This place is such a gem!! We absolutely love it. The staff is soooo friendly, helpful and…read moreknowledgeable. We are so lucky to have this near our house. My kids love visiting all the animals, the turtles, snakes and bearded dragon are the favorites! W elige that they have a pretty big variety of toys available to play with and the dress up options are always a hit! It's a great place to visit during the winter and rainy days! But also so fun when the weather is great and you can walk around the trails. The only downside is the limited parking, but if weather is good the parking by the playground makes it a fun all morning adventure!

This such an incredible gem for families and nature lovers a like!…read more 1) Trails are easy to navigate and you will almost always see some type of wildlife whether it is butterflies, bugs, or deer. 2) The recently renovated playground is large and accessible for both small and big kids. There is a covered shelter nearby which makes it the perfect spot for a birthday party. 3) The nature center is a great place to explore on cold or rainy days. You can see turtles, a bearded dragon, play with toys in a little nature nook that looks like it came straight out of the Berenstein Bears, or climb up and down their little play structure. The people who work here are extremely friendly and the price for all of this is Free 99. 4) They host field trips and birthday parties that are fun and informative for kids and adults alike. My three year old STILL talks about the frog who peed on the floor last year at her class presentation. We are so lucky to have a gem like this in our area.

Pretty little park! Nice to walk and see the well kept grounds and dedication the staff has put…read moreforward to keeping it so beautiful. Photographs also posted on Instagram @3spade7star_photography and Facebook ThreeSpade SevenStar

Green Springs Gardens is one of the most beautiful parks in Fairfax County and North Virginia that…read moreI have ever visited and definitely a hidden gem among all the parks here. The colorful flowers and unique park areas like the glass greenhouse, the secret garden, and the children's library were some of the spectacular highlights in Green Springs Gardens. Admission to this park is free as well. I was impressed by the manicured lawns for picnics, meditation, and community outdoor activities. We walked all of the trails there. I noticed the happy and musical chirping of many birds there. All the flowers were beautiful . I loved the delicate orchids the most in the glass greenhouse. Many nice sitting areas all over the garden to take small breaks from walking. This is one of the finest and a definite go see garden in the DMV area. I will visit this garden again & again.

I went to park on July 25th and let me tell you, this was a great experience. This park is very…read moreclean and also the bathrooms were clean as well. They are stocked with Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Crappies, Walleye fish. They also have grills and picnic tables along with grills. Make sure you bring your own garbage bags so you can keep the park clean. I would definitely recommend coming to to lake and get a cast in or two.

There are always shady men sitting in their cars with dark tinted windows. Either waiting for their…read moremistress or their next victim. Nice easy trails for jogging or biking. Just be wary of shady characters sitting in their cars.

Mason District Park is ok. It's in the middle of Suburbia, so expect decent foot traffic on its…read moretrails. With that being said I'm grateful they are trails. These are okay for short walks, but won't be confused with spectacular ones. There are restrooms here. They are looking dated, as are the tennis courts. I hope the county can give it some TLC. Dog lovers rejoice. They have a rather nice dog park here. Seems to be nice dogs and okay people here. I wish the basketball courts were more in the shade. On hot days not the best. There is plenty of parking. Also they have quite regular farmer's markets.

One of the best neighborhood type of parks in the area with lots of hiking trails that can actually…read morebe kind of confusing so be sure and pay attention so you don't get lost. There are also tennis courts, baseball fields, soccer fields, an amphitheater and some other stuff. Plenty of parking but can be crowded when there's lot of events going on. I come here for the trails and would recommend checking it out if you're in the area.

This is such an amazing big, lush, tranquil park connecting multiple neighbourhoods and at least…read moretwo smaller parks, such as Valley Crest Park. The trails are shaded and part paved, part unpaved, and mostly flat. The round stepping stones (pictured) across certain sections of the creek, believe it or not, were one of the biggest initial draws for me, and they were actually even more fun to hop through in person, not to mention that the surrounding views and sounds were gorgeous! I appreciate this green space being maintained and available to the community.

This suburban greenway connects some neighborhoods and athletic facilities. It gets to the point…read morewhere you can hear birdsong and not cars while being a pretty small stretch of land. The creek has a couple of easy crossings. It's not a destination and I just stopped in on the way to something else, but green spaces like this (even when they are brown for the winter) are important.

Across from shopping center, near high-school. Needed to kill some time waiting on Yechon to open…read more(down the street) so decided to finally check out. Overall seems like a decent area, but did see a group of men drinking at one of bleachers towards the woods (mid-morn). There is a trail that runs through a wooded area in a circular pattern that runs by soccer fields, ball diamonds, and basketball courts. Plenty of parking and looks to be a decent playground with rock formations. From a nature and birding perspective, saw a few birds from Cardinals to a small raptor I was unable to identify - cloudy day, will come back in spring.

Cute Neighborhood park that you could easily miss, this was a surprise and a pleasure to visit!…read moreLocated directly across Heritage Center Plaza, this park is not huge but is home to a children's playground, a basketball court, a soccer field with artificial turf, and fully paved walking trails that essentially wind as loop in and around the ground. There are dozens of parking spaces where the trail is only a few steps away, and no matter which of the two or more entry point you choose, you will eventually end up where you started. The impressively tall and straight trees were strikingly lush on a recent misty Saturday morning, and it really felt like an oasis away from the busy roads and shopping strips nearby.

Nothing extravagant. Yet this waterway in between businesses, is at least a reprieve. Occasionally…read moreI'll hike or jog here. Despite the suburban area, the canopy of trees is therapeutic. It feels good to escape even for a few moments. There's a lot of greenery. The paved path is pleasant. Also it's well maintained. There is some wildlife to see, although not too high on the excitement o' meter. I have seen small fish in the artificial pond. Am not certain what species they are. Considering the area, and its proximity to the beltway, glad to be on foot sometimes.

6/11/20 & 6/12/20 Today I start on my path to the Road To…read moreWellville. No, this is not Dr. Kellogg's Wellness Resort. There will eating fifteen gallons of yoghurt (The British spelling of yoghurt. Not the American way of yogurt) either. I don't  need to tell you what Dr. Kellogg's response to Mr. Lightbody was. Anyhow, the first run was hard and painful, but still enjoyable. I could feel my heartbeat thumbing and light sweat breaking out by the time I finished.  I had set some goals, but that didn't work out to well in some areas. I did; however,  make it two times running around the pond without stopping and two times walking.  I will do another run on Sunday. I have figured out yet, on working out on Monday, Wednesday and Friday yet, but I will think of something. Just need to get into a routine. 6/12/20 Today I will try four sets of twenty push ups, squats, crunches and more stretching.  This will be  lighter workout, but something worthy nonetheless.  I am also thinking about lunges too. Maybe over time develope a better stomach and ass than I have now.  Well time is a wasting and I have work to do. Update: Change of plans. I ended up doing an hours worth of Zumba with my wife. I might not have sweated as much as her, but I can feel the workout I was doing. I still having some trouble with Michelle Vo's squats/stomach crunches. I feel I am not doing them right at the speed she is doing them. Nevertheless, I will do it slower so I know I am getting them right. I did 40 pushes with 40 more to go before bed time. I am sore, but feel better.

I never knew this was about a 15 minute drive from my house but I'm glad I finally checked it out…read more I did the section from Eakin Park on Prosperity Avenue down to Lake Accotink and back. Most of it is paved which is convenient and it wasn't too crowded on a weekday. Luckily there was only one street crossing, but it's near a curve so pay attention and move fast. It's mostly woods between rows of suburban houses, and a short portion near a highway interspersed with more wooded sections through parks and leading to a gravel section at Lake Accotink. One part was almost like walking through a tall grass prairie with only a small clearing for the trail itself, I hadn't seen that anywhere else around here. I saw some deer near Lake Accotink and they watched me for a minute then decided to run off after they were kind enough to stop for a picture. Also, unlike some trails it's VERY difficult to get lost here so that's a major plus. I'll definitely check this out again and will check out some other segments as well.

The part from Fairfax (behind the circle bowling alley) to Accotink park: 5 stars. I love how it…read moregoes under roads (like Old Lee Highway and Pickett) for uninterrupted runs and rides. It is well maintained and very safe in these areas. Lots of cool old bridges. This is one of my favorite running routes. Part of it us even paved, from Pickett road by the baseball field to where to where it splits off near Nutley (under a mile). The rest is well maintained gravel. The part in Oakton: 3 stars. Super confusing and rough. Too rugged for a casual biker or even trail runner. Might be nice for a hike or dog walking. I agree with the reviews before that said there are places that lack signage and you have to know what you're doing to know how to follow it.

Quaint little neighborhood community garden plots situated at the end of a cul-de-sac and off a…read morelittle path with a beautiful park right next to it. The plots also connect to nearby paths that, in turn, connect with other community parks with lots of trails that you can go walking, running, hiking, or biking. There is a little stream that runs throuhg it as well. They have several plots where gardeners are filling it with everything from flowers to fruits to veggies, and a lot of native, indigenous plants as well. There's a hose so you can water your babies and nurture them and they also have piles of mulch that you can use to put in and around your garden. Pets are allowed but must be leashed. There are also several benches nearby where you can just sit and relax and you will definitely see a lot of wildlife here as well. Very beautiful, peaceful, and serene! Happy Trails!

This is one large facility. Right off of Woodburn, this is close to INOVA Fairfax Hospital. There…read moreare a number of fields. This is primarily for soccer, but a few are general purpose. They are very well maintained. Also the community garden is a nice touch. A lot of youth and adult groups host events here. Parking is definitely available. Most from the area are familiar with it, and where it is, but to non locals it can be confusing to find. One problem though, is people come here at night to drink beers. I don't particularly find that appropriate at a park, especially one with kids and others going here. Yet that does happen, and I hope our public safety folks will charge all found here.

This park's synthetic soccer fields were solid replacement fields after all the rain we were…read morehaving. The dirt parking lot could use repair or paving over.