Our beach house was with walking distance from this park. Which was nice little detour to do if you weren't in the mood for the beach. Especially since it can get quite hot while down here. There is so much to do in this park. Throughout the year, and especially in the summer, they have events. During the summer, it is almost daily events that you can partake in. They had music in the park one night, but with our place being so close, all we had to do was sit on the porch to listen. There is also a farmer's market, exercising in the park, I believe art in the park. If that is not your thing, there is definitely things here that could keep you busy. It should go without saying, there is a stage/bandshell area. There is a picnic area if you wanted to bring food and hang out. If you have kids, they definitely have you covered here. There is a decently sized playground (right near the public restrooms, convenient). This playground is quite extensive and inclusive. Slides, swings, seesaws, monkey bars...you name it, it is here. A lot of them are wheelchair accessible. Then there is the sandbox, complete with a turtle making it look like you are on the beach. The sidewalks here are interesting as well. Every so often you will see a seashell in the cement. Turtle tracks near the sandbox. Fossils on the climbing rocks for the jungle gym. They really put some thought into this place. Also available here for you to enjoy, horseshoe pit, cornhole, basketball court, pickle ball court, and bocce ball court. The thing about the bocce ball court, they have the state champs for Special Olympics here, complete with a plaque of sorts. One of the neatest thing here, you know those free little libraries? They got one that is a little free art library. Tiny little pieces of art that you can take with you. Bookmarks, small drawings, magnets, shells, all free for the taking. Supplied by the local community or those visiting. read more

Great park with lots of parking. If you can't find immediate parking there's a lot at the school. Just drive past the park and turn right and turn into the school lots. On Thursdays there's a nice farmers and craft market. There's a nice produce stand with lots of local product. Many of the stalls are local artists and bakers. I love lots of the beach theme products, all very good quality. read more

Lovely park in Nags head! We walked here from a rental house. The park does have ample parking spaces. The park is large and surrounded with concrete walkways. It offers basketball, open field, shaded area, bathrooms, playground, wheelchair swing, and more! Overall a great find while staying in Nags head. read more

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Great park for all ages and abilities! Whether you kids want to play in the playground, ride their bikes, throw frisbees, or play basketball- there is something for everyone! Few shaded places so bring a hat ans sunscreen. My little one had a blast. I highly recommend this amazing park! read more

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Cute, spacious, and modern kids park. On a Thursday early afternoon in the summer, the Farmers Market game was going strong. Lots of vendors, but the vendors were more art and decor stuff and less foods I could heartily nibble on while perusing goods. My little ones had a blast with the playground and the adults enjoyed the pockets of shade and chairs/benches that were available. Bathroom was surprisingly shaded and clean. Need something else to do besides the beach? This is your spot! read more

Dowdy Park - Parks Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

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Bottom Line: A great park and playground with something for all ages and all abilities. I can't drive down the bypass past E. Bonnett St. without remembering the pungent smell of the bumper cars, the thrill of the Ferris wheel and the mesmerizing lights of the Dowdy Amusement Park. Once a special destination for my family the amusement park is long but the five acres of land have been thoughtfully reincarnated as Dowdy Park. The public park has amenities like a playground, bathrooms, paved walking path, a basketball court and multi-use courts for tennis, pickle ball and such. The park is also home to one of the three Little Red Mailboxes, an amphitheater and a few pull-up bars. The playground has some great features. One set of equipment is targeted for tots ages 2 to 5 while the adjacent play area is intended for kids 6 and older. Both play areas have rubber mats beneath them with some mulch in surrounding areas. I particularly liked the rocking ship that is reminiscent of a modern day seaside see-saw. The playground also has an adaptive swing onto which you can roll on and lock in a wheel chair. My sister who is familiar with adaptive swings says it's the Rolls Royce of adaptive swings. There is also a hopscotch board near the playground as well as grills and tables. I'd been curious about this park since it opened several years ago but what finally lured me to the park was the summertime Thursday morning Farmers' Market. The market is open from 9am to 1pm and features fresh produce and locally made crafts. My family and I left with cherries, bell peppers, peaches, a bar of soap, Cheerwine barbecue sauce, a beautiful stoneware bowl, some Christmas ornaments and a fine art print by Taylor Williams. I also eyed up earrings, baked goods, snow cones and other locally made goodies. To attend the Farmers Market we parked in the neighboring Nags Head Elementary School/Board of Ed parking lot and walked to the adjacent park. Kudos to Nags Head and all of those who worked hard to make this great park a reality! read more

Dowdy Park - Farmers' Market booths under the pavilion and bordering the grassy common. - Parks Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

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This is by far the one of the coolest and cleanest community parks I've ever been to! It's got great playgrounds, clean bathrooms, plenty of space for our dog to run around, and basketball and pickleball courts! It was a great stop to let the babies play and stretch our legs! read more

Dowdy Park - Parks Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

Love the name! We had to stop because it's my last name! Cute open wooden park, centrally located with parking, sits near the beach, and perfect for kids of any ages to play at and adults to walk and watch! Tons of playground activity, climbing options, swings and more. Stop and check it out! read more

We passed this park as we were driving in from out of town. My sons asked us to stop, but after 9 hours, we just wanted to be at our lodging. So when the boys couldn't take anymore fishing, we circled back to find it. This is a gorgeous new park with accessible play options for those of most ages: a smaller set for the younger walkers, a larger set for 5-12, a few standard swings, an accessible swing, and a family swing (large enough for several children), and features that anyone can climb/play on. It is environmentally focused, blending with the surroundings and featuring things you're accustomed to finding at the beach like dunes and sea oats. The features either have rubber or bark underneath. There's a big lawn area for shows/concerts. There are a good number of parking spots (plenty for your average day, probably not enough for shows/concerts). They've got trash and recycling bins throughout. The only downside would be that there are only portable restrooms, no permanent, but that's pretty minor. read more

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We stopped here on our way to dinner to kill some time. This place is beautiful. There's ample parking. It has several different types of playground equipment to keep the kids busy. They have the soft rubbery material around the equipment instead of mulch for safety. They have a couple grills to cook on if you want to. This is the true definition of a hidden gem. read more

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Very thoughtful and well designed playground with fun for all ages and abilities! Such a treasure for visitors and locals.

My kids loved this park and it is nice because it is different than most parks. They have some unique items that make it fun for kids to play with. They have a merry-go-round that is plastic and my 20 month could sit in it and enjoy a spin as much as my 7 year old. They have a nice little hill with bars that the kids loved running up and down. They have a Sway Boat is unique and different than most parks. This is just a beautiful park with a nice restroom area. Great place to take the kids in the evening or morning. read more

Dowdy Park - Playset - Parks Near Me - Nags Head, North Carolina

This is a great playground with something for every age and lots of open space. Be advised: we did not see a single other person wearing a mask. There were some efforts to maintain social distance but no masks in sight. read more

Nice little park to take the kids while you're in OBX. Accessible and a variety of options for the kids so they don't get bored too quickly. A few spots to sit and plenty of green grass to run around on too. read more

This park is so awesome! So much variety from the turf hills to the xylophone music toy and the rock wall, my kids love it. Highly recommend for cloudy days or when the surf is rough and the kids need to burn energy outside. 10/10! read more

The park is kinda boring for any kids older than toddlers. The elements are small and simplistic and there are no monkey style bars or arm work equipment. read more

Great little park! Something for everyone! Basketball goals, playground and nice open grass area. There's plenty of parking and it's right down the road from the ocean! I have seen people complaining about masks... ummm it's an outdoor park for running and playing with an ocean breeze so yeah masks are NOT REQUIRED and that's great! Don't like that there are PLENTY of places an hour North of this town that require masks inside and out... just a forewarning for anyone that feels that they must have their face and the face of EVERYONE ELSE covered it's not gonna happen here. Right next to the elementary school and BOE for the area and plenty of police presence in a good way... no problem parking unless there's an event. Extremely clean and friendly place with quite a few businesses in walking distance. Ice cream, food, surf shop etc... 3 minute walk and you're there! So in conclusion, if you feel the need to force masks and other ridiculous measures on folks and their families outdoors you should maybe try a different venue in D.C. or somewhere similar that feels the need to muzzle their children and oppress them while they play, but if you prefer a great, clean and well thought out park right across the street from the most beautiful area of the Atlantic Ocean this is a phenomenal choice. read more

Much larger Park then whalebone park. Soft play structures and chair and tables in the shade. Big grass area for lots of outdoor fun. Be sure to bring the sharpies, this park has a kid graffiti wall! There are also grills here. Glad we found this place! read more

Amazing park for children of all ages. Completely accessible and even great green spaces with a stage. A great addition to OBX and an amazing tribute to the family that owned the amusement park that was on the same property. read more