Tucked away in Foxhall near the Palisades is a recreation center that rivals most in Washington,…read moreD.C. With views of Rosslyn across the Potomac River from the field, here's what you should know: 1) Amenities: Hardy Recreation Center rivals many in the city with the sheer amount of amenities. There are two playgrounds- one for littles and one for older kids. There's also a splash pad, a field, workout stations, two rope swings, tennis courts, and a community garden, an ode to the World War II victory garden once on the land. 2) Parking: There's easy street parking around the park. There's also a Capital Bikeshare docking station outside the tennis courts. If you want a space to enjoy the outdoors, go to Hardy Recreation Center.

Love it here. So safe and peaceful. Everyone is very nice and it's super clean. But not so clean…read morethat your kid won't get a little dirty from running around. Nice basketball courts and tennis courts. Big soccer field.

This is a cute playground outside of Friendship Rec center in the Upper northwest part of DC. I…read moretook my toddler here on a Tuesday afternoon. It was pretty quiet (just nannies and a few kids) until the private schools let out and kids in Gucci shoes followed by moms in neon colored Chanel boots showed up and it became quite crowded. We left not too long after this because a few of these unruly children who were not being watched by their moms repeatedly tried to bully my 2 year old out of the sand area. Before these children arrived, we had a great time with the various slides and toys left behind in the sand. There's lots of open space, tennis courts, and a separate section for older kids. Parking is on the street and highly coveted. I noticed many cars circling on our way out. It looks like there's a splash pad here as well. I might take my son back here but would definitely choose to come earlier than later.

Great park! I have never seen one for littles like this one. I like the sand and sand toys.read more

This is a cute little park in the Pentagon City/Crystal City area. I'd definitely say it's geared…read moretoward the younger set. You won't find any playground equipment here but there are a TON of toys from diggers to a trampoline to cozy coupes and similar ride in toys. There are a couple of swings but the real focus here is on the toys. As has been noted previously it is VERY sandy, even outside the sandbox. On our visit there were quite a few hornets within the sand area so I was mostly steering clear of that. This park is very tiny and can get crowded quickly, which is not ideal for social distancing all of the time. Parking is easily found on the street. Also, just as an FYI, there is a playground relatively close (Martha Custis Park, I believe) if you want more apparatuses to climb.

Mitchell Park Recreation Center is a nice area in Kalorama in NW DC. The surrounding area is…read morewealthier and you can tell by looking at this rec center. There's a large field for dogs. There are two playgrounds incredibly well kept and clean. If you are in the area and have kids, it's a great spot to chill.

5/23/21 This place looks amazing, but many things have…read morechanged since I was a kid. The design of the men and women shows have changed, but especially the location of the showers. An elevator is now available for the handicapped or people who need to be separated for this Coronavirus Pandemic. No long fence to move around to go to the bathroom or get icecream from the icecream truck. However, it looks like this pool might welcome back the icecream trucks, because I did not see the snack shop there. From where I was I saw the middle pool and the baby pool off in the distance. The life guard station was empty, but it looked more roomier than I remember as a kid. Membership and stuff are all online, but since I was in the neighborhood, I thought I would stop by and ask. While there, I discovered two of my sister's records had still yet to be beaten. My pathetic records were beaten with in a year. This was in the early 80's. My diving record was either beaten or I did not see if it was there. The high dive is still gone, but I will always remember jumping off it while it was there back in the 1980's. Would have liked to get a picture from where I entered the pool area, but I did not feel comfortable taking pictures of little kids in their bathing suits. "Guess there is a point I won't go beyond" to quote Hans from Enter The Dragon. Excellent pool and I love what the designer did with the place. Still, I do remember how the step use to have plants with spiders on each side of the stairs. Guess you don't have to worry about that anymore.

A great spot to cool off on hot summer days. They have a great swim club for kids/young adults. The…read moreproperty is beautiful and the pool facilities are great. What would make this club amazing is: 1) a bar and basic restaurant 2) a higher diving board Otherwise this place is incredible and a must for young families.

These parks are filthy, unkept and surrounded by trash bags. Nothing fancy…read more. Review: 2

King Greenleaf Recreation Center is a fine rec center, but it's outdoor playground may be one of…read morethe best in all of Washington, D.C. There are two parts to it. On one side you have a large and tall actual playground with one of the biggest slides I've seen for kids. It's new and well kept. On the other side is open space for kids to run and plenty of benches for parents to take a break.

Girard Street Park is a medium size park north of Meridian Hill Park/Malcolm X Park in Columbia…read moreHeights. There's a large field, two playgrounds (one for smaller kids and one for older), a community garden, an outdoor workout station and benches. They also have a few electronic games that get you to run.

This renovation of this park came with much fanfare four years ago as another attempt by the city…read moreto gentrify the neighborhood somewhat. However, it's apparent that such a charming park with so much potential will be a victim of its location unless the people who frequent it take better care of it and each other. This park has everything you can ask for in a park: shade, benches, picnic tables, open play area, updated play structures for different age groups, a splash pad, swings, and a full court basketball court. There is even easy access from two neighboring streets, Girard and Fairmont. Fortunately for my three-year old daughter, she is oblivious to the surroundings where you have lowlifes hanging out. She enjoyed her time here and was bummed we had to leave after 45 minutes. During the day, as long as you're vigilant, there shouldn't be any issues in terms of enjoying what the park has to offer. During our visit, there were just a few instances that irked me. One, a couple boys were throwing pebbles/rocks towards another group of unassuming children. And in another, several parents or adults are just sitting around near the play structures smoking their cigarettes away. At night, I'd probably advise all people, regardless of age to avoid this place like the plague.

Dawson Terrace Community Center and Park is north of Rosslyn in a mostly residential neighborhood…read morecalled North Highland. It's along the highway and the Potomac River. The community center itself is in a historic stone building. The park is behind it with a section for smaller kids and a rope playground with a massive blue slide for older kids. There's a trail that leads to the remains of a castle.

This is a small park located just north of Rosslyn . There seem to be trails , a community…read morecenter(closed currently), and a basketball court. This park is most suited for the older toddler +. The tunnel slide is clearly the highlight of the park, but the only way to get there is up a large spiderweb that has large gaps in it that are not suitable to toddlers who have yet to develop the capacity to get up the ropes themselves. They have a couple baby swings (love they have the duo swing) and a spiderweb swing. The boat with binoculars is cute. There's also a little playhouse with a toddler slide. The fake grass has some nice hills to run up and down. There's plenty of seating available. The park is pretty Empty during the week. Once school lets out it gets busier. Parking is available both on the street and in a lot. I'd return here again, but only when my toddler (who turned 2 last month) can at least help me get him through the ropes to the big blue slide.