Begrudgingly, I am rating Lake Fairfax with 4 stars. Let me preface by saying I am not an…read more"outdoor-sy" type of gal. Spas and sparkling rosé...more my speed, but I am always up for different experiences. Having said that...I've experienced it, and umm...with mosquito bites still itching, this was cool...not sure if I would say, "yes" again. While he set up the tents, I went to grab a margarita. Upon my return, I was impressed with the setup. Who knew camping could be "chic"? lol. After sending my daughter pics, she said it was, "glamping," not "camping." Lol Honestly, I enjoyed. Just hated the bugs. I love to read. If you do too, bring a good book. The camping ground is spacious. You're assigned a lot where you set up your tent(s). Seems like he had the entire gamut -- blow up couch, blow up bed, portable grill, speakers for music, bug repellent, food, and libations ;-) You will hear everything that is nature at night. I swear I heard a fox howling/barking. All-in-all, it was a cool experience...five days later, still itching from those bites. Oh! There's a water park too...arrive early to get in because they do have a capacity limit.

Wayyyyy back in the day, my dad bought a RV, and the one place that I can explicitly remember us…read moregoing, was Lake Fairfax Park. I also remember having a great time on the lake paddle boating and swimming in the big "L" shaped pool. Fast forward decades later, I have taken a liking to camping. I still consider myself a novice, and over the last 3yrs, I have accumulated some cool stuff. I have an annual camping trip with a large group next month, but I wanted to do a small intimate trip to one of my favorite childhood places. I must say, Lake Fairfax has one big change from when I was a child. It now has a HUGE waterpark that has giganic water slides as soon as you enter. I was a little disappointed to hear from the check-in Park attendant, who had the personality of a disinterested teenager, that the L shaped pool I referenced was no longer there. My picture of laying poolside or chillin in the pool were shattered, because with waterparks, comes tons and tons of young kids.. and honestly, I would just rather not..LOL! Once we made it to our assigned camping lot, I was super pleased at how close we were to the extremely clean rest rooms that were equipped with showers. The camping site was noticeably quiet, almost library quiet, so that suprised me a little. I didn't want to disrupt the flow, so I kept my speaker at a low level. :) All in all, I had a memorable experience at Lake Fairfax Park and I can definitely see myself coming back sometime next Spring/Summer!!

Watkins Regional Park is truly a hidden gem! I recently took my 4-year-old niece, and she…read moreabsolutely loved every minute of it. The Wizard of Oz-themed playground made such an impression on her that we've been watching The Wizard of Oz on repeat ever since our visit. It was so much fun seeing her imagination come to life as she explored all the themed play areas. One thing I really appreciated was that there's something for kids of all ages. There are plenty of play structures and activities to keep everyone entertained. The park is also very family-friendly, with lots of shaded benches and picnic shelters where I could comfortably sit, relax, and keep an eye on her while she played. After the playground, we walked across the street to ride the carousel, which she absolutely adored. They also have a train ride, but unfortunately it wasn't operating during our visit. That just gives us another reason to come back! Next time, we're planning to visit the farm and meet all the animals. I can't believe such a special place is just a few miles from home. If you're looking for a fun, affordable outing with children, Watkins Regional Park is definitely worth the visit. We can't wait to go back!

Great playground for ages 3-10. Park is nice and clean with…read morea merry-go-round ($). Nice walking trail to see farm animals (free)

The Rio Carousel - fully accessible for wheelchair users! And the staff are incredibly competent…read moreand caring and nifty folks. My 65th birthday was also National Carousel Day... I celebrated in style, and with much laughter. Thank you.

I never found the place for my scheduled tour and no one picked up the phone. After three times of…read morecalling, in addition to emailing and no response I left. I figured this is already a bad start.

My 4.5 year old niece really enjoyed riding on this Carousel as you get unlimited rides for one low…read moreentry price. This was probably the best value of anything in National Harbor I experienced during my time there. They have quite a selection of fine mounts to ride with multiple size horses, ponies, an eagle, a sea dragon, a panda, tigers, polar bears and likely several other creatures I've left out.

My 2 year old daughter LOVED this area of the National Harbor. I never knew this area existed…read more Behind the carousel it's a tot lot & In front of the carousel there are tables and chairs to Sit and eat your food. I'm going to see if they allow people to have birthday parties here. I would love to do that. Also the price is amazing. I paid $3 for unlimited rides on the carousel. You can't beat that price. As we all know how many times your kiddies want to go on the same ride a million times.

I never had the chance to go to the park, but I remember as a kid being able to see the ferris…read morewheel from my grandfather's porch after the park closed down. Reliving some of my childhood loves, this has made me think of getting into carousel renovations.

Gwynn Oak Park is a pretty park in Baltimore County, MD. Gwynn Falls Creek runs through the park…read moreand forms a small waterfall. There is a small foot bridge that connects the neighboring community, covered picnic area, and a small stage area.

I love the history of this carousel but it doesn't compare to the one at the zoo! Most of the…read morehorses need some serious cosmetic help - it's just so sad to see this bit of history on the Mall lacking the maintenance it seems to need. I don't know if or when the policy changed (as one of the photos here shows credit card signs for payment at the ticket booth), but when we were here after the Smithsonian Kite Festival last month, we were (rather rudely) told that it was strictly cash only. That is not listed anywhere, and much to our daughters' relief, we had enough cash to cover one ride ($3.50 per ride but littles need to be accompanied by an adult). This carousel also has an unfortunate policy of letting riders with multiple tickets just stay on instead of getting off and giving the next round of people first pick at the horses (as they make you do at the Zoo). This caused a fair amount of anguish for one of my daughters who had her heart set on the dragon - we were the first in line, but because a boy the turn before us had another ticket, he just stayed on and stayed on the dragon. Small potatoes in the long run, I know, but kind of an annoying policy.

If I were to collect something creepy it wouldn't be dolls, or clowns, or Precious Moments…read morefigurines...it would be carousel horses. But, I would not collect one from the Carousel on the National Mall. These poor phillies have seen better days. The only super cool one isn't even a horse, it's a dragon and it's pretty awesome. Despite the wear and tear, it's a carousel and it's on the National Mall so it wins on location, location, location! I had a grand ole time riding in a tea cup with one of my boys while the other rode the cool dragon. It only costs $3.50 per person and we walked away with cute pictures that are worth much more than that.

I love this park and all the arts and crafts opportunities (and social dances!) they offer here! My…read morekids took pottery lessons here for years and had a lot of fun...the classes are in the very unique and interesting yurts close to the Arcade building (where the main offices are). I'd also highly recommend the super fun swing dances in the Spanish Ballroom ....the live music is great and the dances are usually well attended, meaning lots of dance partners! I've gone to the contra, swing, and waltz dances (there are free lessons before each), these have all been worthwhile and entertaining. Less well known but equally highly recommended are the folk dance lessons...these are usually given in the space behind the ballroom or in the bumper car pavilion...I really enjoyed these dances and they are quite different from the swing and contra dances. You feel as if you are dancing as a group, even more so than with the contra dances.... I feel it's a great way to bring everyone together, almost like singing in a choir but with dancing... My kids and I have also gone to puppet shows at the park and ridden on the antique carousel (which has limited hours or is often under repair)...there is a little cafe located in a building where I think they also used to have Irish step dance lessons. I believe the cafe is run by the great local bakery, Pralines (which has great sandwiches). The Washington Conservatory is also located at the park and offers music lessons. There is a lot packed into this little park, and the surrounding area also has a lot to offer (it is near one of the small parking lots that has access to C&O canal)

interesting place hidden and nestled in what felt like a secret pathway and maybe even a secret…read moregarden in the forest when I went here with my ex-husband Leo Mejia in 2013! Ill never forget how charming it was but how it hauntingly left something to be desired

This is one of my family's favorite parks. My 6 year old grandson and soon to be 4 year old…read moregranddaughter love coming here. They love playing in the sandpit & on the swings that are adjacent to them. This part of the park is shaded by trees & is a perfect spot for parents to relax too when their kids are playing. There's a fun jungle gym play area just a few steps away from the sandpit with a small slide, club house and climbing wall. All this is behind the restrooms & the water fountain next to the parking lot. This is just a small part of the fun activities this park has to offer! There's a great family workout area in full sun. The kids love it as much as the adults. For the bigger children there's a large play area with swings, jungle gyms of the spiderweb design, tunnels, tall tube slides, monkey bars & a small hill for climbing up and sliding down. This area is also in full sun most of the day. The woods offer shady walking/running trails. If you are planning a big family outing or a party there are plenty of picnic tables and shelters & another restroom facility on the side of the park. We attended the annual Wheaton Friendship Picnic here this past weekend. It was a great Sunday afternoon in September for it! There was free food, games & information booths, a live reptile display with cool snakes and turtles & fire trucks. The park also includes a train ride & carousel for additional fee & an ice skating facility. Until next time be kind to each other. # Wheatonregionalpark @yelpdc #carousel #trainrides #sandpit #familyfuntime