Tony Vanoy and I went hiking today at Cascade Falls in Pembroke, VA. Started out really great, we…read morethought it was 1.5 or 2 mile loop hike but OMG it turned out to be 5.57 miles roundtrip!! It cost a $3 per car to park and if you have America the Beautiful Card its free!! It was a beautiful day, but it was so long and so many stairs!! Over 1,000 stairs!!

The provenance of this site is somewhat unclear, but I think it falls under the federal government…read moreand putting up my national parks pass was successful in getting me through a visit without paying any additional parking fee. The main falls are two miles uphill from the parking lot, but the entire journey is a series of eminently worthwhile sights and sounds. Signs warned of challenging currents for anyone taking a dip in the water, which some people did. I would note that when I arrived a rescue operation was underway and emergency services did drive someone by me with what thankfully appeared okay. There are trails on one elevated bank and one closer to the water, as well as some offshoots and extensions. It's a great stretch of forest where you could easily spend more time than the couple of hours I did.

This large park has a number of different activities and I'm sure the surrounding neighborhood…read moreappreciates it. There is ample parking and I spotted no litter anywhere. The grass is well maintained. Baseball and softball, a basketball court, swing sets and a playground with a cimbing frame and slides, a large picnic shelter and even a row of horseshoe pits. There are walking trails and it is connected to a series of biking trails, too. [Review 13811 overall, 1132 of 2020, number 1245 in Virginia.]

On my way to breakfast, I stopped by this park and took a look around…read more Located in a residential neighborhood, there is a big open field (soccer?) and a playground area with climbing frames, slides and a swing set. A nearby bench gives the adults a spot to sit while the kids are playing. The park is in very good condition and there is street parking nearby. [Review 13810 overall, 1131 of 2020, number 1244 in Virginia.]

This is a GREAT park. Was in town over the holiday break, and had kiddos who needed to run out some…read moreserious energy. Luckily the weather was nice, so I found this place online and took them over. There are some serious climbing apparatuses here -- perfect for active kiddos. They also apparently have a pool (obviously closed right now for the winter, but it still looked amazing), basketball courts, a disc golf course, and several covered patio areas with grills. I could see this being a great spot to chill in the summer, or even a place to host a kid's birthday party on the cheap.

The university has a constructed garden kind of on the edge near where the academic buildings end…read moreand the sports start. It has a variety of interesting plant life and the pond was filled with some lively fish. It's not a major destination like the botanical gardens and arboretums I've seen at some other universities, which was a bit of a surprise, but it's a nice place to stop through.

Stunning. Absolutely stunning…read more This seven acre garden is located on the Virginia Tech campus and does that a little winding to access. Established in 1984 as the Virginia Tech Horticulture Garden, it was renamed in 2004 to honor Mrs. Hahn and her husband, T. Marshall Hahn, former president of Virginia Tech (1962-1974). All features have been built and planted by students, staff, faculty, and volunteers. Several benches throughout allow you to sit in the shade, perhaps near the small waterfall, to relax and shut out the outside world. It is extremely peaceful and beautiful. The only problem I found was that parking is a PITA. Fortunately, there were a lot of open spaces and it seems like whoever patrols was off today. I do not have a VT decal and was not bothered. [Review 13816 overall, 1137 of 2020, number 1250 in Virginia.]

This small park on a triangle of green space where two roads intersect is in the middle of a…read moreresidential neighborhood. The park features playground equipment, a swing set, picnic tables under shade trees, a small basketball court The park is in very good condition with no litter. There is ample street parking. [Review 13827 overall, 1148 of 2020, number 1260 in Virginia.]

Depot Park includes a great set of playground equipment, basketball court, soccer field and my…read morefavorite, a 1/5 mile loop walking path. The playground has a couple of benches and picnic tables for the adults to sit. It also has a soft mulch base. I would imagine the parking lot is usually big enough for most days but there was some sort of event going on today that caused it to be overfull with cars flowing onto the street. The park is clean and completely free of litter though the trash bit was definitely in need of attention. [Review 13824 overall, 1145 of 2020, number 1258 in Virginia.]

This park is extensive and free, comprising a couple of miles of paved riverside walking trails and…read morenumerous athletic facilities. The New River is quite lovely in this area and the tree cover makes it a comfortable walk. There was also a boat launch and some students doing some kind of research on the water, so you can get down to the river if needed.

This small and shaded park has as its centerpiece, the two playground areas. With benches nearby…read morefor the adults to sit and watch, there are climbing frames, slides and swings. It is well-manicured and while there is no trash on the ground, the bins could use some attenton. There is also a full basketball court, horseshoe pits and a pavilion shelter with picnic area and charcoal grills. There is some street parking nearby. [Review 13818 overall, 1139 of 2020, number 1252 in Virginia.]

AMAZING TIME and I highly recommend this place to anyone visiting that wants to float on the river…read more Now, you float for about an hour and then they pick u up and take u back to the beginning where u can do it all over again. They never once complained, and the driver even thanked me for coming- after I've soaked in the river and am now wet and sitting in HIS vehicle getting a ride back. THANK YOU! We had a great time - went down river 3 times for only $10 and that included the shuttle ride

Great setup if you're interested in tubing without all the hassle that other tubing businesses…read morerequire such as safety classes or life jackets, etc. $ cash to park, but accepts credit cards/debit cards to pay for tubing. Reasonable prices to tube and they offer a tube for cooler's. They have a small store where you can buy soda's, ice cream, and snacks. You can leave your cooler at the landing spot and they have grills set up there where they'll provide the charcoal and light the grill for you. Park, pay the tubing fee, take your receipt to pick up your tube's. They'll hold your driver's license and you can hang your keys at the gate. The River is clean and clear! It can take a good hour to get down to the landing spot or you can hang out in the river and relax. There's two landing spots. The first one is before the small rapids and that's where the grills are located. The second landing is shortly after the rapids. If you get out after the rapids you'll have to walk a short distance to the first landing where you can enjoy a picnic or grill out before boarding the buses to return to home base. Staff are professional and friendly! There's two bathrooms and a shower at home base where you can cleanup or change clothes. I've been three times and I've enjoyed each time. When the River is low the water depth is up to your knee in most place's and can go up to your waist in a few places. The depth of the River after the rapids is what I'd say requires swimming in some areas. If you can't swim or aren't wearing a life jacket I wouldn't go down the rapids. Their season goes until the end of September and during September they're only open on the weekends. They open at 10:00 a.m.