My wife and I enjoy walking and I also ride my bike in the park. It's well maintain and one of the…read moreonly black history parks in this country.

Lancaster Dog Park - I often bring my dog to the large dog side of the 2 dog parks. The large dog…read moreside is about a acre square, fenced in by a 6ft chain link. Both large and small dog parks are double gated so the dogs cant get out and run off. The area for the small dogs is maybe a third if the size of the large dog side. There is fresh water for your dog to get drinks and there's a poopie bag dispenser so you can clean your mess. Most of the people here pay attention to their dogs behavior and I personally haven't seen a blown out dog fight. Its a good social spot for you and your dog. Not much seating area but there are a few fixed benches in the fenced parks. Parking is usually available and near the park entrances. If your dog needs a energy release, give this place a try.

I cannot imagine there being a better Park in the area. My almost 2-year-old and I can spend hours…read morehere and she still enjoys running around and playing. There is a great toddler area next to a big kid space. A good amount of options for swings for different preferences. Really, just wish the park was bigger and was handicap accessible, otherwise, great park!

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!

What a total gem of a park- obviously our first time there and it was just a gorgeous Fall day!…read moreApparently this spot is "lesser known" or less visited than the nearby Calvert Cliffs but offers a lot of the same views and perks like finding fossils and shark teeth. Part of the beach have a very small shoreline but around the corner it opens up to this huge wide beach area with a little look out deck. We walked along some of the other pond trails and they were just beautiful. Saw tons of birds and turtles. A lot of the paths are maintained by boardwalks, and sometimes you're just walking along the dirt/sand mix but it's very peaceful and picturesque! We brought our dog and she loved it too! Being that it was November, it felt like a very few amount of people around- I imagine its much busier when it's warm out- but if you're looking for a day on the water- this is a very accessible and fun spot! I would imagine you'd want a wagon or something to carry chairs or anything that you were planning on bringing to the beach as it's a bit of a walk from the parking areas. They do have a handicap accessible lot close to the shore for those that can't do the walk.

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.

Attended a family reunion at indoor facility. The indoor space was very nice. Holding many people…read more Bathrooms right at entrance. Sadly there are no playground areas in the park. We couldn't find picnic tables either. So for us with little ones in tow, being outdoors wasn't a good experience. It's such a beautiful park hopefully a playground area is in the works.

This is a great hidden park It's very quiet and clean and…read moreeveryone is very friendly. They have a peer that you can go fishing on as well as crabbing and they also have a kid friendly outdoor pool which is separate from where the pier is located. It's very inexpensive only three dollars to enter and everyone is nice. I've never had any problems and the kids are super friendly Cash Only (it's not posted on the web site) and be ready to have a lot of fun!!

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.

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.

This little spot has a bit of beach territory which looks out across the Patuxent to the rather…read morespectacular bridge nearby, as well as some trails. The trails were thickly wooded and wide but unevenly surfaced. The beaches are pretty, but modest. It's nice that there's a public space here, but if you really want a beach, Elms Beach is better (no idea why my review for that place blew up). If you want a place to eat by the riverside, Greenwell is prettier. If you want to views of the river and the bridge, Solomons Island is better. So this place is fine to stop if you're around, but it's not great for anything. They charge admission only on peak days (weekends and holidays starting in May, according to the website), at which point they charge a lot. I wouldn't pay it, but if I was in the area I would stop by now and then.

Locked all visitors inside the park against our will over an hour before close & refused to unlock…read moreand let us leave. Still waiting now- going on two hours in a line of cars and calling the police. Park is supposed to close at 8. Completely irresponsible to lock the only entrance out at 6:45 when there are still nearly 30 people inside trying to get out. This is completely illegal and messed up. Loved how beautiful this park was but will never be back. Somebody else managed to get through to the police and they suggested leaving cars here and walking but couldn't guarantee our vehicles wouldn't be impounded. The walk home would be many hours on a dark highway at night- not an option, there are elderly people and a pregnant woman in the car ahead of me. Do not come here- you may be held against your will.