Turtle Park and Recreation Center is a family mecca! In addition to three tennis courts, a full…read morebasketball court, baseball field, and picnic table patio, there are two playgrounds: a gated one for toddlers / younger children, complete with sand pit, and an open one for older children with impressive climbing features. A ping pong table and splash zone flank the rec center building. The playground is liberally stocked with "communal" toys - sand toys, ride-on cars, and toy construction vehicles that have seen better days. We used to come with our own sand toys and cars but other kids will frequently help themselves, assuming it's part of the communal goods. They aren't hard to track down, but if you're worried about it you may want to leave your toys at home. It can get crowded on weekends, which raises COVID concerns, but adults are good about maintaining social distance. The kids are obviously less conscious about it but most are wearing masks.

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.

My family and I enjoyed playing at the playground the other weekend. It is nice that it is fully…read moreenclosed and has some benches. There's toddler-sized playground equipment in the shape of a firetruck, which was pretty perfect for my kiddos. Otherwise, there's another piece that is much bigger and definitely aimed at bigger kids. It includes a very steep slide, zip line, and fully enclosed winding slide. There are also four swings, two for younger kids and two for older kids. It's not the biggest playground, but it definitely does the trick! Parking in the library on a Sunday was clutch! It's a handy option, though I don't love having to walk along the busy road to get there.

This little gem is strictly a "kids-only" type of park. Completely re-done last year, it has…read moreswings, climbing things and all w/in a fenced area so kids don't run off into the bordering city streets. It's also a great little spot for brown-bag lunchers with a few picnic tables w/seats and a charming open-air gazebo. Not much on grass but big on shade trees,- this is a nice place to rest after shopping in Bethesda Row a block away.

Love, love, love this neighborhood park--and so do all the neighborhood kids. There are two…read moreplaygrounds (one for preschoolers, one for school-aged kids), two tennis courts, basketball hoops, a little league field, a few tables with BBQs, and a hill perfect for sledding when there is enough snow. The city shuts off the water to the water fountains a bit prematurely (early November) and there's some scary spots on the 2-5 year old playground that forces you to play with your kid to prevent them from falling...but that's not so bad. Thanks, Rockville for such a nice park!

Really good place to go. For people with kids. Really clean place and nice people. Nice basketball…read morecourts outside.

This is a hidden gem in downtown Bethesda. The address was not previously added, so it would have…read morebeen hard to find. I came today for Planet Bethesda. It was a plant-based eco friendly event. I learned about it from a news segment on Friday. I am so glad I came. Parking is easy and free on Sat/Sun in the open lot off Willow Street (behind the Montgomery Farm Women's Cooperative Market. The park offers lots of tables under mature trees for shade. There is a playground area at the far side for the little ones. There were plant based food options from various Bethesda vendors. Also, other vendors selling or giving away sample items. This would be a great place to have a family picnic. Very urban area without the noise and traffic. I highly recommend you visit soon!

I almost always bring my lunch back to the office and eat at my desk. Yes, I am aware of how lame…read morethis is. However, I wanted to take advantage of the weather while it's still wonderfully breezy out minus any humidity. So I bought my lunch at the Brown Bag and walked across the street to Elm Street Park. (I should note that the map is inaccurate. It's actually on the other side of Elm - across from Wisconsin Ave, just 1 block.) There is a playground on the left side for the little ones to run around and there are plenty of tables on both sides of the path to sit and enjoy lunch under the trees. The tables are small - which are perfect if you're dining solo - but I mean, there's room for 4 to sit. Over a little further on the right side of the path, there's a little gazebo and larger picnic tables. I can totally see myself coming here during my lunch break til it gets too cold to eat outside. ** Pictures to follow after I remember to take my camera with me next time **

I love this park and all the arts and crafts opportunities (and social dances!) they offer here! My…read morekids took pottery lessons here for years and had a lot of fun...the classes are in the very unique and interesting yurts close to the Arcade building (where the main offices are). I'd also highly recommend the super fun swing dances in the Spanish Ballroom ....the live music is great and the dances are usually well attended, meaning lots of dance partners! I've gone to the contra, swing, and waltz dances (there are free lessons before each), these have all been worthwhile and entertaining. Less well known but equally highly recommended are the folk dance lessons...these are usually given in the space behind the ballroom or in the bumper car pavilion...I really enjoyed these dances and they are quite different from the swing and contra dances. You feel as if you are dancing as a group, even more so than with the contra dances.... I feel it's a great way to bring everyone together, almost like singing in a choir but with dancing... My kids and I have also gone to puppet shows at the park and ridden on the antique carousel (which has limited hours or is often under repair)...there is a little cafe located in a building where I think they also used to have Irish step dance lessons. I believe the cafe is run by the great local bakery, Pralines (which has great sandwiches). The Washington Conservatory is also located at the park and offers music lessons. There is a lot packed into this little park, and the surrounding area also has a lot to offer (it is near one of the small parking lots that has access to C&O canal)

interesting place hidden and nestled in what felt like a secret pathway and maybe even a secret…read moregarden in the forest when I went here with my ex-husband Leo Mejia in 2013! Ill never forget how charming it was but how it hauntingly left something to be desired

I'm visiting from California, and I have to say this is the most epic park I've ever seen! I've…read morebeen to plenty of parks in California with newer playground equipment, kids' slides, climbing towers, and even electronic interactive features. But what makes this park truly special is how thoughtfully it's designed and how incredibly spacious it is. There's so much to explore, and the entire park feels unique and well worth the visit. My daughter absolutely loved it! I've taken her to so many playgrounds, but I've never seen her have this much fun. It's amazing to see a park that offers so many activities while giving kids plenty of room to play and explore. This park is an absolute MUST-VISIT! I give it a 9.5 out of 10!

Amazing path tot children and families. There were so many things for the kids to play with…read more Perfect place for toddlers and kids. My kids are 6 and we stayed for at least 2 hours before they were ready to go. If you live near by def bring bikes because they have a kid bike path and race path The carousel costs about $5 per ride and probably not worth it, but it's in the middle of the park so kids immediately want to ride.

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!

Amazing park with great playground, horses, and sports facilities. I am suprised I did not know…read moreabout this park until I was invited for a charity walk here.

Love this park and it's trails. Nice bit of nature hidden between residential areas and highways…read more Easy walking with nature views: trees, a little body of water and deer up close and personal. It's quiet and people walking the trail are friendly the couple of times I've been. Ample parking in the parking lot as well.

I loved this parking growing up! Yes, it's small, but it's quaint and a great way to get out of the…read morecity for a moment.

This is a rather small park area with a handful of picnic tables, a playground, a basketball court,…read moreand a tennis court. The tennis court was locked though (July 2021), so it might not be open to the public currently. There were a few families having a picnic outside when I was there. Harris Teeter and many restaurants are within walking distance in the area. Nothing was really special about this park. It felt like just a typical small park in the middle of a city.

Here's my honest review after returning home to California. We traveled back to the DMV to…read morecelebrate my daughter's birthday with our friends and family. We originally booked for 25 kids but ended up reducing it to 20. Unfortunately, the party room felt very small for a space advertised to accommodate 25 children and up to 40 adults. It was hot and stuffy, and the two fans provided really didn't make much of a difference. There also wasn't enough seating for the adults, which was especially disappointing and honestly embarrassing when we had older family members attending who needed somewhere to sit. Upon arrival, my dad, who was bringing in our decorations, was stopped and wasn't allowed inside just to drop off an item that was too heavy for my mom and me to carry. We completely understand having rules in place, but I do feel there could have been some flexibility for the birthday family. Even allowing him five minutes to help us get the heavier decorations into the room and then completing whatever paperwork was needed afterward would have made a huge difference. I do want to give a special thank you to Forest and another staff member who noticed that I was getting frustrated and stepped in to help. Forest, in particular, was amazing and actually helped us decorate and get everything together. If you're planning a party here, I would definitely recommend asking for her! The younger kids had an absolute blast, and the older kids made the best of the situation, even though the main ball pit for their age group was closed. Unfortunately, we were not notified ahead of time that it would be unavailable, so that was pretty disappointing, especially considering we were planning the party around the activities available. The bubble party was actually one of my daughter's favorite parts! However, it was frustrating to see children wearing yellow wristbands, while our party had pink wristbands, joining our bubble party. The dance floor was already pretty small for our group, so having additional children come in made it even more crowded. I feel like it should be the responsibility of the party hosts/attendants to monitor the wristbands and make sure each party's designated activities remain private. That's part of what we're paying for. There was also a woman I wasn't familiar with who seemed to come out of nowhere and repeatedly addressed some of our older children/spectators. She was wearing an orange shirt with a gray sweater. Her approach came across as very loud and rude, and I was confused about why she was involved with our party when we already had Forest assisting us. I believe the staff noticed that I was uncomfortable with the situation because shortly afterward, she was at the front desk. Overall, there were definitely some cons, but there were also plenty of pros. The kids had fun, and there were staff members who genuinely went above and beyond to help us. I would still recommend this place to others, but there are several things I believe need to be addressed before we would consider paying to host another party here. With better temperature control, more seating, clearer communication about closed attractions, and stronger enforcement of private party areas, I think the experience could be significantly better.

Great place to let the littles burn off some energy during rainy, hot, or cold days! It's not as…read morebig as other indoor play gyms, but they keep the place pretty clean, and it's in the mall! I've seen them really disinfect after birthday parties. I like that they have a few slides, so there isn't a back up or long wait for kids to slide.