Beautiful. I love the Art & the sculptures. Koi fish are my favorite and I love Koi ponds. The…read morescenery is absolutely stunning!

This is such a cute little park!…read more There is a decently sized pond with koi fish and goldfish. There are walk paths that wind throughout the park with a couple of cute bridges. What really makes this park unique is the fact that it has so much local art. A few of the sculptures are permanent, but a number of them are planned to be rotated over time. My favorite sculptures were the ones made out of driftwood - they are both beach-y and very neat to look at. It's a nice place to stop by if you're visiting the area, and it it right off of the North Beach boardwalk.

There is a newly installed Pétanque Torain. It has a great surface. There is plenty of parking and…read morenear-by clean and well-maintained rest rooms. Hope to see more players using it.

A fairly typical Calvert county park with all of the usual types of sports/athletic fields. Also…read morehas restrooms. Does not open until 8:00 a.m.. winter hours were supposed to start in 2 weeks which would have meant early closure, but the authorities have decided to keep it open until 8:00 p.m. to allow play.

Still only open to Chesapeake Beach residents only even if you live in North Beach. They really…read morehave ruined this park by being so unwelcoming even to nearby residents. Large signs saying you will be trespassing and so on. They need to do better than this, makes both towns look very unwelcoming.

A free park with a small beach and a large boardwalk. Very small parking area that fits perhaps 20…read morecars at a push. No services here at all. But it's hard to complain when it's free. Great spot for shells and pretty stones and simply looking out over Chesapeake Bay.

Battle Creek Cypress Swamp State Preserve is located in Prince Frederick MD. Had an opportunity to…read moreenjoy the flora and fauna of the preserve, and an amazing Boardwalk trail over the swamp itself! This is a relatively short (only 0.90 miles of trails) but nonetheless a fascinating adventure!

A cypress swamp sounds like something you'd find in Belize or in Dinotopia, but in fact we have one…read moreright here in Maryland. It's free, and from the parking lot one finds a visitor center with several animals (including some disabled rescue raptors outside). Restrooms are the first thing you see upon walking in, a wise choice given that this place is a pretty decent drive from almost anywhere. It is, however, not far off Route 4, and a viable stop on the way to other things in the region. After the visitor center, a boardwalk leads out into the swamp, and make no mistake it is pretty swampy. The trees apparently put their roots out aboveground to stabilize themselves, leading to a bizarre aesthetic of knobby root bits sticking up everywhere. The area is quiet but for the slow flow of water, and you can almost feel nature renewing itself; wetlands are tremendously valuable. It isn't a large area; not something you'd spend a whole day at with just the boardwalk and a few other areas to walk through, but it makes for a nice diversion.

I've been going to Dunkirk District Park since I was a kid, so this place definitely holds a lot of…read morememories for me. There's always something going on here. A lot of youth sports, adult league baseball and softball, it's just one of those parks that stays active. You can pull up on any given day and see games, practices, or people just out enjoying the space. The park has a lot to offer too. Baseball fields, basketball courts, tennis and pickleball courts, open sports fields, walking paths, and even a dog park. There's a nice skate section, solid playgrounds, and plenty of space to just hang out. Growing up, we used to run around the playground area with family and have small cookouts. Just simple times, but those are the kind of memories that stick with you. Now it's cool getting to come back and watch the youth in my family play sports in the same places people once watched me, and being able to share those memories together. That part really hits different. Everything is kept up well, and there's enough space where it doesn't feel overcrowded even when it's busy. Overall, it's more than just a park to me. It's one of those places that's always been there, and still delivers. Great for sports, family time, or just getting outside. The good old days type of spot for sure.

Great place for kids of all ages! Zip line a hit with 2 1/2 & 6 1/2 year old granddaughters. Play…read morestructures have features that help with children's development.

We randomly dropped by Calvert Cliffs park for an easy hike with our dog. The park is about…read more1.25-1.5 hours from the Silver Spring area...of course, this depends on DMV traffic, which is always unpredictable. The cost for entry for MD residents was five bucks per car. The park has free parking, but it appeared to be limited. For our trip, we managed to find a spot in the last parking area. So, I do not know if they close the park once the parking lots become full. We visited on a Sunday afternoon in early May, so I would imagine that the parking situation might be a bit more intense during the summer months. For our first visit, we hiked the easy Red trail, which is about 1.8 miles to the beach area. Also, the majority of the red trail was well-shaded so folks should not have too much of a problem with direct sun until hitting the beach. I thought this trail was pretty easy, and almost anyone from multiple age groups could complete this hike. The beach is a bit on the smaller side; however, we did not venture too far from the point where you complete the hike. So, maybe there are more spots on the beach. We though that the park was very dog-friendly. Although the park is dog-friendly, please keep your furry friends on a leash especially since families with young children use the Red trail. A couple of tips: -The park is trash-free so whatever you bring to park, you will have to dispose of it once you leave the park. I wished that the park had a few trash receptacles at the beginning and end of the trails. But I get that having these receptacles might result in visitors overfilling the receptacles with waste and/or the local wildlife eating things that they should not. -Although I'm not 100% sure, I think the entrance fee is cash only.

My son has been really into fossils lately so we went on a hike to the beach. Had a great time!…read more When you arrive, there will be a cash box to pay in. Parking wad easy! There are restrooms to use before going on your hike! Also a playground which was a huge bonus. We hiked the red trail which was 1.8 miles to the beach. Easy to find and walk! There were benches to sit and rest along the trail. I saw some families with strollers which was cool! Tons of wildlife on the walk! We saw snakes, bull frogs, turtles, cardinals, butterflies and eagles. When we arrived to the beach it was amazing! There was a big box with tons of toys to use to dig to find fossils. Loved all the educational information too. We laid down a blanket, pulled out the toys and had such a fun afternoon! Very very peaceful hike and location.

Really great place for a day trip with the family…read more The beach is nice and the water looked clean. There is a nice path about half mile to the beach. Go early as the parking lot can fill up.

Absolutely worth the visit! I was looking up nearby beaches to DC for a day trip, and this one…read morepopped up. Who wants to cross the Bay Bridge in traffic? (No one.) You won't have to with this find! 1000% better than Calvert Cliffs Park. 2025 rates: $20/car for non-county residents on weekends. Parking is easy if you get there early, and there are real bathrooms at the visitor center. It's still a .5 mile hike to the beach, but it's mostly a firm gravel path with more sand as you get to the beach. Lots of other hiking trails that I didn't try on this visit. Signs help you navigate your way to the beach. There are restrooms and a rinse off station prior to the boardwalk onto the sand. Once to the beach, it's a pretty narrow strip of sand, but off to the right of the main path there is more space. Bring your own everything--shade, seats, snacks, and any digging/sifting equipment for finding fossils! Pack lightly. I saw some people with big beach carts and I'd not recommend it as coming back from the beach it's mostly uphill! Signs at the entrance indicate jellyfish may be present but I didn't see any for the 3 hours I was there. The waves are not very rough and the water is clear out to about 3 feet. I'd recommend water shoes as there are lots of shells/rocks at the shore. I hiked in Teva sandals and it was the perfect shoe for me hiking and on the beach and in the water. Because parking is limited, the beach was not too crowded. It was fun watching other people find fossils as I relaxed in the sun and enjoyed the peace of the sand and surf!