A very nice relaxing park with amenities to boot. Spent all day outside cooking out and relaxing…read moreunder huge oaks and pine trees! Lots of room for activities and games. The perfect gathering spot for large families!

Lakewood Park offers much more than meets the eye. It may not be the most scenic, but I bet it's…read morethe most functional. This is one park if unfamiliar you should know more about. More over if you reside in Norfolk this should be a recreation area that you frequent. The park is in one word expansive and stretches wide and long. I think you will love hearing more about this Norfolk gem. Although not a new park by any stretch, as a matter of fact it's a petty old park. Located off of Tidewater Dr. a quarter of a mile in a residential area. However, it is well maintained with newer equipment and some extras in the rear that I will elaborate on. I will work myself from front to back of property for this review. Parking is huge! I have never seen it even a quarter full even with events. It is well maintained, but usually has some amount of debris around. The park office is also located up front too. You will find older clean restrooms that are used by not only park goers, but during the week it acts like a rest stop. There are two ball fields to the right. Two all purpose fields to the left used for football and soccer. Both are used for Norfolk Recreation League. Since I am not a resident of Norfolk I am unsure how the sign up process works, however there is info at the park office. All the way to the left is a full court basketball court, however the surface is in horrid condition.. Directly to the rear is the huge tennis center with nine courts, you read correctly NINE and it's lit. There is also league play for adults. The court is kept in great condition. In the center are the playgrounds which have anything but regular equipment. Slides, swings and unique items you will NOT find in any other park. One of my daughters favorite is one that you get on and slide back and forth. Another one twirls you around, so hold on tight. There are also three nice shelters with bbq grills. All of this is in close proximity of each other. Now let's move to the rear of the property close to the water. The Lakewood Dance and Music Studio offers classes, clinics etc. through the Norfolk Parks and Recreation system. If you are not a Norfolk resident there is an up charge. My daughter who is a dancer at a VB studio attends clinics. The Tidewater Rowing Center is at the very rear of the grounds. It's main build is very large and two stories. This is also home to ODU Rowing. Two good size out buildings house rigging and row equipment for the club and ODU. Two drawbacks to this park are debris, it seems like no matter how hard the staff clean up its around. On a visit tonight someone had pushed over a can apparently on purpose. Another issue is an element of homeless/transients. They have never bothered me, but I don't like it. Lakewood has a lot to offer and is a terrific facility in the Norfolk park system. Come see for yourself.

Very low key park - at least for the purposes of my visit. I primarily stopped by to go for a quick…read morerun. I think the main trail in the woods is 1.5ish mile loop with a flat terrain. The park also has a decent amount of parking although there were not too many people in the park during my visit. Also, the park/trails were pretty maintained with plenty of markers to keep you going in the right direction. While the park is nice, I probably would not go too far out of my way (30+ minutes by car) to visit unless I want to take advantage of the kayaking/paddle boating opportunities.

Great place to kayak! Quiet near a golf course. Huge lake to paddle. Love the scenery and seeing…read moreall the animals around.

The ERT at the Larchmont Library has been undergoing some updates which added a bench and an ADA…read morecompliant picnic table. New signage and newly paved paths were installed.

Great place to get cardio done! Or just enjoy a cup of coffee from a local coffee shop in the area…read morelike Cure. They have benches near the water to relax. I believe it is 10.5 mile urban trail on the water! Great way to explore the beauty that Norfolk has to offer! Bike, run or walk and enjoy being a local tourist!

I apologize in advance for not taking more pictures.Mu son and I love this park. He goes more than…read moreI do to shoot hoops or simply ride his bike. I personally feel that it is safe for him to go alone. This park has plenty of parking, the grounds have always been kept super clean and o absolutely love that Northside Pool is located right in the middle of the park. We love to swim and lovely to have a indoor pool close to home

Really huge recreational area with monstrous shade trees throughout. it has swings for various…read morechildren's age, groups, and many jungle gym areas. There are lot of strategically placed benches. There is a large skate park. I'm not positive, but it may contain a swimming pool (locked today). It has a tennis court. The bathrooms were also locked. At 1PM today, April 18, 2025, it was a breezy 74°. It was a perfect day to watch grandchildren play.

Wow! How'd I not know this place existed? Acres of athletic space, zoned by sport: soccer fields…read morewith goals/nets, lined baseball/softball fields with bases, volleyball courts with nets and horse shoe pits. Additionally, there are covered picnic areas with grills in addition to playgrounds with slides. A person I met said you can actually reserve these pavilions ahead of time or chance same day availability for free. They also offer inflatable rentals/delivery too. FYI, gender specific restrooms are strategically and centrally placed throughout.

Awesome park! Came here for a family friends BBQ. Very clean and well kept. All of us were up…read moremoving. Bring your balls!! There's: -shelters -playgrounds -grills -men & women's bathrooms -volleyball nets -soccer fields with nets -baseball field -horseshoe racks

I came here after going to a sports card show in Norfolk. It wasn't a planned visit but I was just…read morelooking for something interesting to look at since I had a lot of free time and the weather was nice on Saturday. I thought it would be a lot larger but the spot is quite small but it is very nice to walk around. There are also lots of nice areas adjacent to the garden and terrace as well. I parked in front of the garden went around it and then found the USS Wisconsin and the Naval museum just past the garden. I went around and finished checking out the other side of the garden after. The parking was free for 2 hrs in front of the garden and it seemed like parking in general was plentiful and open this weekend. It looked like college dormitories around the garden and some other residential areas around the middle of downtown Norfolk. There were many nice plants in the garden, the terrace was nice but not open as far as I could tell, and the koi pond was nice if someone would clean out the pond scum from the fish pond. There were small bridges over the water and multiple water fountains in the koi pond. There were a few benches to sit on if you wanted to just relax or meditate in the garden. Overall, it was a nice garden but it is not something to go downtown to see, but it is a nice additional thing to see if you are going to the USS Wisconsin and the Naval museum or if you staying in downtown area. Lots of people were exercising (walking and jogging) so it is a nice scene to pass by if you are doing that.

Great spot to walk around. There's ice cream inside too! Very yummy. Beautiful day to explore.read more

Lafayette Park continues to be a sad park even with monthly volunteer efforts to keep it clean. On…read moremy recent visit debris was scattered from one end of this 7+ acre park to the next. I participated in clean up for two days in the Fall. I have been a volunteer for city parks for years. There is so much potential here with beautiful grounds, even new play equipment and shelters. The grounds are maintained by City of Norfolk. The location is in front of the Virginia Zoo and they have there own parking. Unfortunately a large homeless element can be seen early mornings and later in the evening so be aware. Not a park I now frequent with older children, but an option for many Norfolk residents since it's one off the largest.

I have been visiting Lafayette Park since I was a kid growing up in the 60's and 70's. The park is…read morewell maintained and usually clean. They have plenty of activities for children and adults to enjoy from playing basketball to just enjoying a quiet walk around the park. The park offers grilling areas set up for family cookouts that are well sheltered against the elements. If you are looking for a wonderful place to spend some time getting away from the fast pace of every day life, do yourself a favor and visit Lafayette Park in Norfolk.

This year was my first time attending the Fourth of July firework display here. My children had an…read moreabsolutely amazing time and I enjoyed watching them have the time of their lives. There were vendors for food (the lines were not terrible while I was in line), but bringing food and coolers of your own were also allowed. The music, firworks, and energy of the crowd made for a good experience . If ever attending, please expect departure to be ridiculous. The parking deck was nearly at capacity when we arrived so we had to park at the very top, the elevator lines were long (we had a stroller) and the elevators were slow due to so many people using them. Despite this everyone was cooperative and rudeness did not exist that night ( thank God). Definitely don't mind going again.

This is a nice park on the waterfront that has a lot of shade trees and good paths for taking a…read morestroll. There is an area for live music and family festivals. The park is across the street from many downtown hotels and businesses.