Amazing hiking trails! Trails are pretty accessible for all levels…read more The trail maps need updating as there are some new trails.

It's closed for months to repair a sewage siphon in spring, which is ridiculous. There's a sewage…read morepipe that empties into the waterfall area, but people don't seem to care and they swim, even though you can smell the sewage. The whole place and even the forest is littered with hard lemonade and beer bottles, babies diapers, dog poop and all kinds of food wrappers.

Forget Tidal Basin!…read more The Kenwood neighborhood was absolutely beautiful, and when we went, there were no crowds! The cherry blossoms were stunning and in full bloom, and driving down the tree-lined streets was magical! Note that there are signs posted where you can't park in front of residences during the season, so please be respectful! Super peaceful, no crowds, and great photo ops! +beautiful cherry blossoms! +no parking

Although there is a crowd here, it's not as many people as Tidal Basin. Parking is hard to find…read moresince it is a neighborhood and signs everywhere saying no parking, but once we finally found a street with parking, it was so nice to walk around the neighborhood and see the streets lined up with cherry blossoms! They were everywhere. They were so beautiful and great to get pics. Definitely nice to even just drive through.

This climbing spot is more than that. The Billy Goat Trail goes through it passing stunning rock…read moreformations that bleed into the Potomac River. There's a large parking lot with restrooms, drinking fountains, and clear signage. It's also close to many other things to do in the area like Lockhouse 10, Glen Echo, and more.

I love the Canal Tow Path. I have run along it a couple dozen times. I usually enter in Georgetown…read moreor at Fletcher's Cove. But I also start at Carderock for a change or if that is how the race is set up. I don't do much in the park itself. But I see it is a lovely, underused facility (which I don't want to ruin). There is, as people have mentioned, a military facility nearby. I wonder as I drive around, if they are conducting surveillance or if you'd get in trouble for doing something such as taking photographs. I've never had an issue though, if you were wondering. I have gotten lost, however, because it's not quite clear (and GPS is not precise) how you get to where you want to go once you take the exit. I recommend Carderock highly for a hike. I believe it also is a nice place to hang out, even if you don't get to the trail (but why would you go here and not at least take a gander at the water).

Love it here. So safe and peaceful. Everyone is very nice and it's super clean. But not so clean…read morethat your kid won't get a little dirty from running around. Nice basketball courts and tennis courts. Big soccer field.

This is a cute playground outside of Friendship Rec center in the Upper northwest part of DC. I…read moretook my toddler here on a Tuesday afternoon. It was pretty quiet (just nannies and a few kids) until the private schools let out and kids in Gucci shoes followed by moms in neon colored Chanel boots showed up and it became quite crowded. We left not too long after this because a few of these unruly children who were not being watched by their moms repeatedly tried to bully my 2 year old out of the sand area. Before these children arrived, we had a great time with the various slides and toys left behind in the sand. There's lots of open space, tennis courts, and a separate section for older kids. Parking is on the street and highly coveted. I noticed many cars circling on our way out. It looks like there's a splash pad here as well. I might take my son back here but would definitely choose to come earlier than later.

My family and I enjoyed playing at the playground the other weekend. It is nice that it is fully…read moreenclosed and has some benches. There's toddler-sized playground equipment in the shape of a firetruck, which was pretty perfect for my kiddos. Otherwise, there's another piece that is much bigger and definitely aimed at bigger kids. It includes a very steep slide, zip line, and fully enclosed winding slide. There are also four swings, two for younger kids and two for older kids. It's not the biggest playground, but it definitely does the trick! Parking in the library on a Sunday was clutch! It's a handy option, though I don't love having to walk along the busy road to get there.

This little gem is strictly a "kids-only" type of park. Completely re-done last year, it has…read moreswings, climbing things and all w/in a fenced area so kids don't run off into the bordering city streets. It's also a great little spot for brown-bag lunchers with a few picnic tables w/seats and a charming open-air gazebo. Not much on grass but big on shade trees,- this is a nice place to rest after shopping in Bethesda Row a block away.

Really good place to go. For people with kids. Really clean place and nice people. Nice basketball…read morecourts outside.

Love, love, love this neighborhood park--and so do all the neighborhood kids. There are two…read moreplaygrounds (one for preschoolers, one for school-aged kids), two tennis courts, basketball hoops, a little league field, a few tables with BBQs, and a hill perfect for sledding when there is enough snow. The city shuts off the water to the water fountains a bit prematurely (early November) and there's some scary spots on the 2-5 year old playground that forces you to play with your kid to prevent them from falling...but that's not so bad. Thanks, Rockville for such a nice park!

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 a hidden gem in downtown Bethesda. The address was not previously added, so it would have…read morebeen hard to find. I came today for Planet Bethesda. It was a plant-based eco friendly event. I learned about it from a news segment on Friday. I am so glad I came. Parking is easy and free on Sat/Sun in the open lot off Willow Street (behind the Montgomery Farm Women's Cooperative Market. The park offers lots of tables under mature trees for shade. There is a playground area at the far side for the little ones. There were plant based food options from various Bethesda vendors. Also, other vendors selling or giving away sample items. This would be a great place to have a family picnic. Very urban area without the noise and traffic. I highly recommend you visit soon!

I almost always bring my lunch back to the office and eat at my desk. Yes, I am aware of how lame…read morethis is. However, I wanted to take advantage of the weather while it's still wonderfully breezy out minus any humidity. So I bought my lunch at the Brown Bag and walked across the street to Elm Street Park. (I should note that the map is inaccurate. It's actually on the other side of Elm - across from Wisconsin Ave, just 1 block.) There is a playground on the left side for the little ones to run around and there are plenty of tables on both sides of the path to sit and enjoy lunch under the trees. The tables are small - which are perfect if you're dining solo - but I mean, there's room for 4 to sit. Over a little further on the right side of the path, there's a little gazebo and larger picnic tables. I can totally see myself coming here during my lunch break til it gets too cold to eat outside. ** Pictures to follow after I remember to take my camera with me next time **

This is a rather small park area with a handful of picnic tables, a playground, a basketball court,…read moreand a tennis court. The tennis court was locked though (July 2021), so it might not be open to the public currently. There were a few families having a picnic outside when I was there. Harris Teeter and many restaurants are within walking distance in the area. Nothing was really special about this park. It felt like just a typical small park in the middle of a city.

Came to this park last minute with my daughter before getting lunch & we were pleasantly surprised…read more This park met our expectations!

Beautiful public gardens located near Bethesda in an upscale neighborhood, with nice restrooms and…read moreminimal parking. The reviews on McCrillis are very confusing so I'll try to address some of the issues in my review. When you arrive in front there is a circle drive to a house. This house is public property and can be rented for meetings or weddings, and clean restrooms are located around the back. These are public restrooms located on the left of the house when facing it from the rear. There is also a water fountain. The front of the property has no parking and neither does the busy Greentree Road along which the park is located. I parked at a school nearby and I'm sure that was not allowed during the week, but if school is out that is the recommended parking location. You can also enter the gardens through a rear gate from Armat Drive, which I discovered after wandering around the gardens. These are public gardens but there is no public parking that I could find. The gardens are magnificent and I would love to be here for sun rise. with ample tree coverage, beautiful paths wind around azalea bushes and a few rhododendrons. Interestingly I note that some reviewers complained that this garden had no flowers, just bushes--that's because it's an azalea garden and if the azaleas aren't blooming there's not a lot of flowering plants there at all. So I recommend coming during azalea season, and also possibly during rhododendron season. Compared to the Arboretum this was less crowded (we were the only people in the garden for most of our time there) and more dense with azalea bushes. The arboretum is expansive by comparison, and more popular as well. If you are touring azaleas I think this would be my second priority after the arboretum but it's a great, great garden with nice little walking paths that are mostly very well shaded by large trees.

Across from a school and in a residential neighborhood, McCrillis Gardens feels like the "hidden…read moregem" the Washingtonian Magazine once claimed it to be. Visiting on a Monday morning, here's my experience. 1) Entrance: Good thing there's clear signage. Otherwise, it would be easy to miss. When you walk in, there's a roundabout in front of an old house. The garden is behind the house. In case you miss the signs or the staff furiously yelling at you, you can't park here. Some park across the street at the school or you can find street parking along nearby Renshaw Drive. 2) Gardens: Go in the spring when flowers are in bloom. There are trails, benches, and other areas to find stillness.