Near some botanical gardens, this separate tract of land was not particularly happening when I…read morebriefly dropped in, but it is free. A lake with a small bridge is the main attraction, with some areas around it to walk and a picnic enclosure. The highway is nearby and audible to some extent. There are some short trails, but signs caution against swimming in the water (which is true pretty much anywhere in the region given the robust reptile population).

It was a beautiful day last Friday and my youngest and I had been cooped up in the house most of…read morethe week, so for Adventure Friday, we decided to explore Chatham County Wetlands Preserve. This 494-acre wetland preserve and park is another piece of property purchased by Chatham County. They created a 20-acre lake and have planted more than 20,000 trees. This park is tucked away on Highway 17, on Chief of Love Road. Parking - When you turn off on Hwy 17, you just have to continue driving until you get to a fork in the road. I stayed to the left and then we found ourselves in a huge gravel lot where it seemed the most appropriate to park the car. Trail Description - Once I parked the car, we walked to the fork where I could see the barrier and hiking sign (I saw it on the drive in). We started there and kept to the left. It started out as a pretty well marked path, under the trees. Once you get out of the shaded part, it's just grassy. It will bring you around the lake, and it's wide open, so there is no way you would get lost. We opted to take a shortcut and cut through on the bridge. There was a man there fishing. He said some days the fish bite like crazy and other says, nothing, so just a tip to anyone who likes to go fishing. There are picnic tables and a covered picnic area in the middle by the bridge that are great spots for meal and snack breaks. There were beautiful flowers along the way and also a patch of what I think are called Cypress Trees at one end of the lake. They are pretty much dead, but I thought they were pretty to look at the cluster of them. The reflection of the trees on the sunny day was just perfect. My Fitbit clocked the portion we did as about 1 mile. Kid-Friendly - Absolutely! Very flat trail, however not paved. Unless you have a B.O.B or a jogging stroller with bike-like tires, I would just use a baby carrier. Thankful that Chatham County is very nature focused and is committed to providing green space in the area for its residents. There seemed to be another trail by the park sign, so we will have to come back to explore that portion!

Stopped in here for a break from traveling and toured this park. It is very large and super nice…read more Clean and orderly and easy to navigate. They have lots of ball fields and plenty of parking. I think the shining part of this park is the fabulous dog park which has tons of features for your four legged friend. Don't be confused if it takes you through a new neighborhood being built. That is the correct way and you'll arrive at the park in no time.

This is a nice park, and an area like Richmond Hill could always use more parks! It's next to a…read moreschool and an expanding neighborhood. I don't know if the school uses the fields for their games and practices, but I would sure hope so! Lovely new tennis courts, several baseball fields and plenty of AstroTurf and natural turf fields. On top of that they've got several paved trails for the bikers, joggers and walkers. The bark park is here too, but if your pups are better off walking with you, you definitely have that option. There seems to be plenty of parking, event for a time when multiple events are going on and everyone heads outdoors to enjoy the great weather.

Cute for a neighborhood park. It's basically a small walking path around a small man made pond with…read moreducks, geese and otters (yes I've seen outters) There's a small play ground for kids and a large grassy area for playing ball and a small fishing dock. No bathrooms!! So if you don't live close by like I do then you better hold it or become a Girl Scout and pee in the woods. Lol.

Outstanding park... gorgeous scenery and wonderful biking and hiking trails! Playgrounds and BBQ…read morearea!

Skidway Island State Park is a beautiful park to visit. It is pet friendly. The air smells divine…read more It smells clean and woodsy. I wished I could bottle it up and take the smell with me. It is within a campground. There is a gift shop, a children's playset, and an outdoor workout area. I loved the workout equipment, it was neat. I didn't go too far into the campground but it looked really nice. They have several trails you can explore. I went on the Sandpiper loop. It was about a mile. It was a bit muddy in spots so you may want to take hiking boots. I saw a deer and some mud crabs along the way. They even have a couple of dedicated places to stop and take a photo of the landscape. This provided a nice easy walk and a place for my pup and I to stretch our legs.

This place is a nice and close in hiking spot and park…read more I took my canine companions. They both loved the outing. The park is pet friendly. They even provide stations with bags etc. to make it east to be a responsible owner. There are multiple trails, all are easy level. I found that the trail markings and other signage were well above average. One extra touch I found commendable is the scenic spot picture opportunities. Yes, they have a bracket set up to position your phone for the perfect shot. The visitors center is easily accessible and staffed by friendly and knowledgeable park rangers. My only complaint is that the "Avion" trail continues to be closed. Overall, the park is a great way to spend an afternoon commuting with nature.

Little One and I have been cooped up in the house because she has been sick, so I took her out to…read moreget some fresh air. The DeVaul Henderson Lake Loop (DHLL) seemed to be the best bet due to length of the trail. When you are on Hwy 144 and you get to the roundabout, turn in on Veterans Memorial Parkway, where the Bryan County Administrative Complex is. The trail is located right next to it. You can't miss it. Parking - You can pretty much park anywhere on the grass along Veterans Memorial Parkway. I like to park toward the other end, by the elementary school, where you see the 4 wooden posts. Trail Description - From the 4 wooden posts, down to the paved path, the ground is dirt and a mix of sand and pine needles, and not paved, but that distance is minimal. It is surround by tall trees. Once you get down to the paved part, the signs indicate that it's a 0.5 mile loop. This loop has 3 different connection points to other parts of DeVaul Henderson Recreation Park (to soccer fields and restrooms) and I believe to the side of the Bryan County Administrative Complex. The connection points are located on the opposite side of Veterans Memorial Parkway. There are park benches all around the lake, as well as flotation devices in case someone gets in and needs some saving. There was a unique bench (kind of like one of those stone benches you see in gardens) and it had a sign "The Murphy Bench" that was placed there in memory of an infant boy. How tragic, but so touching. Difficulty Level - Easy for all ages. It is stroller and wheelchair friendly too, but might experience some bumpiness when going down that first small stretch to the paved path. Beware - There are signs that say "Beware of Wildlife". I am assuming they mean alligators, because that is what they always seem to warn you about around these parts, but we did not personally see any. But do we ever really see them when they are around? Unless they decide to come out of the water. However, we did see a lot of ducks swimming in the lake, as well as a beautiful white one just sitting on the side in the grass. This is a great place to run, walk, speed walk, scoot (my Little One took her scooter) and I saw some people fishing too. It's a great pit stop if you happen to be in the area. You can fill up on gas at the Shell Station and stretch those legs before you go on the next leg of your trip. Get outside, People!

This lake loop is 1/2 mile. The path is paved and stroller friendly. It also connects to other…read morepaved pathways leading past the soccer fields, baseball fields, softball fields, dog park and finally into the Green Creek trails. There are restrooms available.

A great place to unwind! Beautiful lake & trails! Please mark trails & have a map of the area!read more

Sterling Creek Park (SCP) is tucked away in the very back of a neighborhood called Sterling Creek…read morePlantation in Richmond Hill. You'll see signs to the park from Harris Trail Road when you turn in to the neighborhood. Keep going straight through the neighborhood until you get to the entrance to the park. SCP is the most unusual park that I have come across in this area, reason being that it shares space with the Police training grounds and gun range, as well as an active water treatment plant. See what I mean? That being said, I'll take trails and green space anywhere I can get it! - Background Info - There isn't too much info on this park online, but from what I could find, it seems that the city of Richmond Hill purchased this property back in 2012 with the intention of converting it into a park and the plan is to include running trails, nature trails, mountain bike paths, a fishing pond, restrooms, parking and camping. The property is about 187 acres of forests, wetlands, ponds, and grassland habitats. The most recent article I found was dated January of this year (2019) and it looks like they celebrated the opening of Phase 2 with a Relay Race. - Parking - Once you drive past the park entrance, just go straight until you get to a white-ish building. It looks like it's had better days and definitely does not look brand new. This building also has the restrooms (we didn't use them, so I don't know for sure, but the male/female signs are outside the doors) and the big space around it that seems to be the parking. - What we did - The Little One and I set out for a quick adventure, as we had to get back for her sister's event at school. We parked the car by the restrooms and behind it, you will see a large sign (the map of the park) and a trash can in the distance, by the woods, and that is where the beginning of the trail is. Now, keep in mind, don't go in the woods just yet right there, just walk alongside the fence of the water treatment plant, to the right. You will come to a dead end and there will be a well worn path into the woods which will be the only part in the forest). The path in the woods isn't very long and the day we went, it must have rained heavily there because part of the road was super muddy and there were tons of truck tracks. Once you get out of the woods and into the clearing, there is another well worn path/road that runs along the fence again of the water treatment plant. Walk down and keep walking down and don't lost hope, because you will finally get to the wetlands and ponds area. This area has more signs. I think we did parts of the yellow line and parts of the blue line (refer to pic). There is also a Youtube video that gives you a quick aerial view of the park to give you a general idea of what it is like. - My thoughts - The park is secluded, especially it being inside a neighborhood. I don't even think many of the residents of RH know about it. We saw one person along the trail, but at the same time, it was the weekday also. I read the article of the Relay Race that they held by the lake, after we walked the trail, and looking at the photos and videos posted online, I am still confused as to which lake they were running around, because it does not look anything close to the lakes and ponds we saw. I am going back to explore more when we have more time. All in all, the area is a bit confusing and I think they just need more signs at the beginning of the trail almost all the way until you pass the fencing of the water treatment plant. The presence of the water treatment plant gives you this sense that you shouldn't be there. The lake and ponds areas were my favorite part and they are clearly marked in that area, probably because it's the newest phase. I will update this review once I find the lake in the article!

Overall rating: 4.7…read more Beautiful spot for pictures.. but only that? I planned to stay maybe 2-3 hrs and lasted 30 minutes. The pictures are beautiful but I'm not sure if I'd come again. The wagon also only drops at the end, versus being a halfway point. Really beautiful trees but there are tons of them in town as well. I do wish there was more background on the land or history. The ruin building was a bit random.

Wormsloe is one of those places that's more about the experience than the destination. We wanted…read moresomewhere scenic to take a long walk and get out of the city for a bit, and it was great for that. The oak-lined entrance is beautiful and definitely worth seeing at least once. That said, I'd be lying if I said it totally lived up to the hype. It felt a little underwhelming overall, especially considering how long the walk is. Bring water -- seriously. If I did it again (and I absolutely will not), I'd probably rent bikes instead of walking the whole thing. I actually love history, so I was expecting to be more engaged by the historical side of it, but it just didn't really do it for me. I almost feel bad about it. In all fairness - half the site was closed so maybe I just got unlucky that day. The crowd also killed the vibe. It was the worst kind of tourist energy.

Good place for a wooded walk with lots of side paths, quiet, and off-leash dogs…read more We came here late on Sunday morning in late October. The weather was perfect: cool, sunny, and light humidity. I wore a sweatshirt which ended up being hot by the end but a good protection against mosquitoes. The trail information signs do not have maps. The only small offshoot we saw that was labeled officially was loop 2 near the entrance. The other offshoots only have the wooden markers, no numbers or anything else. We went down loop 2 from the second entrance. It's a narrow trail but good timing for us because we came across people with 2 dogs and a 3rd off lease who "just barks" at people. All the trails had trees of varying sizes in the way. There was once a pile of trees to climb over but it was surprisingly sturdy. Another time there was one that I had to shimmy over. It was about hip height to me. There are a bunch of geocaches here but most look like they are off trail. We found a backup one hanging from a tree just after climbing over the wood pile at the far end, but no pen. Next time: I'll bring a lighter long-sleeved shirt and try more offshoots.

Awhile back, I noticed the trail sign for Blue Sky Preserve peaking out of Fort Argyle Road while…read morevisiting Nine Apparel and Black Rifle Coffee Co. I made a mental note and researched it when I got home. Surprisingly, I could not find much information on this trail since it looked like a well marked path with a proper sign. I saw a few pictures on the internet and an article in the news about the construction of the project. It was not even in my trusty AllTrails App! Both frustrated and intrigued, I naturally decided to investigate for myself for today's edition of Adventure Friday! Despite the crappy, rainy weather this morning, I packed up my little one in the car with plenty of snacks (don't forget to pack a lot of snacks if you are hiking with a toddler, no joke) and convinced a friend to join me with her little baby. Parking - There is a small lot by the trail head that could probably fit a handful of cars. The lot is not paved. There is a big lot across the street, but I'm not sure if that was intended for the spill over, so I'm not telling you to go over there, but maybe if you get a coffee at Black Rifle, maybe they'll let you park the car there for awhile? You probably only need it though if you organize a group to go though. We were the only ones there today at the time. Trail Description - This trail system can be found just across the street from Nine Apparel and Black Rifle Coffee Co. It's actually across the street from their parking lot. According to the information board on site, the Blue Sky Preserve is 641 acres and the trail consists of two trail legs and four trail loops all marked with colored markers which are as follows: Trail Leg 1 (blue) - 0.41 miles Trail Leg 2 (green) - 0.9 miles Trail Loop 1 (yellow) - 0.42 miles Trail Loop 2 (orange) - 0.29 miles Trail Loop 3 (pink) - 0.16 miles Trail Loop 4 (white) - 0.32 miles Previously owned by various timber companies who used it primarily for agriculture and light timber production, The Blue Sky Preserve was purchased by Chatham County for greenspace and provides a habitat for rare and endangered species. The property consists of Tidal Rivers, Freshwater Tidal Marsh, Blackwater Rivers and Swamp, Bottomland Hardwood Forest and Forested Depressional Wetlands and lots of natural pine can be found there. Difficulty Level - Easy (IMHO). Flat all the way through. Mommas & Poppas, it is no paved, so NOT stroller friendly, in my opinion. I would think it would be too wild of a ride for the babies, even if you had a stroller like a BOB. Save yourselves the trouble of unpacking a stroller and use a baby carrier instead. What we did - We completed all but Loop 1. It took us about an hour with toddler starting and stopping, breaking for snacks along the way. Beware - We saw a snake slithering away in a big hole on the side on Leg 1 (blue trail). Still getting used to snakes around here. It is not the mountains, but grateful that we have trails like BSP to walk around and get some fresh air! Go on, take a hike!