First off extremely nice county employees. They have some amphibians and reptiles on display. As a…read moresnake guy, they take wonderful care of the animals. Also they have exhibits children will like. Could the county modernize this a bit? Yes please! However the exhibits tell a story, about animal species and nature that's in the area. I like that the folks are so approachable. The building is also pretty neat. By all means go behind it, and see what remains of older buildings. Also the pond is active with frogs and turtles. Walk on the deck and the views are pleasant. Parking sometimes on the weekends can be challenging. As for hiking opportunities, the trails are beginner friendly, and provide a way for city folks to enjoy a different experience.

Beautiful, peaceful, and vast yet dynamic, intimate, and serene…read more I came here for the first time on a winter day in the morning around 9am. With lots of open space for parking, I sat in my car and just had my coffee and donut. The view(s) from the parking lot itself was lovely (see 1st pic). The trails, too - although I didn't walk that much - also seemed nice; birds were chirping and the few people were friendly and said hello. Unlike other trails and parks which can be overwhelming in terms of its space and completely deserted at times, this place seemed is planned and paved well; it's doable for non hikers and great for casual walkers. If you are single and or have a dog, a couple, or in a group, this place seems to be for everyone, and it is a great place to come and reflect.

This review is for the splash pad and playground. The incredibly awesome and very, very free splash…read morepad and playground. This new splash pad and playground serves as a reminder that damn Loudon County has some money. We got here at noon with our toddler and only planned to spend a couple of hours and ended up basically being here until they closed in the middle of summer at 8 PM. I think it's an amazing design to have three playground design for different ages right near the splash pad. Luckily it was like 5000° out so kids dried off the minute they left the waterpark to go to playgrounds. So being a wet mess really wasn't a concern. There are a few rules to the waterpark that includes no toys and no dogs and the standard diaper requirements for the incontinent , but otherwise it's pretty open and people were really really well behaved. The bathrooms are amazingly clean for a public bathrooms and offer wide enough stalls to change in. It's highly recommended because of temperatures and the fact that most of the place is concrete to wear water shoes. The only issue we had was that a baby kept putting wet banana peels like this was Mario kart in the splash pad and people kept tripping on them. Most of the water features are well functioning and a lot of fun. The playground themselves range from ages 5 to 12, and have a lot of hills with Astroturf, which is kind of fun to just roll down and they have slides built into them. There are a lot of climbing activities. The slides do get hot on a sunny day, but since the kids are already wet from the waterpark, they seem fine. And the park is very clean. We went on a weekday and it wasn't really that crowded, but I can see how weekends could be pretty full. They also have lots of tables for our families to sit down and enjoy some picnic items.

My kids love it. It's clean and lots of parking space and well maintained. It's worth visiting.read more

Great Park for toddlers! We met a nice family that invited my daughter to their daughter's…read morebirthday, that they were having that day at the park.

Love this park! It has an awesome kids playground good for toddlers and older kids! Tons of slides,…read more4 swings and a tire swing! They have a sand volleyball court, a soccer field, a baseball field and a softball field. They have restrooms that get about a 3 star rating, but get the job done. It's a popular park and there is a lot of parking.

I ran here various times during my stay in VA. Its a nice park to walk around, jog or run. The loop…read moreis mainly unpaved and its about 1.8 miles. Definitely beats running around the neighborhood as you see fellow runners and animals.

Yesterday on July 30th 2026. Royal lake is a fun drop by lake if you just want to cast a couple of…read moretimes. They don't have a bathroom, but they have a portable potty and it was not very clean. You can picnic here they have BBQ grills and it's free to get in. This lake is in the middle of a neighborhood. This lake is stocked with Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, crappies. I would recommend coming and taking a look.

This place is absolutely beautiful. Huge with so many stunning areas from a greenhouse with glass…read morewalls and greenery to pagodas! I didn't know it's also a popular event venue! We saw a few weddings here last weekend. Plenty trails and photo ops! Looks like a lot of people come here for maternity shoots and engagement shoots- the photographers have a special entrance ticket and rules to abide by. Not free entry but very well maintained and a beautiful experience for families or couples.

Meadowlark is the best spot to view cherry blossoms in the DMV, hands down. Visit on a weekday…read moreduring peak bloom if you can, but even on a busy day you can get better views of the blossoms than at the Tidal Basin. Don't sleep on this hidden gem during cherry blossom season! The rest of the botanical garden is well worth a visit, with a greenhouse, polished garden favorites, and wild woodland scenery. There are also children's gardens and a small playground, as well as many benches with different views to enjoy. One of my favorite spots is the fairy garden right outside the entrance, with all kinds of small-scale flowers. Admittedly, I've only been to Meadowlark during two seasons and have yet to witness fall and winter. I'm eager to go for the holiday lights, which I've heard great things about.

Begrudgingly, I am rating Lake Fairfax with 4 stars. Let me preface by saying I am not an…read more"outdoor-sy" type of gal. Spas and sparkling rosé...more my speed, but I am always up for different experiences. Having said that...I've experienced it, and umm...with mosquito bites still itching, this was cool...not sure if I would say, "yes" again. While he set up the tents, I went to grab a margarita. Upon my return, I was impressed with the setup. Who knew camping could be "chic"? lol. After sending my daughter pics, she said it was, "glamping," not "camping." Lol Honestly, I enjoyed. Just hated the bugs. I love to read. If you do too, bring a good book. The camping ground is spacious. You're assigned a lot where you set up your tent(s). Seems like he had the entire gamut -- blow up couch, blow up bed, portable grill, speakers for music, bug repellent, food, and libations ;-) You will hear everything that is nature at night. I swear I heard a fox howling/barking. All-in-all, it was a cool experience...five days later, still itching from those bites. Oh! There's a water park too...arrive early to get in because they do have a capacity limit.

Wayyyyy back in the day, my dad bought a RV, and the one place that I can explicitly remember us…read moregoing, was Lake Fairfax Park. I also remember having a great time on the lake paddle boating and swimming in the big "L" shaped pool. Fast forward decades later, I have taken a liking to camping. I still consider myself a novice, and over the last 3yrs, I have accumulated some cool stuff. I have an annual camping trip with a large group next month, but I wanted to do a small intimate trip to one of my favorite childhood places. I must say, Lake Fairfax has one big change from when I was a child. It now has a HUGE waterpark that has giganic water slides as soon as you enter. I was a little disappointed to hear from the check-in Park attendant, who had the personality of a disinterested teenager, that the L shaped pool I referenced was no longer there. My picture of laying poolside or chillin in the pool were shattered, because with waterparks, comes tons and tons of young kids.. and honestly, I would just rather not..LOL! Once we made it to our assigned camping lot, I was super pleased at how close we were to the extremely clean rest rooms that were equipped with showers. The camping site was noticeably quiet, almost library quiet, so that suprised me a little. I didn't want to disrupt the flow, so I kept my speaker at a low level. :) All in all, I had a memorable experience at Lake Fairfax Park and I can definitely see myself coming back sometime next Spring/Summer!!

My spouse, tween daughter, and I enjoyed our visit here. We went on a Sunday early afternoon and…read moredid the wagon ride for $6 per person. It was 25 minutes long and it took you to the back fields and through the woods. It wasn't mind blowing but it was a pleasant ride to immerse in and kind of feel like you are on a farm. We bought tickets at the store where they also have cool old-timey simple toys for sale, along with items like apple butter. We loved seeing the animals including cows, calves, horses, pigs, peacocks, ducks, and very vocal sheep! Parking and general admission are free! If you are in the area, this is a wonderful stop to make. You can even milk cows at certain times of day.

What a fun place! I went with my partner and it was very enjoyable. We greatly enjoyed seeing all…read moreof the animals, especially the baby goats. They were so adorable! The Fairfax county parks system does an incredible job making experiences all ages can enjoy. Will return!

To my surprise, this trail was found by accident as I had finished an errand in Herndon and needed…read morea place to kill time and explore. This trail/park allows you to see the beautiful nature Northern VA offers with the trees, streams, trails, and surroundings of buildings and landscapes. It's a long trail and it intersects with the WO&D trail. Plenty of space and mileage to explore and perfect for biking/walking/jogging. Get those steps in!

I love walking this easy trail with my dog and am so fortunate to have it located so close from…read morehome. There is plenty of shade and is great for bikers, runners, dog walkers and if you are looking for a simple trail to take your family to! There is also a really neat wall of painted rocks that the community has been contributing to which is awesome because we all get to add to one big piece of art! On a few of my walks here, I've seen deer, raccoons, and foxes so there is a pretty good chance you may spot some wildlife too.

Sign up for the tour given by the park authority ($10 per adult) and you will get a fascinating…read moretour with access to buildings that are normally locked to the public. Our guide today was Morgan and she was extremely knowledgeable.

Located very close to the Dulles airport and the National Air Museum . There's free and easy…read moreparking.Entrance is also free.If you want to take a tour that does cost a fee . I came here without expectations and open to what I would see. The area is very walkable.There's a visitor center . It has information and artifacts from the property . It's also where tour tickets can be purchased .I was able to tour the grounds, including the recreated enslaved quarters. I was able to go inside of the enslaved quarters. Some of the buildings are undergoing renovations and can only be viewed from the outside. This includes the main house.The guide stood in the middle of the grassy area and talked about the main house. He also showed pictures of the inside. Yes, this area was part of the Underground Railroad , but not as a beacon of freedom. It is also on the national registry of historic places. Owned by north Virginia's first congressman and his family this was a working plantation. At one point it was also used by confederate soldiers. Give yourself at least 45 minutes for the grounds.