Amazing hiking trails! Trails are pretty accessible for all levels…read more The trail maps need updating as there are some new trails.

It's closed for months to repair a sewage siphon in spring, which is ridiculous. There's a sewage…read morepipe that empties into the waterfall area, but people don't seem to care and they swim, even though you can smell the sewage. The whole place and even the forest is littered with hard lemonade and beer bottles, babies diapers, dog poop and all kinds of food wrappers.

This place is absolutely beautiful. Huge with so many stunning areas from a greenhouse with glass…read morewalls and greenery to pagodas! I didn't know it's also a popular event venue! We saw a few weddings here last weekend. Plenty trails and photo ops! Looks like a lot of people come here for maternity shoots and engagement shoots- the photographers have a special entrance ticket and rules to abide by. Not free entry but very well maintained and a beautiful experience for families or couples.

Meadowlark is the best spot to view cherry blossoms in the DMV, hands down. Visit on a weekday…read moreduring peak bloom if you can, but even on a busy day you can get better views of the blossoms than at the Tidal Basin. Don't sleep on this hidden gem during cherry blossom season! The rest of the botanical garden is well worth a visit, with a greenhouse, polished garden favorites, and wild woodland scenery. There are also children's gardens and a small playground, as well as many benches with different views to enjoy. One of my favorite spots is the fairy garden right outside the entrance, with all kinds of small-scale flowers. Admittedly, I've only been to Meadowlark during two seasons and have yet to witness fall and winter. I'm eager to go for the holiday lights, which I've heard great things about.

This small park is a gem! It has a playground area with swings, slides, and different playscapes…read more The park has a walking trail (paved although could use a bit of work), tennis court, portable restroom, parking lot, and sports field!

Begrudgingly, I am rating Lake Fairfax with 4 stars. Let me preface by saying I am not an…read more"outdoor-sy" type of gal. Spas and sparkling rosé...more my speed, but I am always up for different experiences. Having said that...I've experienced it, and umm...with mosquito bites still itching, this was cool...not sure if I would say, "yes" again. While he set up the tents, I went to grab a margarita. Upon my return, I was impressed with the setup. Who knew camping could be "chic"? lol. After sending my daughter pics, she said it was, "glamping," not "camping." Lol Honestly, I enjoyed. Just hated the bugs. I love to read. If you do too, bring a good book. The camping ground is spacious. You're assigned a lot where you set up your tent(s). Seems like he had the entire gamut -- blow up couch, blow up bed, portable grill, speakers for music, bug repellent, food, and libations ;-) You will hear everything that is nature at night. I swear I heard a fox howling/barking. All-in-all, it was a cool experience...five days later, still itching from those bites. Oh! There's a water park too...arrive early to get in because they do have a capacity limit.

Wayyyyy back in the day, my dad bought a RV, and the one place that I can explicitly remember us…read moregoing, was Lake Fairfax Park. I also remember having a great time on the lake paddle boating and swimming in the big "L" shaped pool. Fast forward decades later, I have taken a liking to camping. I still consider myself a novice, and over the last 3yrs, I have accumulated some cool stuff. I have an annual camping trip with a large group next month, but I wanted to do a small intimate trip to one of my favorite childhood places. I must say, Lake Fairfax has one big change from when I was a child. It now has a HUGE waterpark that has giganic water slides as soon as you enter. I was a little disappointed to hear from the check-in Park attendant, who had the personality of a disinterested teenager, that the L shaped pool I referenced was no longer there. My picture of laying poolside or chillin in the pool were shattered, because with waterparks, comes tons and tons of young kids.. and honestly, I would just rather not..LOL! Once we made it to our assigned camping lot, I was super pleased at how close we were to the extremely clean rest rooms that were equipped with showers. The camping site was noticeably quiet, almost library quiet, so that suprised me a little. I didn't want to disrupt the flow, so I kept my speaker at a low level. :) All in all, I had a memorable experience at Lake Fairfax Park and I can definitely see myself coming back sometime next Spring/Summer!!

The walking trails around Nottoway Park are lovely for a stroll with your dog. It's not as crowded…read moreas other parks (which makes social distancing easier). If you drive past the yellow Hunter House and curve right to the last parking lot, you'll find the entrance to a giant soccer/lacrosse multi-purpose field. The wooded trails here are nice and will take you back toward the softball fields and Curry Field (artificial turf). Nottoway has restrooms near the picnic area (which has a playground that's nice for kids). On the other side, you'll see two more baseball fields and then a series of tennis courts in the distance. I have nice memories of this park when my two sons (15 years, 13 years) played on the baseball fields for Vienna Little League. I think a highlight of this park is that it is not overly crowded on Saturday afternoons.

It's kind of a ho hum park. Sometimes they do have a festival, which can add life to it. Yet mostly…read morethis is for baseball fields. Here you can get folks in a pickup game, if a organization doesn't have a field permit. I like the open space though, and am glad it's not more multi million dollar houses. There are also tennis and basketball courts. The trails here aren't anything special, but glad they exist. All of the facility, to include the bathrooms are super clean. They have pavilions for picnics and the like. There's plenty of parking as well. It won't win any awards, but it's here for you to try some sports or kite flying out.

Wow the town of Vienna deserves credit. Thank you for an exceptional redevelopment. For years…read moreWaters Field, was a rough looking place for youth baseball and football games. That's been changed considerably. I'd say a complete 180. Was thrilled with my son tonight, to see where he got his first sacks as a football player. Personally I think he's nuts, but am proud of this student athlete. He said it himself, "this is at the same place, but major boost." That seems appropriate. The only challenge I can see is parking, but it's not like finding a spot in a large city. There's a community center and streets close by. The field is well marked now. All appears new and they did this field justice. Getting young men and women into sports is important. This facility will be instrumental in development. Families and their children will benefit!

This is a superb ballpark with artificial turf in the heart of Vienna. It has bleachers and a…read moresnack bar - and has an adjacent softball field (Caffi Field) with a few picnic tables and shaded gazebo. Waters field is primarily used by the Greater Vienna Babe Ruth (GVBR) League. It's a great spot to catch a baseball game. Restrooms are a short walk away in the Vienna Community Center. Parking is available on the street, but it may be easier to use the spots in the Vienna Elementary School lot on weekends if multiple games are occurring simultaneously. The only downside is that foul balls can wander into the street corner behind home plate, so be sure to keep an eye out for stray baseballs during games.

Nothing extravagant. Yet this waterway in between businesses, is at least a reprieve. Occasionally…read moreI'll hike or jog here. Despite the suburban area, the canopy of trees is therapeutic. It feels good to escape even for a few moments. There's a lot of greenery. The paved path is pleasant. Also it's well maintained. There is some wildlife to see, although not too high on the excitement o' meter. I have seen small fish in the artificial pond. Am not certain what species they are. Considering the area, and its proximity to the beltway, glad to be on foot sometimes.

6/11/20 & 6/12/20 Today I start on my path to the Road To…read moreWellville. No, this is not Dr. Kellogg's Wellness Resort. There will eating fifteen gallons of yoghurt (The British spelling of yoghurt. Not the American way of yogurt) either. I don't  need to tell you what Dr. Kellogg's response to Mr. Lightbody was. Anyhow, the first run was hard and painful, but still enjoyable. I could feel my heartbeat thumbing and light sweat breaking out by the time I finished.  I had set some goals, but that didn't work out to well in some areas. I did; however,  make it two times running around the pond without stopping and two times walking.  I will do another run on Sunday. I have figured out yet, on working out on Monday, Wednesday and Friday yet, but I will think of something. Just need to get into a routine. 6/12/20 Today I will try four sets of twenty push ups, squats, crunches and more stretching.  This will be  lighter workout, but something worthy nonetheless.  I am also thinking about lunges too. Maybe over time develope a better stomach and ass than I have now.  Well time is a wasting and I have work to do. Update: Change of plans. I ended up doing an hours worth of Zumba with my wife. I might not have sweated as much as her, but I can feel the workout I was doing. I still having some trouble with Michelle Vo's squats/stomach crunches. I feel I am not doing them right at the speed she is doing them. Nevertheless, I will do it slower so I know I am getting them right. I did 40 pushes with 40 more to go before bed time. I am sore, but feel better.

A cute little park in downtown Vienna. My dog loves being outdoors and parks but we like to avoid…read moreanywhere crowded as he gets excited very easily. We stopped by at this park today because our usual one was too full. This one was nice and empty for him. It had just enough room for him to explore and have fun. Lots of trash cans available for doggie #2 too. Parking was easy right on the street. They had a little free library as well. They had bathrooms that were pretty clean and even a doggie water fountain (and a water fountain specifically to refill your water bottle). It was a nice surprise that this little park had so many amenities. I'll definitely be back as my dog really enjoyed himself!!

There was a summer several years ago where I stumbled upon the CW sitcom "Hart of Dixie" on Netflix…read moreand binge-watched the entire series within a few days. There was something so magical about the community of Bluebell, Alabama and all of the traditions and activities they had that was very compelling to watch. I believe the Town of Vienna is the closest to Bluebell situation we have going here in Northern Virginia and I have definitely been taking advantage of all the family-friendly activities that they offer. The Vienna Town Green is home to a lot of them (including a free summer concert series). A few friends and I packed up a picnic and watched a show while our kiddos ran around with new friends catching fireflies and blowing bubbles. I honestly can't think of a better way to spend a random Wednesday night!