Love this park and the water splash area for kids when it's hot! Sometimes they have marketing…read moreevents there with information and free handouts samples promoting community services. The play equipment isn't as exciting as other places but the open space and freedom to burn off some energy is fabulous

Chavis Park is named after John Chavis, a free Black educator, Presbyterian minister, and American…read moreRevolutionary War veteran. In 1808, he opened his first school, the site of which was located near the grounds of modern-day Chavis Park. There is rich black history here at this park. If you visit the community center on its grounds you can see the black and white photos adorning the walls of the center dating back to the 60's featuring the people of this African American community. This is a beautiful park that is home to the main attraction its early 20th-century carousel. Allan Herschell Carousel, showcases a Wurlitzer 146A band organ, oil paintings of waterfalls and other natural scenes, and thirty-six jumping, hand-carved, hand-painted horses. There are several indoor and outdoor spaces available to the public and for rent. In addition a playground, tennis courts, and a pool, the park offers a community center, picnic shelters, a gymnasium, a lit, outdoor track, a fitness center, and a game room. A half-mile of Raleigh's Capital Area Greenway traverses the park via Little Rock Trail. During the week my daughter attends basketball practice here and we love the view of the city skyline from the community center This is my favorite park in the Raleigh area.

We loved exploring this park and finding the Thomas Dambo Trolls! This park is a huge 308-acre…read moreurban park in Raleigh that has transformed from the former Dorothea Dix Hospital grounds. It has giant meadows, amazing skyline views, a dog park, and historic architecture. At certain times during the year there is even a field of sunflowers. But the real highlight of this park is exploring to find the Thomas Dambo Trolls. They are so incredible to see in person. Don't miss your chance to view them!!

I've been here three times recently and each time had a great experience. One time we came to see…read morethe sunflower field. Parking was super easy and sunflower field was well maintained and easy to walk thru and take pics. There was even a grass couch for a photo shoot. The next time we came for a WW Ii tour of the grounds and were given a great amount of history about the northern soldiers who occupied the hospital and the land when it was a plantation. Most recently we came to see the trolls. What beautiful artwork they were and it was so much fun walking thru the park to find them. Like a treasure hunt. Great park with outdoor art, a gift shop with restrooms. I love this park.

The pickleball courts are very well maintained here, and there are 10 courts total. Five can be…read morereserved, and the other five are first come, first served. The courts are set up in two rows with a gate/divider between them, which helps keep balls from rolling onto the other side. The park also has fields and facilities for other sports, so check out their website for more information. Highly recommend if you're looking for a great place to play pickleball.

Lisa who runs this park is absolutely wonderful. This is a hidden Jim park. It's going to have 10…read morenew Pickleball courts located near downtown. I would highly recommend checking out this park!

Roberts Park is a large green space with a bunch of stuff to keep you busy. Picnic shelters with…read morebarbecue grills, an outdoor basketball court with concrete surface, lighted tennis courts and a baseball field. The playground is for ages 5-12 and has a rubberized surface. Perfect for tiring out toddlers! The Roberts Park Center has an indoor weight room, gym, activity room, meeting room and a warming kitchen. The meeting room and kitchen are available to rent. I did not visit those today when I stopped by. There is street parking as well as a small parking lot. [Review 12739 overall, 51 of 2020.]

This has become my go-to running spot while in NC for work…read more The entrance into the park is gated and is typically not open during the early hours that I arrive so I park in the lot just outside the gate, which has a quick easy access to the Neuse River Greenway Trail (left) and Crabtree Creek Greenway Trail (right). What I love is you get two very different running paths. The Neuse River Greenway is flat and pretty open. The Crabtree Creek Greenway has some minor elevation but some really cool bridges to go over (including a winding one). The park, itself, has its own running paths. There are bathrooms, water fountains, picnic areas and a big playground. Lots of covered space. From the outside parking lot, you'll hike over the bridge over the freeway into the park (about .20 miles). The bathrooms have a coded door lock that I haven't figured out yet. There is some type of house within the park as well, and I'm not sure what it's about. If you want to find the first really cool bridge, you'll go past the house and keep staying straight on the trail and not veering left or right. Also, the area between the house and the bathrooms yields some pretty cool breezes. I've noticed that temps get cooler from the adjacent field when running through there. There are mile markers on the Crabtree Creek Greenway Trail. You'll hit your first hill at about 1.15 miles from the parking lot outside the gate. Perfect place for long runs, interval workouts or bike rides. Very scenic!

Love this location! It has tons of parking and is a great path along the greenway. I run here with…read moremy running group as well as bike here with my partner. Definitely a great spot if you live close. You can literally run or bike for miles in either direction so it's perfect if you're training for a race.

Went here with my boyfriend! This is a clean open park that's very good for a short walk, they also…read morehave bathrooms and tennis courts as well as a children's play area 10/10 recommend it's also in a very nice area :)

Came here recently with the family and had a good time. The playground was pretty small, but there…read moreweren't too many kids playing on it either so that was OK. We didn't get the chance to explore most of the park but everything looked nice from a distance :) There were a LOT of people playing pickleball too. I'm not sure if there are multiple parking lots, but the one we parked in was quite small but still had a few open spaces. Overall, would definitely consider coming back here, especially on my own so I can walk around and explore a bit more.

When Raleigh was voted the best city in the US last year, one of the defining categories in the…read moreselection process is miles of greenway. I'm a die-hard Durhamite, but I have to concede... Raleigh really has their ish together when it comes to the Capital Area Greenway (separate review to come). And the Little Rock Trail exists to conveniently connect downtown denizens to the miles-and-miles-and-miles of interconnected paved trail options that span all over Raleigh, out into Apex, and elsewhere. That being said... LRT, as a running path, is a little rough around the edges. It goes through some poor-er neighborhoods where you'll pass by the occasional boarded up house and trot over lots of broken glass. One evening, there were three police cars surrounding an apartment complex that the path passes by. The trail doesn't seem to be used much at all on weekdays, though I have seen a cyclist or two. Because there are park benches and pavilions in areas, you might pass folks hanging out. I haven't felt uncomfortable* running alone though; and actually, most of the people seem friendly. Pick the trail up on Chavis (look for Chavis Way signs, then cross the street for the trail entrance) and take it east to the Wetland Center where it drops you off on the Walnut Creek Trail. About 3mi out and back. *with the exception of spotting a pair of discarded purple panties in the tree branches growing up from underneath a bridge I run over.

I chose to park at 501 MLK Jr Blvd, but couldn't find parking (maybe it was early voting?), so I…read moredrove around the corner to a residential area and parked alongside the trail there. There is also a lot at the nature center on 950 Peterson St, right near where the Little Rock Trail connects with the Walnut Creek Trail. When I stopped there, it was completely empty. I decided to park at the end of the Little Rock Trail, and then connect with the Walnut Creek, hoping to get in a twelve mile loop. The positives: The trail is flat and quiet, with bathrooms along the route. There are also tunnels going under the main roads so you don't have to take your life in your hands when you want to cross them. The negatives: According to reviews online, it seemed these trails are populated to the point of overcrowding. I didn't see that. For the first three miles of my run, I was the only one out there, and thankfully the RGreenway app was on my phone since the trails aren't marked all that well (or were, but someone tore the signs down). And while I didn't feel unsafe going through the neighborhoods along the trail for most of my run, there's something unsettling when people in said neighborhoods stared at me, asking if I was lost, and then told me to head back to the main road because it's safer there. I didn't heed that advice until a bunch of teenagers drove by on mopeds and kept circling me. I don't scare easily, but being tired and alone in the middle of an area I don't know, I liked my chances on the main road better than in the middle of the woods. The other down side to this area is that the stretch of the Little Rock Trail between the nature center and the lot at 501 MLK is somewhat close to the women's correctional facility. If you're on the trail, you'll never see it. I didn't see it until I got off the trail and headed back on main roads. A little unsettling because I wasn't expecting it, but perhaps the warning of the locals is what made me feel unsettled by it? Don't know. Bottom line: I don't know if I would come out here alone again. I'd definitely bring someone else along with me and run on the trail, but it was a little too remote for my liking.

We love this park. It's took away off to itself and there's so much open space for events, family,…read moreactivities, and more. Bring your bike out here because there's a gorgeous access trail to the neuse River Trail. There is great parking, super clean bathrooms. This is just an overall great experience. There's picnic tables for groups and more. Definitely a spot to check out.

The area here is quite pretty; the aptly named space next to a river makes a rough horseshoe shape…read moreand showcases a variety of topography and plant life. Paths connect to the Neuse River trail across the river, though you'll have to walk for a bit and cross an impressive-looking bridge to get there. The amount of parking and the hours it was open seem to be somewhat inadequate for the demand on this space, but it's large enough that people can spread out well. There is a restroom area near the parking lot, albeit without running water in the sinks. I could imagine the trails and parking being developed a bit better, but the space is certainly well worth having as a park and well worth visiting.