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East Potomac Park

3.8 (39 reviews)

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Mike R.

Tis a shame parking isn't free anymore. Also the pay by phone, isn't as user friendly as it could be. This used to be where to park, when visiting the parks, museums, and attractions of the nations capital. Now it's an alright park, and have to say it's missing the sculpture "The Awakening." That's been moved, and is still beloved. Now the park does have good water views of the Potomac. There's not a lot to do here. You can walk or bike. Please do be careful as traffic of drivers is a real concern. Fishing can be fun. Lots of large catfish here. Unfortunately water quality isn't ideal. It's up to you, but I wouldn't eat any fish caught here. For my family it's catch and release only.

Steve A.

A lot of DC parks are so crowded. East Potomac Park is an exception. It's away from tourist areas so it's usually quiet. It's still close enough to a few popular attractions. This seems to be more popular among locals. It has a nice trail on the Potomac that's nice to ride along. It often gets crowded with bikers and joggers. Most of these people are locals. It doesn't get that many tourists in this area. This is far away enough from the National Mall that most tourists won't wander this way. It has some good recreational areas. There's a few basketball and tennis courts, and there's a golf course. It even has a place to catch a boat. There's also a few playgrounds. East Potomac Park is one of the good examples of a local park. It's good if you're looking you're looking for somewhere quieter. This isn't very far from Jefferson Memorial so it's not all that hard to get to.

Where to face to see the fireworks
Andrew L.

East Potomac Park is another nice spot to watch the fireworks on the 4th of July. Although the park doesn't provide as great a view of the fireworks/National Mall as does Lady Bird Johnson Park, the area provides nice spots to fire up the grill and kick back. What gives this place a three out of five is the fact that the view is a bit limited (although you can still see about 90%-95% of the fireworks) because I-395 is looking you right in the face. Even if you were to move up a bit, there's still another bridge obstructing your view. All in all, this place is OK. Oh, and while you're waiting for the fireworks to start feel free to feed the ducks and cast your line in the Washington Channel. I saw this guy catch two fairly big fish. I wouldn't trust their edibility though.

Terinee B.

I must say, when my husband first drove up to this place, I really wasn't sure that I was going to enjoy this experience too much, however I was pleasantly surprised! (Other than some of the pavement having a few "bumps & lumps",) this is really a cool, laid back place to spend an afternoon or even evening. Although the trees & plants hadn't fully bloomed, I could tell that in just a month or so, the landscape would be simply beautiful. ~AND~ If you are a runner, this seems like a great (paved) place to get a jog in! I think next time, I may bring my skates!

Arturo B.

Beautiful Park to come for a run/walk or enjoy a swim. Even a round of golf, or mini-golf if that's your thing. They even got tennis court. There's something for everyone here. The cherry blossoms trees adorn the road around the park. It's really beautiful. My favorite thing to do while here is to plane-watch. I love watching different aircrafts takeoff and land at DCA. I love all-things airplanes so East Potomac Park provides a beautiful panoramic view of DCA and the Potomac River. The visual river approach is quite a sight, whether departure or arriving: a thrill not to be missed. Bring your camera and be amazed!

A partial of view of the 14th Street Bridge and Arlington, VA in the background.
Avionna Desh S.

The East Potomac River resides along the Potomac River and offers spectacular waterscapes and/or views of the State of Virginia (Arlington is just across the water), the 14th Street Bridge, partial view of the Ronald Reagan National Airport, the Pentagon and subsequent grounds, and the George Washington (GW) Parkway. This area includes but is not limited to, the East Potomac Park Golf course, a miniature golf course, an aquatic center, playground areas, and picnic areas. It is also the home of the National Park Service. Beautifully landscaped, there are a variety of cherry trees that are spectacular to see once in bloom.

Meredith V.

I didn't even know there were playgrounds down at Haines Point! I discovered this on one of my mommy blogs, so one Saturday morning I strapped the kids in and headed into SW. Honestly, the drive here is a real B. I hate driving in DC, but particularly SW...lots of bikers and pedestrians to almost kill on the way there so enjoy that. Fortunately (and surprisingly) there's a small parking lot that feeds into this park. That was a nice touch; usually parking in DC gives me anxiety. When we arrived, there was a birthday party going on which is usually the norm for Saturday afternoons. No worries. My kids split to the playground and I found a picnic table under the shade, as it was an unusually hot day in September. About 5 minutes after sitting there, a park ranger approached me and asked me to move, as ALL picnic tables in the entire park were reserved for the King family birthday party. Come again? So every single picnic table, flanking both sides of the playgrounds, were to be "saved" for this birthday party? There were so many unoccupied tables that this request was ridiculous. She literally advised that I go find a shady spot to sit in the grass. I moved to the other side of the park to a picnic table no one was sitting at. I'm not sitting on the ground, thanks. Aside from that, I think the real fail of this park is that there are only 2 small playground structures. After being here about 25 min, the kids were bored with the lack of options. No swings, turn table, seasaw, nothing. We ended up just walking along the harbor and looking at the boats and such, which the kids had much more fun doing. I appreciated the beautiful views and the fact that they had restrooms, but for their weird picnic table rule and uneventful playgrounds, I'm not sure it's worth the trip.

Sunken flooded sidewalk

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15 years ago

We're here at night and its nice the parking seems 2 b free too

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It's a nice area and the river is nice to look at but during the winter months it's a bit too cold to really enjoy the park area.

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13 years ago

Free parking just a short walk from the national monuments? 10/10, A++, would do again

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Review Highlights - East Potomac Park

On one side of Hains Point, you have the Potomac River and Virginia and on the other, the Anacostia River and DC.

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Garfield Park

Garfield Park

4.2(19 reviews)
1.5 miCapitol Hill

Garfield Park is dilapidated and ruinous. Most playground equipment is broken or damaged, and it is…read moreoverdue for an overhaul. Kids may still have fun, but this is a subpar destination due to its lack of maintenance and all the noise from the expressway looming over it and directly adjacent. The adaptive swing has cracked plastic and doesn't lock, a merry-go-round thing barely moves, the slides are incredibly slow, etc. Tip: Eastern Market Metro Park near 8th and Penn SE is a better bet if you care about playgrounds. This place is OK for a picnic under the mature trees, if you don't mind the din of highway traffic. It also has an embankment on the western edge that is suitable for wintertime sledding. On the plus side, when my four-year-old and I were there this month, she spotted a rat trapped in the bottom of the metal trash can by the playground. So, although we would never feed pests, we showed mercy on the distressed beast. We got a good amount of memorable and free enjoyment by rescuing it from dehydration and heat exhaustion using an empty chip bag to lift it to freedom, then watching it scurry into concrete blocks under the highway. Ah, the simple joys, haha

Cool park and place to have fun. Garfield Park is located pretty close to Capitol Hill. It has some…read moreinteresting things different from many other parks. Be sure to check out the playgrounds even if you don't have any kids. They have one for adults too. Getting here from Capitol Hill doesn't take long. It still seems like it's quite a ways away though. This also is close to the Navy Yard. One bad thing is that it can be noisy because of the traffic on the freeway. There's a concrete wall separating the park from Interstate 395, which is where the noise comes from especially when it's rush hour, so if you want a quiet and relaxing visit avoid coming here at those times. Other than that it's one of the best parks around. The playground is cool for kids. If you're an adult you also have your own place to play next to it. They have adult sized playground equipment so you don't have to worry about being too heavy to play on these. It overall is one of the best parks in DC. Other than the freeway noise there's a lot of other things to like about it. This is a nice way of getting from Capitol Hill to the Navy Yard.

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Garfield Park
Garfield Park - Skating park.

Skating park.

Garfield Park

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East Potomac Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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