Came here for a friend's birthday party. This is a lovely park. Old fashion playgrounds, wooded…read moretrails, spacious pavilions. There are latrines in the parking lot - not sure if there are regular restrooms w plumbing anywhere around but for what they are, the ports-potties are clean and large.

Fighting Creek Park is a delight, and such an unexpectedly well appointed park for such a rural…read morecounty. It is well positioned within walking distance of the county library, the YMCA, and the soccer fields. It boasts lovely walking trails, a frisbee golf course (which while usable could use some TLC), a lovely little creek with a charming covered bridge to cross it, and a multi-tiered playground which is among my favorite playgrounds in the surrounding counties because of it's lovely rural setting, its shade from the tree coverage, its new playground equipment, and its easy proximity to the creek area. We have an easy time navigating with a range of kids. Parents can position themselves between the playground where the younger kids can play, and the creek where the more nature-oriented kids want to explore, while it's safe enough for the teens to venture up to the library or to hike through the network of easily navigable trails. There are two covered picnic areas with grills. There are benches at the playground areas. In a delightfully educationally inspired move, the gardens and forests closest to the playgrounds and trails have their flora labeled so you can learn about the plants in the area. There is a texture garden near the parking lot with plants designed to touch and feel. One of the trails is an exercise trail with equipment stations for pull-ups, balance beam, and other outdoor workouts. Just a delightful spot right where you'd least expect it.

The often-overlooked Wetlands is a great spot to start/end a hike or run. Part of the James River…read morePark System (JRPS), this portion of the park is sandwiched between the Willow Oaks Country Club and much more popular Pony Pasture section of JRPS. I find that the trails are really well maintained in this section of JRPS. Despite the name, even after some rain, the trails are generally in runable condition. It's not huge, but offers several trails that probably total up to a couple of miles. It's well shaded to be nice in the warmer months and also has access to the James River. Street parking is available on Landria- I've always been able to find a space, though it does get pretty busy on weekends in the warmer months. The trails connect with the trails in the Pony Pasture section, providing the opportunity to get in a nice 3-4 mile loop on all trails. You can also add on some more miles by running or walking with picturesque river views along Riverside Drive.

Visited the wetlands yesterday. There is limited free parking at the end of the road at the…read moreentrance. It has trails through the wetland and down to the river. It seems popular with local dog walkers. There are mosquitoes. Not much here and there are no facilities.

Sk8r dudes!! If you are a skater or roller blades, check out this small, neighborhood park in…read moreAshland. There's some cool ramps and a big playground for the tots!! We came here and had lunch on on of the few picnic tables in the park. They were very dirty and I went thru a whole pack of wipes to clean off the table. Ugh. Limited parking for vehicles, this park caters to locals within walking distance. We noticed a few sketchy characters on the park benches so keep your eyes on your little ones. That being said, there were also some charming little nooks like the bird bath garden, the neighborhood pantry stand, and the entry water fountain. Good for Ashland for providing the community with this cute little park! Skate on dude!

This is a small park in Ashland, VA. We chose it for a picnic as part of our celebration of…read moreMothers Day. It is small, like a community afterthought. I suspect that in the past there were maybe three houses on this plot. But it packs a lot in the small space. A small skater park looked well designed -- beginner stuff but the young folks using it seemed to enjoy it. Lots of newer playground equipment. Well-cut grassy areas with three or four tables for picnics, and recent;ly emptied trash cans. Good parking for its size, including a handicapped space. A good place for a family outing, right off the main drag.

Summer technically doesn't end until September 23! So there is still time to enjoy a hot day…read morehanging out on river rocks. If you're looking for a less busy river park in Richmond, the 42nd Street Entrance is the place for you. There is a small parking lot that usually has a spot open and if not, you can park along the road. 42nd Street Entrance is RVA's hidden river gem. You'll need to take quite a few stairs and walk over rocks to get to the river. Once you park, you'll walk down some stairs to an elevated walkway that has even more stairs to go down. The elevated walkway has a great view of the train tracks and offers some pretty forest views. If you're looking for the river, once you get down the stairs you'll head slightly to the right and go down the very subtle path (on your left). You'll cross some rocks and up a few more steps. Keep going forward on the path and you'll find the river. Do note you have to hop or climb through some rocks to find a good spot on the river. This is a wonderful park to escape the city and enjoy some Richmond nature. I highly recommend checking this spot out. It's a great spot to swim at, have a picnic, and hang out with friends and the people you love.

We have come to the state park before and enjoyed it. We are in cabin 11. when we got here we were…read morepleasantly surprised with the upgrades and a new fireplace. Lots of walking trails. The staff are friendly.

I stay here frequently for tent camping but decided to try a cabin during off season which only…read morerequired a 2 night stay. We had a 2 bedroom which can sleep 6/bunk beds at site 10. The lake view cabins go very very quickly. Since we are all adult we can appreciate the quiet. Open plan with a lovely fireplace and outdoor fire pit. They provided a bundle of wood - but there is wood for sale at specific hours near the camp store. About the wood..... it's a cross between tree cut and saw mill. I paid $7.00 a bundle. Our cabin had a lovely wrap around porch/deck with both a front and back door. Great view as every room had a window including the bathroom. A slight "ick" factor is that the bed had crumbs. They offer everything you could want minus the linen. Side note I have allergies so be aware that a past guest may have had pets. We used sheets as couch covers. We are planning on staying there again. Standing shower, furnished kitchen. No WiFi. I would come back again but only strictly doing off season as it's much quieter.

This small playground is perfect for 2-4 years old because it's pretty small and fenced in. There…read moreare a few swings and some unusual playground additions. Loved how the park was pretty much lined with benches for parents. Lots of shade! Downsides: Long walk to the playground from street parking, in the grass, no bathrooms close by

We were looking for a place to let our kid run around and play and came across this playground…read more Its in a park and is set rather far back from the road. There were no parking lots any closer, it's just street parking then you walk the rest of the way. The playground itself is fenced off, to differentiate it from the surrounding park. It had some play structures and some swings along with a see saw and a few other things. There's also benches for parents to sit on while the kids are playing. The playground is mostly in the shade, which would be nice in summer. I liked it, but for some reason a group of 4-5 teenagers came by and hung out there for a while; this was around noon on a Tuesday in October, which I thought was weird. Anyway, if you're looking for a good place to let your kid play, this place would fit the bill and I would go here again.

It's a small park, but some like it small, especially in Richmond apparently. The more parks the…read morebetter, and this one is a cute little space in the West Burbs where I stopped to walk Starlight. Yes I'm serious, I walk my cat, not even on a leash, and she loves parks most of all. Hates beaches, I think because of the water. She's not a fan of large bodies of water. Just of large bodies of her Daddy, filled with bubble tea or nearby Boyer's Ice Cream. Richmond has plenty of parks and this one is a perfectly good one. Not nearly as big or impressive as some of the others though, but deserves some love. My view from my left side is my "Westview" and it's probably the best view. According to, well, nobody.

Easy parking, well-marked wooded trails with benches throughout for resting, and steep but…read moremanageable access to the river. It's a great place to spend some hours communing with nature. YES - Family friendly

Decent hiking area in a Civil War battlefield. The path seems way too short, but most visitors are…read morehere for a history tour, not a nature walk. I finished the hike in just over an hour, and that was at a leisurely pace with lots of stops to take pictures. The beginning of the path has some dips, but overall wasn't especially strenuous. I'm not sure if there's a parking fee; there is a booth at the entrance but in February it was empty. The main attraction are the trenches dug by the Confederate army. They are surprisingly well preserved, and the path follows a small portion of them. It's hard to imagine what it must have been like 'in the day', but the history plaques give you some details to go off of. The Battle of North Anna was a relatively small scale affair compared to other Civil War battles. As part of the 1864 Overland Campaign, Grant's Army of the Potomac was pressing south towards Richmond, and Lee was doing his best to stop him. But Grant (despite stories to the contrary) actually disliked bloody frontal attacks, and was constantly trying to outflank Lee's army rather than attack an entrenched opponent. North Anna was one of those many occasions where he tried - and failed - to maneuver around the master of maneuver. On May 24, Lee's earthworks on the south side of North Anna river stopped Grant cold. He tested Lee's lines for a way around, including an assault lead by a brigade who's commander was as inexperienced as he was drunk (that is, very). Needless to say, it didn't work out too well for them. After a few days Grant decided this place wasn't worth the effort, so he again sidestepped Lee's army and resumed his push towards Richmond. http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/north-anna.html