I'm fortunate enough to live in a space with a balcony that overlooks Soapstone Valley Park, so I…read moreget to enjoy the views daily. I seriously love this little area of forestation. There are two entrances to hike paths in Soapstone Valley, and the hike is a fairly easy one and safe. The park is clean, aside from moderate litter at the entrances, and the sounds of the stream echo throughout the space, and luckily for me, up into my apartment when the windows are open. The hike through Soapstone Valley can lead to an area to hop into Rock Creek for more hiking, or just straight through the park itself to the other entrance. The existence of this park is part of the perk of living in the Van Ness area as it provides a huge dose of nature and solitude right next to busy Connecticut Ave.

Small, but serene trail. There are two entrances near the Van Ness Metro; which can get a bit…read moreconfusing as the marking isn't great. Just follow the stream. There's some moderately difficult rocky areas, and after rainfall it can get a little tough to navigate as the trail crosses the stream several times. Despite being surrounded by residential areas, the valley is deep enough that you can't hear or see them much. The unusual rocks and plant life provide a slightly different aesthetic than the rest of Rock Creek Park. It's a very nice place; a good start to a longer hike as it ends on Beach Drive and the accompanying trails along Rock Creek. Word of warning: the end of the trail requires you to walk on a road a bit to get to anything else in Rock Creek Park. Stay cautious there; there isn't much space.

This place is huge. You can explore in DC or Maryland. There are trails for bikes or you can take a…read moreleisurely drive or walk. The trails in Takoma Park Maryland are convenient to travel when visiting friends.

Love a accessible national park via public transit! The views are absolutely stunning with the high…read moreterrain spots, the creek, and endless amount of foliage along the winding path. We had great animal encounters with squirrels, ducks, snakes, and deer! Its the perfect place to retreat from the city and go on a walk with nature, even on a hot day. The grounds are well labeled and urban enough where you're not worried about getting trapped in the woods. There is also a designated picnic area we saw families enjoy.

Meridian Hill Park is so underrated, far enough away from downtown that tourists either don't know…read moreabout it or is too far for them to get to it (not really a close by Metro stop). I held a birthday party here years ago. I have visited this spot dozens of times when I lived in DC and yesterday I visited again to see the flowing fountains! Definitely much more vibrant, clean, lively, and energetic now. People biking, walking, reading, napping, hammocking, and just hanging out. Great spot to meet with friends, plenty of sunny and shaded spots, with clean bathrooms up on the northeast side near Euclid St. If you have an opportunity to visit, visit!

Following many years of dilapidation, the fountain at Meridian Hill is finally working again. The…read morespace was hopping when I visited, and it's no surprise. A couple of individual stall bathrooms are working on the top level. Most people though, were sitting in the lower domain and enjoying the views.

Love it here. So safe and peaceful. Everyone is very nice and it's super clean. But not so clean…read morethat your kid won't get a little dirty from running around. Nice basketball courts and tennis courts. Big soccer field.

This is a cute playground outside of Friendship Rec center in the Upper northwest part of DC. I…read moretook my toddler here on a Tuesday afternoon. It was pretty quiet (just nannies and a few kids) until the private schools let out and kids in Gucci shoes followed by moms in neon colored Chanel boots showed up and it became quite crowded. We left not too long after this because a few of these unruly children who were not being watched by their moms repeatedly tried to bully my 2 year old out of the sand area. Before these children arrived, we had a great time with the various slides and toys left behind in the sand. There's lots of open space, tennis courts, and a separate section for older kids. Parking is on the street and highly coveted. I noticed many cars circling on our way out. It looks like there's a splash pad here as well. I might take my son back here but would definitely choose to come earlier than later.

When visiting this privately-owned park open to the public, it's important to know its history. The…read moreyellow house off the park is an 18th century farmhouse whose owners enslaved people. From what I can tell, there isn't acknowledgement of this sobering fact, so use it as an opportunity to reflect and fight for a more equitable society. The park itself is open on weekdays from 7 a.m. to dark and weekends at 8 a.m. to dark. It's a large green space with trees with lawn chairs to sit on. From time to time, there are events and dogwalkers are welcome if you register and pay a fee.

I love bringing my dog to Rosedale - I almost don't know what we'd do without it! I live in an…read moreapartment and my dog can be overwhelmed by traditional dog parks, so the big, open field of Rosedale is perfect for him. Only downsides: some people don't pick up after their dog - and maybe don't even pay close enough attention to their dog to see that they pooped. Also, one side is not fenced, so I try to keep my dog on the other side of the park.

This park is truly fantastic! It's ideal for sunny days, offering a great time for young children…read more There's a designated dry play area for them to enjoy. Additionally, you'll find shaded spots, a small kids' hut, and a convenient parking area. Restrooms are not available, so make sure to bring along your swimwear and sunscreen for a perfect day out!

Along the Potomac River northwest of Georgetown is a close-knit community called The Palisades…read more This is its recreation center. There's a small parking lot in the front and trails that lead to an actual recreation center, fields and a playground that doubles as a splash park in the summer. My four-year-old daughter loved the playground. It's modeled after an Indigenous American village along the Potomac River with slides, etc. For being in a wealthy neighborhood, it's a little run down, but still a lot of fun. If you like quirky art, take the small dirt path to the right when facing the parking lot. Walk a few yards to a small opening in the forest to find the "Glass Forest" with art hanging on the trees. It's a little creepy, but also quirky!

It's important to know the background of this popular park. It used to be a Black community formed…read morein the 19th century. Decades later, they were unjustly evicted to build the park. Thanks to the community, signs honor their legacy. Today, it's a large park with plenty of green space, a large slide, and more.

This is a terrific park, located next to Lafayette Elementary school. There are four public tennis…read morecourts, a basketball court, and several playgrounds in jungle Jim's for the younger kids. There is a baseball field and lots of space to run around. The community uses this park for exercise, fun, walking, and meeting. The cheerful sound of children is almost everywhere on most days. One of DC)'s best parks as far as I'm concerned.

A great park with lots of options for fun: 2 tennis courts, hoops for adults and kids, playground,…read morebaseball field, dog run, and more. Having lived overseas where such amenities are simply not available or only to those who can pay, I say 'thank you' for providing taxpayers with something we can use every day.

This is a fantastic recreation center that has it all. From an inside classroom to a posh grass…read moresoftball field complete with folding chairs instead of bleachers, one of the best toddler spray parks in the city, multiple climbing gyms, sandboxes, tennis courts, swings for kids and toddlers, and a basketball court. It has restrooms and a The splash park is full of not-bad plastic toys (cars, things people drop off at the park) which are not even broken, unlike most parks around here. This is a really nice thing for kids, but what makes it better is that the splashing isn't huge. It's just the right amount of water for a toddler. The play structures are also the perfect toddler size as well. And the entire place is fenced in with multiple rounds of fencing. There is so much fencing that many of the nannies are not interested in even closing the toddler park fence. For me this is a place I can relax as a parent. There's almost nothing that can harm my kids here, except for the yucky goldfish and cheerios from the other kids, ha ha. The patrons are what you would expect: extreme helicopter parents and nannies. They are more high strung than most, but hey that's what you get with the neighborhood. All in all, this place was amazing and I look forward to coming back.

Good place for a dog. Kalorama Park isn't that big for people but it's plenty big enough for dogs…read more It also has a playground. Just be careful of what the dogs leave behind. There's also a basketball court. It's a small neighborhood park basically. People need to walk their dogs somewhere. This is the best place around for them. It also has some features for the children. There's a pretty good size playground. If you're more into sports you can also play basketball. They have a court on the north side. It overall feels like a nice area. It's usually quiet. There's mostly residential around so it's not crowded here usually.

Kalorama Park is an urban park near Adams Morgan and a local hangout spot. On a weekend evening,…read morethe lawn is full with groups picnicking, people playing basketball on the courts and kids climbing on the two playgrounds with the backdrop of tall apartment buildings. My daughter is three and loved both playgrounds, especially the swings and slides.