Sandy Bottom Nature Park has always been a go-to when it came to walks. Starting back in 2018,…read moreit's never disappointing during each visit. Last month, I joined a friend of mine for a morning stroll. Let's see how the visit turned out. I met my friend outside of the information center on an early Saturday morning. The weather was cold but not to where walking was impossible. The path we took, Wetlands, was pretty good and mostly dry. It's the main one we take everytime I visit. I was surprised there weren't other people out and about since it had sunshine, but it was cold and breezy. Just the way a nice trail should be on a Saturday morning. Overall, a pretty good time to get some exercise in. This park is one which will continue to be one of my favorites. Till next time :)

Beautiful views, lots of trails and dog friendly! I've run a few trails here, walked a few and…read morefrequent the dog park. It's well kept and I love it especially during the fall and spring. There's also plenty of parking!!

We call this FORT FUN, nice big big park for kids of all ages. My toddler (3) loves this park. I…read morefor one love the size of it and location.

Tons of different things for the kids to do. It was busy when we went on a Saturday afternoon, but…read morethere is so much space that it didn't cause any issues!

This place may be small, but it is definitely mighty…read more I had one staff member who was in contact with us while we were planning our visit for our special needs class at our school. He was so helpful and also provided bags of feed to our children while we walked around. While walking around, we were able to see many animals . One of our favorite areas was the garden area. Our children really enjoyed watching and looking at some of the items they were growing, whether it was produce or flowers. Another area we enjoyed was the playground . Our children in our classroom are older, but they were able to enjoy the playground as well. There was plenty of seating around the playground so you could sit and watch the children. The bathrooms were pretty clean for the type of area we were at . All of the staff that we came in contact with were fantastic. There was a lot of hard-working staff members there whether they were feeding animals or watering or attending to ground crew chores. The parking lot is pretty large. It can accommodate both vehicles and buses. We will definitely return .

Bird Bird Gap Farm is a gem for families looking for a fun, safe, and engaging place to spend the…read moreday. Right near the entrance, you'll find clean and well-maintained restrooms--something every parent can appreciate! Off to the side, there are fantastic sensory and fine motor skill activity stations that are thoughtfully designed for all kids, including those with sensory needs. The highlight for many is the amazing playground. It's spacious and exciting, and best of all, the swings are inclusive and accessible for children with disabilities, which makes this space truly welcoming for everyone. In addition to all the fun, there are friendly farm animals to visit and interact with, which is always a hit with little ones. Plus, there are not just one but two free little libraries on-site (1:the one for kids is located near the garden gazebo and main animal area 2: The young adult one is located near the swings leading you to the fine motor skills and sensory bin area) perfect for encouraging reading and relaxing in a peaceful setting. I highly recommend packing a lunch a blanket and grabbing a book and enjoying by the small pond. Lots of photo and learning opportunities here! Bird Bird Gap Farm is more than just a place to play it's a space that values accessibility, creativity, and community. Highly recommend! Look out for the white peacock!

This is a great beach with plenty of parking and lots of beach space. They also have a children's…read moreplayground a couple piers a nice boardwalk. We have been twice and enjoyed it both times. If you are nearby I would definitely check it out.

My husband and I spent a week in Hampton, VA for a vacation and really enjoyed the beach! We had…read morearrived on a Saturday and got quite nervous as the beach was overrun with visitors and there was barely any parking available and the traffic was crazy. We tried again on Sunday and the beach was fairly quiet with ample room and parking! The rest of the week on Tuesday through Friday was excellent! Yhe water was a steady 80° all week in the beginning of July and fairly quiet during the week! We are happy it turned out this way, but watch our for the weekends as it gets packed in the high season!

Loving driving down to the Noland Trail. Never gets old and always a new adventure. A new…read morediscovery. I passed by this playground multiple times but ever stopped to check it out.

This is a super cool park. Pretty large, located along the river and with the BMX park at the far…read moreend. The park has a boat launch, sports fields, charcoal grills and an RV campground. I had a nice walk about and enjoyed my time. Lots of space for play, multiple picnic shelters all about that are pretty far from each other for privacy. I was actually here for the RV dump site, which is way in the back near the operations building. As of this writing, it's FREE! Very clean, very easy to use and super helpful. [Review 18116 overall - 1386 in Virginia - 1638 of 2022.]

Big park with great playground for kids and adults alike. Soft surface play with all the equipment…read morea kid wants. Nearby are soccer nets and expansive field spaces to chill, play, dance, picnic, whatever. There are covered pavilions with grills on the other side of the park. Parking on the playground side was limited, but there is plenty of parking throughout the park. Apparently there is a waterfront area, I didn't venture that far. Also I saw people exercising along the paved walkways. Some kids were a little rowdy, but that's to be expected I guess? Get there early to beat the rush.

Stopped in to pick up the Christmas light tickets for this year and the visitor center part opens…read moreat 9:00. The park itself opens at 8:00 but this was such a cool little office visitor Center and they were so wonderful. So go in and get your tickets. I've honestly only been through the park for the Christmas lights so I do need to go back and check it out for a good hike

A lovely gem of a park that is kind of tucked away and would be easy to miss when in the area, that…read morewould be a shame, so do make a point of checking it out. Good for bikes, hikes, walking, running, dog walking, fishing, birding, etc. Plenty of parking is available and trails are well marked.

A simple place to just hang out. You can go crabbing here or fishing. We collect sea glass and all…read moreother rare finds. I have see. People take kayaks out here as well. There is a picnic table available under some trees to have a picnic. You can also sit and watch what I call America... F22s and other planes from Langley AFB. A great place to take photos.

Living in Newport News, trail walking has been a great hobby for myself. Checking out local nature…read moretrails has been one that I'm trying to upgrade. And it looks like I found a brand new one to add to my locations. Riverview Farm Park is located by Menchville High School. It has a playground area and soccer field for kids to play. They also have group shelters reserved for large picnics. For you trail lovers, they have a 2-mile loop where you can walk, jog or run. Some can even ride bikes. There aren't many trees around so walking during the summertime may not be your cup of tea. But it was really nice to take a morning stroll here with friends, even during cold weather. Everything was paved, which helps when your avoiding water puddles and such. Also, there is a separate trail located by the park visitor center where you have a view of the Warwick River. We didn't get the chance to go that route but will check it out when the weather becomes warmer. Again, this trail gets a thumbs up from yours truly and my friends. Till next time :)

This is a beautiful park with walking trails hills and plenty of room for skating or biking…read more There is even a small Skate park The playground is very big and fenced in they have a butterfly garden with beautiful flowers as well There is a dog park located on the far side of the park Close to the gymnastics studio my kids love this park because they have so much space to hang out and run and play. I love the fitness aspect

Nike Park (NP) is a 100-acre park, and in addition to many wonderful amenities, it has historical…read moreties. During the Cold War, the United States feared bombings from the Soviets, and created a Nike surface-to-air missile system. Because of that, Nike-Ajax Missile Base was started due to the large military installations in Hampton Roads. "The Carrollton Nike Missile Battery, N-75, was operational by 1954 and was one of eight bases that made up the Norfolk Defense Area. As with all continental bases, it consisted of two areas: a launch area and a control area. These two sites were connected by an underground cable system that enabled them to communicate" (http://www.historicisleofwight.com/nike-park.html). Here are the wonderful amenities at NP: * Restrooms with water fountains * Large playground * Skate/BMX park * Tennis courts * Picnic Tables with grills * Fishing Pier on Jones Creek * Nature trail * Mountain bike trail (the trail is about 2.5-miles but it's not a loop--you have to either turn around or follow the field out) * Softball/soccer fields * Basketball Courts * Senior Center * Recreation hall and multi-purpose room * Beautiful, old trees especially around the playground I had been to NP a couple of times, but I didn't realize the wonderful mountain bike trail, and the historic ties to the park. I will be taking my boys here soon to use the mountain bike trail, and check out the location of the underground missile magazines. NP is a wonderful park to visit, and so many things to do. For More Information: Here is video about the history of Nike-Ajax Missile Base on Nike Park. It's about 14 minutes long: https://goo.gl/appShO http://nikemissile.org/ http://ed-thelen.org/loc.html http://alpha.fdu.edu/~bender/N-view.html

Can I give this place 4 stars for nostalgia? I used to have Cross Country practices here back in…read morehigh school. There are plenty of nice trails, all leading to docks overlooking the muck, mire, and water. There are two kid's playgrounds, a bathroom facility, a skate park, and an outdoor area with exercise equipment. It's a good place to bring the kids to play, or a date for a walk.