I first learnt of this place through a coworker, someone who is from the area, went to school at…read moreUniversity of Maryland, and someone that has a little more knowledge of the history of the area as well. Also, I had not clue how extremely close I have been to this area on so many occasion and never discovered this until recently. Well hidden gem. If I hadn't done any type of research on this place, I would have assumed that this had always been here in the state that it is. When you see 'Natural Area' in the title of a place, you usually think that it was always wilderness. But not the case here. How Lake Artemesia is currently is due to the construction of the College Park and Greenbelt Metro stations. Locally sourcing materials from this area aiding in the construction. Once the metro stations were completed the lake as it is now was constructed. Fun fact: there are no naturally occurring lakes in Maryland, they are all manmade. But well before the Metro made its way through the area, the lake was created after stone was quarried in the area in the 1800s. Obviously a bit smaller than what you see today, but it was still there. Another fun fact, the smaller lake was originally used to raise goldfish. The history here also should be know that where the lake is was part of the Lakeland community. An African American community before being absorbed by College Park. This is the one thing I wish they focused on with the park. There are informative signs around the lake, touching on the wildlife you might stumble upon. I wish they would put some in with the history of the land. (I was also a little sad that I didn't get to see an otter) also, if there were some on the history, I just didn't see them or they were some that need some TLC)) This is a great park overall. It can be accessed by so many directions. I came in from the Berwyn Heights area, got a little dizzy on the pedestrian bridge that crosses the Green Line. The paths are ample for walking/bicycling. Sometimes, not everyone observes the fact that there are other people here and may take up the whole path, even though it is set up as a road essentially. Tons of seating throughout if you want to take a break. Great view of the ever changing skyline of College Park. I am sure this is better to visit when it is warmer, not on a cold, blustery winter day.

My thankful Thursday goes to Lake Artemisia. This place is beautiful. When they say some of the…read morebest things in life are free! I agree. The loop is roughly 2.4 miles, it's paved and clean; I've never seen litter or trash lying around. The lake was also home to a historical African American community called Lakeland established in 1890. Walking the park you'll see a few plaques and markers with brief history. Many years ago the citizens of this segregated society, developed their own institutions and cultural traditions, including the area's only high school for African Americans, built in 1928. There is a Lakeland Community Heritage Project that was created to preserve its history and the stories of its people through photographic archives and now the Lakeland College Park Community Center. Thankful that this is a peaceful place to run, walk, ride my bike, or simply sit and reflect. Greenery unique to the area is the mimosa trees that bloom in the summer and the giant reed grass surrounding the lake. Parks & Planning along with other organizations also hosts activities like birdwatching and community walks . In addition to this, there is a small playground and ergonomic gym. Lovely in every season and rich in American history, Lake Artemisia is the beating heart to lots of people in the Greenbelt community. Let's love, honor, and cherish Her for generations to come! #ThankfulThursdays

Mhew! This park has a decent camp ground for a nights sleep before hitting the road. Camps are very…read morenear to each other and it's very open where the six campsites near you can literally see you pick your nose so don't go doing that and eating it. Bathrooms are mediocre because I've definitely seen worse. They do have a caretaker onsite 24/7 who drives around every hour but he can probably just see everyone from his camp setup. I'd only stay here again for a quick nights rest and go. I wouldn't recommend this for a family camping trip and I certainly wouldn't stay a few days. A shady character cooked something in the fire pit near me (unoccupied site) then left. This entire neighborhood seems to have shady humans so if you're scared of the strange occupants that dwell in city life, just steer clear of Greenbelt, MD altogether. It doesn't bother me but I'm also just passing by, not having a family outing here.

Nice park. Located in middle of urban area. Limited infrastructure for NPS site. Rangers are…read morenice. Good junior ranger program. Campsite was clean but bathrooms were pretty old and in a bit of disrepair. Not a destination but not a bad stop in area.

My new local park! There are two entrances -- one is directly off of Hanover Parkway, and a trail…read morefrom one of the surrounding neighborhoods lets you access the northeast corner of it. This park has two enormous fields, where I see soccer played a lot. In between the two fields, there is a sheltered dining area, bathrooms, and a long row of benches that connect the front of loop trail to the back of the loop trail. This loop trail can be a little challenging because it's quite hilly, no matter which direction you go in. But I see several people walking or jogging it all the time, and I see why, it's worth it! I appreciate the fact that this park is open until 11 PM, so sun down doesn't necessarily mean it's time to go. And of course, the potential for Pokemon Go hunting is always there ;-)

My kids(5 years, 3 years and 10 months old) and I went to the playground during a weekday, between…read more10 a.m to 11:30 in June. Less crowded but there were kids from locals and they looked like among 2-7 years old. The gyms were well designed for the purpose of safety but the ground was not covered by a mat so I was not comfortable to let the last baby walking. The gym was close by a parking and could get there by a stroller. A lot of tree made shadow so parents can sit down under shadows and be cool.

What a great, clean playground. This American Indian playground is designed for kids about 18…read moremonths- 5 years old. I love how slides are short so it's safe for the little ones to go by themselves. Part of the playground is covered in wood chips and the other part is made of soft rubber mat. The wood chips look very clean. The equipment here are also very clean and well-maintained. When we went to this playground, it didnt seem overly crowded as well so the little one had a blast. After familiarizing with the place, she had to courage to go explore the playground. She had a blast there. We will definitely be including this in our list of playgrounds to continually visit.

I don't think many people outside of this neighborhood know about this park. It's sooooo quiet! It…read moreconsists a decently sized parking lot, a rec center, one playground, one pavilion, one basketball court, one tennis court, and one small loop around a field. There's really not much to it, but it's such a nice getaway if you want peace and quiet. I haven't seen more than 3 people at the park and any given time, and sometimes I am the only one! During a time where many people want to be outside of their houses but still avoid people, this park is definitely an answer to that. Just watch the Canadian geese poop on the loop, they're messy and reckless!!

Dinosaur Park in Laurel, MD (near DC) is the perfect educational gem, family affordable admissions,…read morescientifically significant fossil site. Open regularly, but best visited on the first/third Saturdays for supervised digs, it features authentic, healthy outdoor exploration and paleontologist-led learning for kids, making it a priceless activity. Happy & Active: Kids love finding fossils, exploring the outdoor, fenced-in site.

Unless you go to one of their interpretive programs on the first and third Saturdays of the month…read more (What they said) ...It was pretty much only a few fact boards to look at/read, and like one thing for kids to climb around. So just because the stated hours are open during the week, doesn't mean there's anything going on and you can't like go behind the fence and there's no digs or anything, or even any place to walk. Sure there's picnic tables if you wanna just sit and eat your lunch with a bunch of corporate office buildings all around but it's definitely not something I would drive 45 minutes to unless you're actively going to one of the scheduled interpretive program.

Clean park with scenic views, a playground, basketball court. soccer field, and walking trails!…read moreDidn't know it was even here! Plenty of parking available. I enjoyed my walk here earlier. Wasn't crowded at all! Definitely planning to visit again!

Pro: tennis court, walking trails, playground, basketball court, indoor pool, outdoor workout…read moreequipment. Big parking spaces. Con: geese poo. This park is alway busy with people. There is a daycare, middle school, and an elementary school next to the park so it is always full of children 24/7. There are area for panic and softball fields that organization use. Plenty of trash can around the park to help keep the area clean. Some workout equipment are scatter around the park. Only down side is that there are a lot of geese in the area and they poo a lot on the walking trail.

Little Paint Branch Park is a small park in Beltsville, Maryland with a parking lot, a community…read morecenter, a playground with a big kid area and small kid area, trails and a few courts. If you want to access the playground, park furthest away from the entrance.

I have lived minutes from this park for 5 years and never knew this was right around the corner…read more It's peaceful and beautiful.... today was 77 degrees outside but almost the entire trail is covered with trees and the the small river going through makes it very comfortable to be walking for a while in the heat.

Has a small walking trail (10mins) around a lake and pathway up to some tennis court, basketball…read morecourt, volleyball, baseball , football field and play park.