump on. The areas are large enough for you to get some steps in, sit and watch your pets, or play with them. While we were there two other dogs and I met some very nice dog owners. I will definitely be taking Shadow at least once a week.