This park is a hidden jewel. It is expansive, with a children's play area, a large shelter (good…read morefor outdoor, socially distanced gatherings) and walking trails. It is well maintained and seemingly lightly trafficked because it is tucked away in a Durham neighborhood. We visited over a holiday weekend and saw only a handful of other families, most of whom were in the children's play area. The majority of people were wearing masks and so it felt very safe to visit during the pandemic. The parking lot is small but due to the light traffic, it didn't pose a problem when we visited. This is a great park to visit with children, dogs and/or adult friends and family members especially as other outdoor attractions in the area are seeing heavier traffic due to the pandemic. We brought a badminton set and had plenty of room to set up and play in the large field near the shelter. This would be a good place to throw around a football or play fetch with a pup.

Nice park, as beautiful as the location dictates. Senior friendly. I'm a senior and require a…read morerollator to walk any distance and the paths were accommodating.

I stopped at this large park to walk off a little of my dinner and digest a little more of my beers…read morebefore I got back onto the highway. It's a top notch park with a lot of features. Baseball, basketball, picnic shelter with tables, playground and tennis courts. Add some seating around the basketball courts and perhaps a few more benches around the super awesome playground and you'd have five stars. There is a large parking lot here and the building has restrooms (currently closed). [Review 15530 overall, 1034 of 2021, number 3069 in North Carolina.]

Brought my kids here for my son's first birthday on a whim. Although there was a small section for…read moresuch little guys, it's really not suited for the tiny ones. My older two loved it! The play equipment was fun and in great shape. The walking paths were very pretty. The building has bathrooms inside which is great, although more than half of the stalls were lacking toilet paper. There was a truck in the parking lot selling water ice which was super yummy! Overall great park trip.

We enjoyed visiting this playground. The Toddler playground has three slides and is the perfect…read moresize for the little ones. It's partially shaded by the nearby trees. There's no benches but parents can sit on the concrete brick wall. The bigger playground is a short walk away. It has two big slides and a few little ones. It's perfect for all ages. There is open green space pretty close by. There are a few benches and even picnic tables around the playground area. However, there is almost no shade in the immediate area. There is an indoor bathroom facility near the big playground. They also have conveniently located trash cans. Parking is mostly along the road and a few spaces near the toddler playground.

We stayed at a dog-friendly AirBnB over Thanksgiving and found this nearby dog park. The parking…read morelot was a little difficult to find as the ground was covered in leaves, but we figured it out. This was one of the most fun and nostalgic dog parks I've ever been to - the entire dog park has obstacles and materials made from old McDonald's playgrounds, like from the 80s and early 90s. It was a blast from the past and very fun to identify which items I remembered. The pups both loved the park - there were tennis balls everywhere and it was surprisingly clean.

What a daydream this spot is so beautiful and a very easy walk. I loved coming in to explore this…read more park and we even saw some deer when walking here. It was so cute. For more recommendations follow@raleighunlocked on Instagram.

It's a nice park in the area! You'll get to expose yourself to sunlight and nature! Great place to…read moredo picnic or outdooring like fishing and playing toys on the lake! Cool place

Lovely spot to go for a walk! So many different areas to explore…read more Also lots of open lawn space to hang out for a bit! They even have little robot lawn mowers out sometimes.

Really an amazing place to visit! We went early in the morning (8am-10am on a Saturday, when you're…read moreallowed to bring your dog). My dog was well-behaved thankfully. Love that there's various gardens and that even though it was the end of the growing season that we got to see some flowers and other interesting plants. The landscaping is gorgeous. I couldn't find a gift/plant shop - I think they removed it?? I didn't go into their welcome center or cafe to find out more info. Bathroom was clean but my stall door wouldn't remain closed so that was a bit awkward - hopefully they'll fix that

Mount Merrill Play-MOUND, part of Durham Central Park, is a true picture of what Durham is and how…read morethe community comes together to create and better our wonderful city. What began as a kickstarter project to make Durham Central Park an even better destination spot and give kids an activity, quickly took off. The community came together and raised $200,000 to fund the park. In addition to the food truck rodeos, skate park, farmers market and summer concert series that Durham Central Park offers, they now offer Mount Merrill, The play-mound offers two slides, a climbing net, great amphitheater seating, a ramp up to a "look-out!" area (you have to stretch your imagination here a bit), a boulder climb (mostly just piles of rocks) and lots of sculptural art (that was previously in the park and now is claimed by Mount Merrill). While Mount Merrill can't compare to many other play structures in the area, the tiny small mound is a lot of fun for kids of all ages (I too enjoy the big slide!) and I hope to see some improvements made to it in the summer months. Durham Central Park, with the addition of Mount Merrill, has quickly become a place for the whole family and a destination that I can see my nieces and nephews taking their children someday, just like I've taken them. Good job Durham, keep up the community building! I love the idea, it's just the size of the park that gives it a three-star, hopefully they'll add on to it in the summer!

We call this Rock Park because the boulders are irresistible and so fun. Lots of slides - big…read moreenough for adults to go down too. Nice small nature area for kids who like to explore.

First and only visit took a bit of a drive from where I lived but did not disappoint. The hiking…read morewas fairly level with a great meditative and uncrowded nature walk. Deserving of good hiking boots to navigate the trail's obstacles.

Nice park with many trails of varying difficulty. A couple trails were closed due to a past storm,…read morebut we still enjoyed our hike along the river

Had a fun time at the 5th Annual Boos Fest which was held at Durham Central Park. The event was…read morelisted on Yelp and looked like a good time for all! Family friendly, food trucks, costume contests, vendors and adult beverages. This was a ticketed event on Eventbrite and by the looks of the people who were there(despite the cooler temps) it was something fun to do with the whole family this Halloween/Spooky season ! We found free street parking nearby , check in went smoothly and when I needed to use the restroom, I simply went to the nearby food hall. Check out my pics to see some of the festivities/food/fun! I would recommend and go again!

Durham Central Park always has a good energy to it, even when you show up right after the fun part…read moreis already wrapping up. We got here just past the end of a farmers market or maybe a street market, and you could still feel the leftover buzz from whatever had been happening. Bit of a bummer to miss it, but the space still had that relaxed weekend vibe that makes it easy to wander around and enjoy the park for what it is. I enjoyed the playground here, and yes, I absolutely went down the slide because why not. It's a great little spot tucked into a park that feels welcoming no matter what's going on, whether it's a full market day or just the quiet aftermath. Even without the vendors and crowds, it's still a solid stop and a nice way to spend a few minutes in downtown Durham. [Review 1166 of 2026 - 4815 in North Carolina - 26345 overall]

I came across William B Umstead State Park while staying in a nearby hotel for business. I am…read morealways looking for somewhere peaceful to walk or run when I have the time and so happy to have found this park nearby. I came to find out that the park covers thousands of acres and has all kinds of trails. The entrance I utilized on foot required my constant attention after crossing over the interstate as the sidewalk vanishes and I had to make sure I was on the shoulder to make sure I didn't get squished by cars going into and out of the park. It wasn't that difficult but be aware if you are entering the park on foot from the nearby SAS campus (of which I understand Umstead along with a friend started). There's lots of parking from this entrance and a few trails to choose from. I took the Loblolly trail from the Reedy Creek entrance. It is fairly long at around 7 miles out. It's not a loop. I did about a mile and a quarter of the trail and it was awesome. All covered with a tree canopy the trail is well marked and maintained. It ranged from gravel to vines and rocks to bare dirt. Great scenery and very peaceful. There's enough room to pass other walkers and hikers. I really enjoyed this park. I want to explore it more if I'm in the area again as I had time constraints. I highly recommend this well maintained park and will visit again. Nothing quite like a good walk in nature. Enjoy!

Wonderful trails for biking, hiking, walking (and also some trails are sign-posted to allow…read morehorses). Not crowded. Miles & miles of trails. Picnic tables and pavilions. Creeks and streams. Lakes and ponds. Boating. BE AWARE of closed trails, bridges, etc...stop by the park office AND check the website for closures.

This updated review is for the turf soccer fields. The youth Rainbow soccer league uses these for…read moreweekly practices. These are nice fields that don't really end up needing to be closed from rain since they are turf. The parking lot can get very crowded. I recommend backing into a parking spot so you can exit a little easier.

Went on a Saturday- I will say a fair number of dogs were unleashed which is never good in my…read moreopinion. We had to turn around a couple of times to avoid other dogs off leashes. The parking at the soccer field area wasn't bad but I do know it gets packed at that soccer field but there was also a playground and a couple of trails (the longest was about 1.1 miles so we did a couple). The trails were relatively easy to follow and had posts with color coordination. Overall a really close spot to me so will be visiting again. I do think the trails could be longer but overall are nice. Next time will visit the water with the overlook.