I started coming to the Beaver Dam entrance of Falls Lake since there is a public beach, as well as…read moreaccess to the lake where you can open water swim. I have been practicing some open water swimming here. It is populated but has plenty of parking, making it feel family friendly and safe. On warmer weekend days I've seen families come out and have a BBQ. It's the perfect spot to enjoy the summer if you do not have access to a pool or can't make it down to the beach.

It's always nice going out to the Falls Lake area to hike. There are many trails for that and for…read moremountain biking too. Some of the trails are easy while others more challenging. Some off shoot trails go along the shorelines and people come out here to fish or put a kayak in the water. There are plenty of birds and other wildlife to watch in the lake areas. Just a historical note. The Falls Lake area is part of the Neuse River system and is the main supply of water for Raleigh & Durham. It was created in the 70s to supply drinking water for a quickly expanding area of the state. Many valley, farms, and pasture lands were flooded to create it. In times of drought it's not uncommon for the top of an old barn to be seen in the water.

I have been wanting to go to Fantasy Lake since last year and I finally got to go…read more We reserved a 2 hour slot and got there 25mins before our start time to get changed and settled. The obstacle course is really fun for both kids and adults. The slides were my favorite part. They also have scuba diving on the end side of the lake. The only negative I will call out is that they don't have a water fountain or a filling station. I get that they allow outside food and drinks but for an outdoor water park, having a water fountain/filling station is a bare minimum.

A couple of staff members were unnecessarily rude to me, my girlfriend, and our child during our…read morevisit. At one point, a blonde female staff member approached my girlfriend in a very confrontational manner while we were simply saying goodbye to family members on the dock without wearing life jackets. We understood the life-jacket policy, but the way the situation was handled was disrespectful and could have been communicated much more professionally. Later, as we were leaving, we initially walked up one side of the ramp. We had already washed the sand off our feet and changed, so we did not want to walk back through the sand, get dirty again, and have to wait in line to rinse off a second time. We walked back down so we could leave through the other side. A young blonde male staff member stopped us simply to tell us that we could not be on the dock without life jackets, and his tone was extremely rude. I explained that we were aware of the rules and were only trying to leave through the other side because we had already cleaned the sand off and did not want to go back through the rinse line. Instead of simply acknowledging that and allowing us to leave, he continued to speak to me and my family in a disrespectful and unprofessional manner. What made the situation even more frustrating was that two older women were standing at the end of the same dock without life jackets, and neither staff member addressed them. That inconsistency made us feel singled out and raised concerns about whether the rules were being enforced equally for all guests. This business needs to take a serious look at its staffing and customer-service expectations. Some employees appeared to lack the communication skills necessary to interact appropriately with customers. We also encountered staff members who were not welcoming upon arrival, appeared disengaged in their responsibilities, and created the impression that certain guests or demographics were being treated differently than others. I am not normally someone who leaves negative reviews for businesses, but this was one of the most disappointing staff experiences I have encountered. Families should be able to visit, follow the rules, and still be treated with basic courtesy and respect. Based on our experience, I would not recommend bringing my family back.

Forest Ridge Park offers a little something for everyone. Nice sized playground area, picnic…read morepavilions, short hiking trails to Falls Lake, an intro mountain biking 3 mi loop, a welcome center, disc golf, fishing, kayak or paddle boarding if you bring your own. There is no swimming, wading, or beach area. Plenty of parking available.

This is a very nice park in North Raleigh which offers a playground and many walking, hiking and…read morebiking trails that loop around parts of Falls Lake. There is ample parking and there are bathroom facilities on site. You can see lots of birds and other wildlife on the trails. Just keep in mind that during hunting season, there will be hunters in the area and people who are hiking are advised to wear either abs orange vest or sweatshirt.

Very close sights and very loud. Great for families. There were a lot of kids on our visit. Seemed…read morelike cars were driving around all night, car doors slamming, and the distant sound of babies crying. We probably wouldn't visit this site again due to the fact we are empty nesters and prefer seclusion.

This recreation area and campsite is a hidden gem in east Durham. There are numerous piers for…read morefishing and swimming access, campsites for individuals and groups, and boat rentals. Drive all the way to the end of the road to reach the playground and beach area with shallow water that is perfect for kids. Bathrooms are clean and include lots of changing stalls. We saw many hiking trails and will be back to explore those. Nature was pristine -- so well maintained, no trash, absolutely gorgeous. We felt like we were in a magical place on a vacation, not right within Durham. We will be back regularly!

I checked this out after work and rode my bike around the trail. It was a beautiful ride with great…read moreviews. It isn't too long but it's a great spot in a central area.

There is something here for everyone! A playground, walking trails, basketball courts and more! The…read moreviews here are beautiful and there is plenty of free parking! This lake is so peaceful and gives you time to connect with nature!

Love this park. The trails are well signed, great bathrooms and parking. When you walk around the…read morelake you get great pics and see the turtles sunning. You can find some fun surprises on the trails. Very safe atmosphere.

Durant Nature Park is a stone's throw from my neighborhood but I have never been to it before…read morebecause the access roads were all gravel. Now that there is a paved entrance I decided to check it out. There is a pond for fishing and a boathouse, picnic tables, a few buildings used for educational purposes and many meandering gravel trails. To me, there is not adequate maps on the entry boards to show the trails, especially whether they are end to end or loops, and there was nothing that I saw indicating directions back to parking. With an elderly dog in the heat I ended up carrying her for a good distance as we used Find My Park to get back. Maybe there is more useful info on a website but to just pop over and wing it, it was not as pleasing to me as, for instance, the Falls Dam trails or Blue Jay Point.

Best playground I have ever visited!! So many great things. Clean and a lot of running…read moreopportunities. Climbing areas. Zip swings. Sun spots and shade spots. Absolutely loved it here for my little guy.

This playground is perfect for kids of all ages and abilities! My 1 year old always wants to be…read morewith big kids and this was the perfect spot for her. There are ramped ways up certain spots and a nice sand area. My daughter loved the swings as well and the playground is huge with lots of features.

I've been to midtown park at North Hills for a few events. Specifically for a few tribute bands on…read moreFriday nights and the North Carolina wine festival which is held on the last Saturday in October. The park is not big but has a fairly large grassy area for lawn chairs, and kids to play (if it is a kid-friendly event). There is also a small concrete area in which to sit, and a stage where the bands play. In the events I have been to there has always been food and drink vendors, and of course, NH has plenty of restaurants to stop after an event if you choose to do so.

I have now been to Midtown Park 3.5 times…read more 3 times for free outdoor yoga - produced by Lululemon. Sundays at 11am. BE THERE. Namaste. .5 times for North Hills Beach Music. I was under the impression that Beach Music was moving to this area. False! It's still at North Hills where it has always been. There is a lot of additional parking by Midtown Park though! The park is located behind Chuy's. There is a lot of green grass and a stage on the other end (hence why I was under the impression that Beach Music was moving there). The stage has a brook of water fountains surrounding it. There is currently construction going on at the apartment complex located right by the park so it can be a bit noisy. I get a wee bit distracted during yoga sometimes. Midtown Park is currently hosting a "Wellness Wednesdays" every Wednesday at 6pm through June 11th. They feature a free workout from different gyms in the area! May 28th - Cardio Kick Circuit -Empower Personalized Fitness June 4th - Iron Tribe WOD High Intensity Training - Iron Tribe June 11th - Tabata - Heat Studios Yoga on Sundays and Wellness Wednesdays are good opportunities to check out the new park and to get a free, outdoor workout in! I love free. Afterwards, there are a bunch of great restaurants nearby to check out. And yelp about :) So far, I have enjoyed Midtown Park. I can't wait to see what other events they will host there! I will definitely be on the lookout on North Hill's Event page.

My girlfriend booked this cabin months in advance as a surprise birthday trip for me and a group of…read morefriends. Unfortunately, my grandfather passed away just before our reservation, and instead of celebrating my birthday, we spent the weekend attending his visitation and funeral. We weren't asking for a refund. We simply asked if the reservation could be moved to another available date so that the trip--and the money already spent--wouldn't be completely lost. Despite the extraordinary circumstances and the fact that this was due to a death in the family, the host refused to work with us in any way. Life happens, and I understand that cancellation policies exist. However, compassion and customer service should matter too. A simple one-time date change would have gone a long way and would have cost far less than losing loyal guests forever. Based on this experience, I would strongly encourage future guests to think carefully before booking here. If an unforeseen family tragedy occurs, don't expect any flexibility or understanding. We never even had the opportunity to enjoy the property because of circumstances completely beyond our control, yet we still lost the entire cost of the stay. That lack of empathy speaks volumes.

Absolutely disgraceful customer service…read more I have never been treated with such a complete lack of compassion. We had to cancel our trip because of an unexpected death in our family and simply asked to reschedule our reservation. We were not asking for a free stay or trying to get out of paying--we wanted to move our reservation to another available date so we wouldn't lose nearly $4,000. Instead, we were met with conflicting information, excuses, and absolutely no empathy. During one of the hardest weeks of our lives, this company made an already devastating situation even more stressful. Their actions made it abundantly clear that collecting money is more important to them than treating customers with basic decency. If you're considering booking through this rental agency, understand that if a genuine family emergency happens, you may be left with no flexibility and no meaningful support. Their policies seem to matter more than doing what's right. I will never use this company again, and I will be sharing my experience everywhere I can. I sincerely hope they reconsider how they treat customers facing real-life tragedies, because no family should have to fight this hard during a time of grief.