We enjoyed our visit to this local park! It's a pretty lake with a nice boardwalk leading to dirt…read morepaths on the other side. They have picnic tables, as well as paddle boats for rent.

A decent place to bring the kids and let them work off some energy on the playground while you…read morerelax and enjoy some sun or some shade. Don't try to go swimming unless you like tree trunks. Rent a boat or paddleboat to enjoy a little time on the water. Parking and space is limited so keep in mind, it's a small park in a small town.

We have rented boats from this company with friends 4 times already and they are the best. The…read moreboats are well taken care of and they are easy to do business with. We have had them put the boats in for us at Falls Lake as well as picked the boat up and towed it ourself. I highly recommend letting them do it all. So easy and they take care of all the hard stuff and leave us to have all the fun.

This was great. I book a 14 person boat about a month out. I also rented a tube. So, I was looking…read morefor something different to do. We are stuck at home during COVID. So I decided to take the crew out. They really enjoyed it. No worries if you think driving a boat is hard. It's not. You have to be careful and look out for your surroundings. But it's pretty easy. Remember a boat does not have brakes. Lol. Maybe few years from now, but no brakes. Let me tell you how easy it is. Once your date for the boat date comes up, you just park and unload at the dock area. Park as close to the water as possible. The team will be down there, and will have the boat in the water for you already. You will have time to load your stuff. No big rush. They will hop on the boat with you to give you instructions. And you just take off. It's that easy. You can rent for half a day or full day. The lake is big so you may want a full day out. Half of a day is plenty. Remember when your out on the water and have any issues, you can always call them.

Lake Johnson Park is one of Raleigh's best spots when you want a workout that actually comes with a…read moreview. The 3-mile loop gave me the perfect mix of cardio, scenery, and just enough challenge to keep things interesting. The trail is mostly paved and very well maintained, but there are also a few off-road paths if you want to switch things up. The lake views are gorgeous throughout the walk, and the heavily wooded sections make it feel peaceful and shaded even on warmer days. I also appreciated that the trail has a few solid uphill stretches. I'd say it's ideal for intermediate walkers, runners, or cyclists looking for a scenic challenge without venturing into hardcore hiking territory. The only downside is the parking situation, which can get pretty tight during busy hours. Still, once you're on the trail, it's absolutely worth it. Raleigh really lucked out with this gem of a park.

Natures finest!…read more Local park with free (but limited) parking. Walking trails. Kayak and paddleboard rentals. Birdwatching. Clean picnic and public bathrooms. Great place to go and enjoy nature.

A beautiful little hidden gem tucked away! It was a beautiful day and I wanted a spot to eat my…read morelunch and found this park. My picnic table was right by the water. If you don't see this lake on the map, you will miss it!

Water is so calming! If you're stressed or overwhelmed I suggest you find a body of water! This…read morelake is stunning. There are two trails to walk, lots of green grass for picnics, two play structures and they offer boats! You can also fish!

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.

I had a traumatic experience here with one of the Durham County employees. As a minority, I'm used…read moreto unpleasant treatment just because of my culture and my race. However, my day was completely ruined by one of the employees here. I am adding this business to Yelp and posting to warn other minorities to avoid this place unless you are feeling strong enough to stomach significant verbal harassment. My two friends and I came here to rent a boat at around 3pm. I walk up to the boat house. I smile and say hi. The man ignores me. I repeat my greeting, except louder. He looks up and stoically stares at me. I smile again and say hi. He says, "What do YOU want?" I was startled by his unprovoked hostility and so confused by its suddenness that I didn't think to make a remark about his attitude. "I think I want a boat. I'm going fishing for the first time and it's my first time here so I don't know what vessels are offered or what is best for fishing." He stares at me, raises his voice and says, "You THINK you want a boat? Have you done this before?" I smile and contemplate his meaning since I had provided sufficient information to answer the question he had just posed. Before I can respond, he says, "maybe you shouldn't be here. This ain't no laughing matter. I don't think you should be out on the water." There were some more choice comments from this gentleman, which I will omit. Eventually, I get a row boat, try to forget what happened and try to catch some fish. We return empty handed to the dock at 6:02pm, right after another pair of anglers who dock about 15 seconds ahead of us. While unloading our boat, I see the old man waiting at the end of the dock. Sure enough, he scolds me in front of my two friends for being late. I sincerely apologize to him and rush to return the oars and our life vests to the boat house, but he steps in my path and continues to verbally berate me for 10-15 more minutes. I know I was wrong to be late, but I gave a sincere apology and is 2 minutes really that bad? At one point, he threatens that next time he will call the police if we are late because he will assume that we are trying to steal the boat. (That makes a lot of sense, since trading a car that we left in the parking lot for a moldy boat is a sensible idea.) And the other two guys? He doesn't say anything to them. They also happen to be the same race as this elderly, African-American gentleman who told me his name is "Chris" (although he may have been lying). I only mention his ethnicity I was told me there is a Caucasian man who also works here and is very friendly. I don't know either's name for certain. Anyway, I really don't get why this guy hated us so much. I wish this guy would just retire so I can come back and get revenge on those slippery fish. Update: Turns out he lied to me about his name. On the receipt he signed for my boat rental, he wrote "T.J."

Beautiful area. Lots of space, quiet and peaceful. Family friendly! Fun to fish with children and…read morefriends. Pre Covid they had star gazing events so hopefully that will return soon. Restrooms available.

Lake Michie is a scenic lake located only roughly 20 minutes from Durham in nearby Bahama, NC…read more(which is not nearly as tropical as the name suggests). The lake is reportedly home to some of the best largemouth bass fishing in the area, and the recreation area offers ample boating (rent a boat or bring your own), fishing, and picnicking opportunities. There are tons of grills and picnic tables, as well as a small picnic shelter that you can rent should you desire. All in all, this is a decent spot to get out on the water, do some fishing, or just have a lazy Sunday afternoon picnic. Also of note, the Wilkins Road Recreation Area just across the street also offers a spot for fishing, boating, and picnicking should you want to see what the other side of the street looks like!

Wonderful trails for biking, hiking, walking (and also some trails are sign-posted to allow…read morehorses). Not crowded. Miles & miles of trails. Picnic tables and pavilions. Creeks and streams. Lakes and ponds. Boating. BE AWARE of closed trails, bridges, etc...stop by the park office AND check the website for closures.

Umstead is a great park with plenty of parking locations and different trail options. I hope to try…read moreout all of their walking trails. I've done at least 2 of their trails with the last being the Pott's Branch Trail. Pott's Branch is one of their easy trails at 1.3 miles. I recommend you wear tight/well fitting sneakers or boots as there are a lot of roots on the trails and you don't want to slip. Umstead does a great job of marking the trails and there were even paper maps available.

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!

What a daydream this spot is so beautiful and a very easy walk. I loved coming in to explore this…read more park and we even saw some deer when walking here. It was so cute. For more recommendations follow@raleighunlocked on Instagram.

It's a nice park in the area! You'll get to expose yourself to sunlight and nature! Great place to…read moredo picnic or outdooring like fishing and playing toys on the lake! Cool place