This 600-acre park impresses me. It's a pristine public recreation area found in James City, VA with many interesting components. My hub rode the 20 miles of mountain bike trails while I spent time walking the paths that wind through historical sites and open fields. While here, I stumbled upon the Williamsburg Botanical Garden. It features 800 species of native vegetation and entrance is free. Saw a wedding being set up; what a great site to have such a ceremony. The best surprise of all is the presence of one of the first Free Black Settlements in the US. There are 3 cabins, all furnished with items of the period (1803-1850), situated in a graceful clearing. The structures are easy to see inside and out, a trip back in time, for sure. A fellow Yelper writes that Freedom Park is one of the best places to visit if on a tight budget in the Williamsburg region. I heartily agree. There are no fees for anything, unlike other parks in the tri-city area (meaning Williamsburg/Jamestown/Yorktown). I found myself returning here for several days during the week that I was a tourist recently because this place is so enjoyable and tranquil. read more

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Nice park to explore and walk through with a botanical garden to see. Place was well maintained. Some of the trails are bicycle friendly & paved. The admission is free. Parking and finding the place were very easy to find. One of the best things to do for free or on a low budget at Williamsburg. read more

What a gem - worth the 1 hour drive for us in the winter. Super quiet hiking on trail C, which caters to the daredevil mountain bikers as it contain man made obstacles where we saw a volunteer patching up some of them with additional dirt. Natural paths were clear and trail and mile markers were available and visible, though it would be nice to do bike one way walkers the other way - maybe they were there and we didn't interpret the symbols correctly. Only advice we didn't figure out until late was make sure you hike in the opposite directions of the bike trail - so hikers in C go counterclockwise (start with the higher mile maker). This allows you to see when a biker is approaching- they do cut corners and come in fast with some of these hills - it is for their safety and yours if you are hiking. The restrooms were available and also a bike wash off. read more

Freedom Park - Parks Near Me - Williamsburg, Virginia

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Nice walk through history, there are beautiful cabins dated back in slave history. Beautiful trees and play area for children with bike routes to be around read more

This was pretty much the first thing I wanted to do, after getting into town... was TO GO ON A HIKE!! I searched on Yelp immediately and Freedom Park came up close to us. It was absolutely perfect!!! I absolutely loved he wooded areas. So many trees! There were options for a dirt-path hike on their multi-use trail (bikers and walkers) and that lead to their paved trail that was really nice, too! There are restrooms at the park and an indoor exhibit. You'll find picnic tables throughout + a botanical garden + playground + access to the "Go Ape" outdoor obstacle course. This made for a perfect day after a loooong drive out. I have a feeling the fams and I will be visiting that park often. There was plenty of parking and so much space around the park to properly socially distance (yup... a 2020 + 2021 thing). If this is what is available in terms of parks & rec in Virginia, then I am totally in love and can't wait for more! read more

Wow! Great spot for mountain bikers, hikers, casual joggers and experienced runners alike! Just a few miles off of 199, this county park offers lots of miles of well-maintained hilly singletrack in a shady, thick vegetated forest. I had read that Freedom Park has some of the best mountain bike trails in the region, which is part of the reason why I've resisted coming for so long. After my running experience today, however, I can't wait to get back out there to explore more of the trails. While my run today was moderately challenging, what I loved is that whereas many mountain bike trails have so many sharp switchbacks that it's hard to maintain consistency, the trails here have few switchbacks and offer alternative trails at each and every obstacle so that my run had few interruptions. All the trails are very clearly marked, with signage showing "more difficult" and "easy" options at every obstacle and half mile markers. The mountain bike trails are named by letters and the wider "multiuse" trails are named by numbers. Today I checked out the C trail and part of the A trail. Both of these trails total 4.5 miles in length, while the D and E trails are 5 miles and 3.5 miles, respectively. The 3 multiuse trails are a nice alternative for those looking for shorter distances or an easier course. In all they total up to about 3 miles or so. I found them to be a nice break between the difficulty of my running on the mountain bike trails. I was surprised at around 8 AM on a pleasant and sunny Sunday morning not to pass any mountain bikers on my run. Because the trails are single track, I will avoid coming here during the peak traffic times. Go Ape! Adventure Zip Line Park, which is adjacent to Freedom Park, looked to be the more popular attraction. read more

Freedom Park - Parks Near Me - Williamsburg, Virginia

If you are into mountain biking this is undoubtedly the best trails east of the blue ridge mountains. Thanks to EVMBA volunteer efforts, there are over 20+ miles of challenging trails. Hard to believe you can go here and ride for free. Be sure to try the C trail . Lots of technical jumps, ramps, and more.. My wife the trail runner runs here weekly. According to her its one of the best places in the area to run trails. read more

I truly enjoyed my visit to Freedom Park even though it was rather short. I didn't get to see everything the park had to offer, but the part I did see was beautiful. The Free SettIlement was very informative and gave a to chance to walk through pieces of history. The structures were well maintained and accurately portrayed the time period. The welcome center was staffed and had a few artifacts on display as well. The picnic area was clean and there were quite a few tables. At the start of each trail, there was a map stand with extra maps to grab which was extremely helpful. I look forward to returning to see more of the park. read more

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Freedom Park is a gem. Miles of trails, beautiful gardens, elaborate playgrounds, picnic areas, historic treasures, a zip line, and a confidence course. It's beautifully maintained. read more

Freedom Park - Parks Near Me - Williamsburg, Virginia

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Beautifully maintained park with easy parking. Open 7 days a week. Visitors center includes a beautiful community room for rent, artifacts and clean restrooms. Friendly staff explained the several trails that are open. Trail 3 is paved and was shady for us. Most trails are for bikes and narrow. Lots of nice picnic tables around the visitors center. The botanical garden is near parking and worthwhile to check out. We saw several butterflies and a nice variety of blooms. See the maps in the photo section for mileage of the trails. read more

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Very nice walk around the park. Very clean. Great roads and trails for biking and walking. Dog friendly. Has nice playgrounds, picnic areas and even a ropes course! read more

There not much going on as far as trails for us mountain bikers around here, but luckily... We have Freedom Park! Over 20 miles of trail which span for a beautiful view in Williamsburg. Five different courses which range from uphills, downhills, teeter-totters, and things you can jump off off! Be advised, though. This trail is not for the casual biker. Throughout my time here... I've bled, sweat, and most likely cried on the uphills, but it's worth it. Did I mention this place is for trail runners too? Take a few friends, some food, and some liquid to keep you hydrated because you're gonna wanna make this an all day event! read more

Very nice park to picnic. It has a playground and bike trails. There are other fun things to do. Take a picnic and enjoy yourself or just read a book on one of their benches. read more

I'm so glad Yelp finally decided to add this place! My review will mostly be about the mountain bike trails here although there are a good amount of hiking/walking only trails here. I have never done them so I cant give and details on those. This is one of my all time favorite places to mountain bike. Five different trails with their own distinct flavor to chose from. Like most riders Id say C is the one your most likely to find me on. Like most of the EVMA trails all of the routes here are very well marked and easy to follow. No awful duel direction stuff here either. So all of the obstacles are well planed, placed and sturdy. At the time of writing this there is still some construction on an actual interpretative center complete with real restrooms and what not. So no more port-a-potty. read more

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Nice place for a shady walk. Looks like it will be a great spot to return with mountain bikes! There are also botanical gardens!

Although we have lived in Williamsburg for 3 years, we have just discovered this beautiful park. The kids area is large. The cabins are interesting. The mountain bike trail draws people from near and far. we go for the hiking with our large dog. Some areas are paved. All are clearly marked. The more we go, the more we explore. Recently,we hiked a mountain bike trail. The trails were closed to bikes. We loved the challenge. You can choose your own pace and distance. The screaming in the distance, near the Go Ape, sounds like a slasher flick. If you need quiet, just stay away from that area. The park is much larger than we originally thought. read more

All 5 mountain bike trails (A-E) are very well maintained, have free trail maps near each trail entrance, and you can only ride a single direction on them. They're mostly smooth, fast, flowy single track. The climbs aren't to extensive. Trail C has man made free ride obstacles (drops, jumps, see saws) all over the place which you can go over or take an alternate route around. Be sure to check with the park before showing up as they often close trails when they're wet. The park also has botanical gardens & a zip line... I'm not sure if you need to pay to ride it or not. read more

This is my favorite place to MB. Trails are well marked and the technical areas give yo plenty of options. Very scenic too.

DOG Owners beware!! Incredible hiking trails but way too many people let their dog off leash back in the trails. They have no control over them and they will run right up your dog on leash and can start fights . A lot of people are nice but a lot of people you ask them to put their dog on leash and they laugh at you . I had to stop going there because of all those rude people and there are a lot of them . read more

We were in the park to go to the GoApe zipline spot, but found a nice paved path to take a 2+ mile stroll on afterwards. There are tons of "mountain biking" paths, 20+ miles of them - but would be great for some trail running as well. Nice visitors center with bathrooms, parking, and ample picnic tables scattered throughout. read more

What a Jewel for the residents of Williamsburg to have this great asset in their back yard! It is parks like this that add such great value to the Virginia Peninsula. 5 loops of challenging mountain bike trails, multi use trails and now a Zip Line managed by Go Ape. Come visit and you too will leave a 5 star review. read more

Went to get landfill tickets from them, nice location and friendly people!

I am a bit of an adventure junkie and have zip lined in other countries and states. I will say I was a little nervous that we would be let loose to do the tour ourselves, and be responsible for all our own safety lines. After our guide made sure our harnesses fit properly and walked us through the 30 minute safety briefing, we were fine. What a great adventure... you go through 5 stations, each one starting with a rope ladder and ending in a zip line. Some of the stations were harder and a bit challenging; the others were a blast to complete. We came home and posted photos on Facebook and have a some friends ready to go with us next month. read more

This place is awesome id say the best trails in southern Virginia. Not many roots so your ride is smooth...A and B loop is pretty good. C is the best I think many man made jumps and good singletrack..D is up and down with many turns..that one got me outta breathe quick..overall a excellent place by far!! read more

The Main Center was rented for a wedding reception. Upon arrival nine or ten picnic tables were on the patio where the wedding was to take place. No one was there to help remove the very heavy tables. There was not a place near the center to back up to for unloading the food, chairs and the wedding decorations. All of this had to be carried about forty yards through the trees to the center in ninety two degrees heat. Needless to say, every one was soaking wet after having to do this. I would not recommend this venue to anyone for this type of function. read more