This park is a ton of fun. Built within the past 5 years, this park has everything. It has swings,…read moremega slides, a spider web climber, and baby zones. It even has disability friendly options and party zones. I love taking my kids here to just run free. The only downfall I see is when some neighborhood teenagers come around and play aggressive tag games and curse. It is a place for smaller children and they are welcome, but bring inappropriate and unsafe behaviors.

This might be the best playground I've ever been to. Multiple layers to the playground with a…read morevariety of equipment that is age appropriate and safe. Tons of spaces to explore and play. I love the secured locked gate. I can't not wait to go back when the weather is nicer. We had the best time despite the foggy conditions!

What a fun area at Patapsco!! My daughter is 2 and could play on most of the structures. A nice…read morechange from the typical playgrounds we visit, though they have a traditional playground as well which is nice. They have an entire wooden "playground" and tons of tire play structures.

3.5 stars! A nice park with lots of open space.. it is good for all ages. My kid had a blast! It…read morehas a clean bathroom and a couple different play spaces! It was a little outdated in some areas but still very sweet!

This little suburban oasis is squeezed between several roadways, but it's a remarkably versatile…read morebit of open space. There's an athletic complex, several ball fields, two picnic pavilions, a large soccer field, basketball and tennis courts. Howard County parks & rec didn't fall into the trap of an overpaved "activities-only" park. Because there's also an extensive area of small ponds & wetlands with a restored streambed, some nature signage, and a surprising amount of native wildlife for such a modest park (including a few beavers!). My favorite is that you can get in a decent 2+ mile walk around the outside perimeter (all well-paved). It's also easy to walk into the park from the surrounding neighborhoods, or the adjacent park-and-ride lot. It's not the kind of park that's gonna have me coming from a distance, but for my neighborhood park, it's a gem.

Easter flew past before i could tell you of our kid's outing to Clark's Elioak Farm (Apr 2026)…read more It's a place full of fun outdoor activities and critters on MD-108 Clarksville Pike, west of US-29 just past Centennial Lane. We took a three-year-old there for an outing in bright slightly-cool weather. Up until Easter, they had easter-egg hunts all day, separated each time into age-groups, smartly organized so that the kids trade in the eggs afterwards for a goodie-bag, so the competition for eggs wasnt too fierce. We took a train ride around the farm. And the newest pony was still getting used to the situation, so instead of riding, we joined in gentle grooming and pampering. A lovely fun morning! It's on a 7th-generation family-owned farm, and it's open Tuesday-Sunday and some Mondays, 11-5 or so. There's low-cost tickets for entry and for some of the activities, and there's lots of free parking. Their produce stand is open July-Sep. And after the olds reminisce about the restored decor that Clark's Elioak Farm rescued 20 years ago from good old Enchanted Forest, there's a nice (unrelated) wine bar and restaurant across the street :-)

This place is great and overlooked! They have gem mining. Thought my kids were gonna pass on this…read morebut wow they really knocked it out if the park. Everyone do nice!! They loved the bunnies

The Howard County Recreation & Parks Summer Concert Series at Centennial Park is a fantastic way to…read morespend a summer evening! We saw I&I Riddim at the Centennial Park Amphitheater, and they brought incredible music and such a fun, relaxing vibe. The beautiful park setting made it even better. This was the first of the five-concert summer series, with free concerts taking place on Thursday evenings through August 5. If you're looking for a laid-back night with great live music, this is definitely worth checking out. Bring a lawn chair or blanket, relax, and enjoy a wonderful evening outdoors!

I love summertime and this park is perfect to park in the shade and enjoy breakfast. This moment…read morewas followed by a break walk around the loop. Without my dog, this time,I was approached by a squirrel and even two deer. It's nice having so many wonderful things to do outside!

I have been to the play n learn for many birthday parties. It is the perfect place to host a kids…read morebirthday, maybe 3-7 years old. It is a backyard play set showroom that they made over for parties and free play. They have the play sets, trampolines, basketball, and ping pong. It's clean, well organized, and all the kids have fun. Their prices and play hours are transparent and easy to figure out. I highly recommend the play n learn for young kids.

Fun way to spend a rainy morning with an energetic four year old. Clean and safe. Trampolines,…read moreclimbing, ping pong. Lots to do

I always find myself at this park each time I visit my sister in Ellicott city, MD. This park is…read morelaid-back with several baseball fields, roller hockey rink, archery and ample parking. Nice quiet place to bring your family and kids to have fun.

Plenty to do at this park, we come here often, pre-Covid it's full with soccer via Western Howard…read moreCounty teams, archery lessons and camps with Ho Co Rec & Parks and public telescope events with the Howard Astronomy group. We use the .4 mile Solar System loop for walking in the evening as there is not much shade. It's a decent path for kids solidifying their post-training wheels skills. One section is grass and while cars are slow, you still need to be alert. Pavilions can be reserved for event, and when sports teams are not scheduled it's a great place to fly a kite, look for monarch butterflies on the milkweed, or shoot off stomp rockets.

Quaint waterfront in a bustling suburb. Was at a show at the Encore and then saw they had a World…read moreCup watch party here so saw some of it Too bad I got too tired to stay and then Turkey upset USA.

The Lakefront area surrounds LakeKittamaqundi. It is a large open space that includes a small…read moreamphitheater, a fountain, a pedestrian promenade, and several restaurants and retail establishments (including While Foods) overlooking the lake. It's such a pretty area to eat, gather, or just chill. It's also a great place to exercise. You can walk/run around the lake and there are several other trails in the area. I walked about 1.2 miles from Blandair Park and thoroughly enjoyed the trails. There was plenty of signage so I always knew where I was going. There was some nice foliage and even some hills. A nice change from the flat Florida terrain!

Playground was recently renovated. So much fun for the kids. Things were available for all the age…read moreranges and abilities. Also plenty of seating for the adults to relax on a nice sunny day! I highly recommend taking the kids and checking it out!

This is a great park for dog walking, sports activities and family hangouts. It is a vast park…read moredivided into two sections. One area is dedicated to wooded trails and flying disc activities, while the other features sports courts and extended trails. Walking along the snow-covered trails offered a unique, serene experience, with the peacefulness of the setting enhanced by sunlight gently filtering through the woods. There are parking areas located at various part of the park, convenient.

There is a free entrance off of Landing Rd. A month ago I started a walk at the Landing Rd. I…read morewalked to the Avalon area (3 miles). I walked north on the ridge trail 6 miles. I turned around and walked 6 miles back to Avalon. Then walked 3 miles to the landing road starting point. It was 97 degrees. Brought 7 liters of water and about 30% of it was electrolytes. brought some snacks. overall it was a good solid hike of 6 hours. I rested a bit at cascade falls (CF) CF parking lot, Avalon (in both directions) Total mileage was around 18 miles. Trail reference: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/afternoon-hike-at-a-long-but-exciting-walk-65af16a

I came to Patapsco after planning a hike here for my run/walk/hike club. We chose the Cascade Falls…read moreloop trail as it seemed easy for beginner hikers which were a lot of members of my group and like it would not require any extra supplies. We came on a Sunday morning, parking was $2 as our shuttle was an in state vehicle ($4 for out of state!) and when we arrived around 9:30, there was already a decent amount of people at the trailhead parking lot, but we were able to easily park. There is a bathroom located nearby that is clean and has running water. I do think it is relatively well maintained and looked after, though there was 1 stall missing toilet paper. The hike itself was lovely, with fall foliage still around in sight. We did not come across any big wildlife like deer but given the amount of people this made sense. We did use bug spray on our shoes and bottoms of our leggings / ankle area to prevent any ticks. The trail itself was beautiful, there are 2 water crossing areas where you could get by on rocks but I have waterproof hiking shoes and just walked straight through. I would recommend this trail to beginners!