Fort Lincoln Park is a fascinating place! It's on the Maryland-DC border in NE DC near the city's…read moreonly Costco. It's a large park with plenty of street parking nearby. They have benches, courts, and play areas throughout the park. They also have these large wooden huts connected by a network of wooden bridges. It's old, but such a unique park in DC. It's one of my favorites!

This is my absolute most favorite park for children in Washington DC…read more Ft. Lincoln Park (not to be confused with Lincoln Park on Capitol Hill) takes me back in time to my own childhood, before all the overprotection and padding of our current generation of kids. Here my boys (6 and 3) can challenge themselves and play with some "risk". The brick pyramid fort and the scrambling hill with concrete slides (oh how '70's) are the bomb. When we arrive, parking along Ft. Lincoln Drive or in the tennis court parking lot, we simply let them loose and don't bother them again for the next hour or so. We can leisurely walk under the beautiful Honey Locust trees and enjoy the amazing sunsets. There are benches on the grass and under the 5 open air structures, all with amazing trees. Bear in mind that the park was built in 1969 and clearly shows some wear. The trees have pushed up the bricks in many places, and the city has only maintained the landscaping at a minimum, but nevertheless this park has excellent character. If you are a overly protective helicopter parent (I know, you tell yourself you're not), then you will not like this place. Here kids can get scraped knees, fall down off brick structures, and rip up good clothes on the old concrete slides. BUT... if you are a parent that believes in challenging your children, and you have confidence in their ability to learn from navigating "risks" then this is a terrific place to bring the kids. ============== I'm including a link to this audio article with the idea that this park is a gem of times gone past. http://www.npr.org/2014/03/20/291922339/kids-these-days-growing-up-too-fast-or-never-at-all ============== Lastly, I want to make a prediction. To tell you the truth, Ft. Lincoln Park is nearly always quiet and deserted. I am forever wondering where are all the 5 million people in the DC metro area? I somewhat avoided writing this review for fear that I would open the floodgates, only to turn around and find the park filled with people clamoring to the city about the "dangers" of loose bricks and lack of rubber padding under all the stone and concrete play-spaces. THEN, after DC Government receives all these complaints about the park from the legions of overprotective parents, they will be forced to come in and destroy this historic space in favor of plastic slides and "protected" play areas. Let alone the loss of the beautiful old brick walkways to new "pavers' etc. I really do understand that if many people start frequenting the park, that improvements will need to be made. The question is, should the park be "restored" or "updated"? SO - I make you this appeal. Once you visit the park, ask yourself questions about what is best here. When we bring Ft. Lincoln Park into the 21st Century, should we "modernize" it to our current sensibilities, or "restore" it so we might learn something from this late 20th century experiment. SAVE FORT LINCOLN PARK! http://tclf.org/landscapes/fort-lincoln-park ---

Dear reader, It is…read moreonly fair that I report the National Arboretum remains one of the coolest places in DC. It is massive, gorgeous, and the kind of place that makes you feel like you have briefly escaped the city without actually going very far. There is so much space to walk, relax, and just be outside for a while, and it never really feels crowded. Every time you turn a corner there is something new to look at, which makes the whole place feel like a very peaceful little adventure. The bonsai museum is easily one of the crown jewels. It kind of blows my mind every time that there are so many bonsai there, and some of them are up to or over 400 years old, including the famous Yamaki Pine. It is one of those places that really makes you slow down and pay attention because the amount of care, history, and detail in everything is just incredible. A very quiet flex, if you will. I also love that the Arboretum is not just about plants, although those alone would be enough. We saw bald eagles, there are beavers on the grounds, and it always feels like some kind of wildlife cameo could happen at any moment. Between the trees and plants from all over the country and the world, the Capitol Columns, the bonsai, the gardens, and all the open space, there is so much to take in without it ever feeling overwhelming. Dogs are welcome too, which feels very civilized, though they cannot go into the bonsai museum. Overall, this place is just such a gem. Beautiful, relaxing, and full of little surprises. I will absolutely keep going back, and frankly, I think society should too.

According to their website, this is a collections-based research facility and public garden of the…read moreUS Dept of Agriculture. The Arboretum is home to the world's first museum dedicated to the art of bonsai, and that's where we started. These bonsai trees are between 30 to 100-200 years old. There is one that is 400! This section alone is impressive. We also walked over to the columns that were once a part of the State Capitol building. With 451 acres the collections are based on categories which is nice. You want to look at conifers all day? Go right ahead. Azaleas and magnolias? Knock yourself out. Pick your spot. Don't feel like you can see everything AND enjoy it in one day...because you can't. Pick 1-3 things and enjoy the day. Stop by the the visitor center for a map and events for the day. Today there were Ikebana classes. Do a restroom call with the gang there before you venture out. There are portables throughout if you need to go. Read the website for areas that are wheelchair accessible or you could drive through to assess your beginning and endpoints.

Turkey Thicket is a great place to exercise. There are programs for kids and adults. They have…read moreparking. The pool has classes and lap swimming. DC residents can use the facility for free.

My rating for Turkey Thicket continues to drop because of their lack of mechanical maintenance…read more Only one of the two drinking fountains in the pool area works, and just barely. Only one of the men's showers works and has a soap dispenser. The middle one has been broken as long as I have been going there, with a big HOLE in the wall covered with see-through plastic where you can see the (nonfunctional) pipes. The third is missing its handle and its soap dispenser and they can't even put even hooks on the shower curtain. And now the swimsuit spinner is simply MISSING from the wall, with connections still hanging out where it used to. DC LOVES to built NEW facilities but apparently has zero interest in maintaining the ones it already has. I note that users are "required" to use the shower before getting in the pool. Good luck with that. Is the women's locker room this crappy or is just the men's locker room nobody cares about?

We came across the Mount Rainier Nature Center. They were open on Sunday. They have plenty of…read moreparking and a bathroom inside. The nature center is small. I think it would be best for toddlers up to age 6 or even 7. They have some cool small critter we have never seen including large cockroaches, snakes, geckos, and a rabbit at the end. They have a small courtyard where there are fish in a small pond and turtles. The staff we encountered were very kind and helped explain to kids about some of their wildlife. They also have a small play area inside with some toys and a small table. Overall I'd say it was great. We probably spent no more than an hour there but we were engaged. I'm unsure if they have a feeding time but that would be cool to watch.

Small, but perfect for younger kids is how I describe the Mount Rainier Nature Center. With a…read moreparking lot our front and a nearby gazebo in a field, the small nature center comes with several animals for kids to see, including turtles, a snake, a rabbit, and goldfish. The animals have names, the staff are friendly, and there are activities and play spaces for smaller children. Entrance is free and they do lots of kid programming.

Was a peaceful park. Had a nice quiet trail you can go…read morerunning or walking. Definitely worth checking out .

Nestled in the neighborhood of Fort Totten is Fort Totten Park, a spacious park run by the National…read morePark Service on the grounds of an old Civil War fort that once defended the city. The fort itself is long gone, but the earthworks are still there. What's also there are picnic tables, trails, green space, and a sign honoring the fort's history. The Metropolitan Branch Trail runs by it. Note: There are no restrooms at the park.

Langdon Park Community Center is a massive space if you include the surrounding park. The building…read moreitself is old, but provides space for events, etc. Just outside the building is the Chuck Brown Memorial Park with lots of open grass, tables, and memorials for Chuck. There's even a skating park making it one of the only public skating parks in the city.

If you want a more secluded, peaceful park, this is your spot. It's hyper local and where neighbors…read morewalk their dogs and sometimes play in the grass. There's a trail that leads to the top, but there isn't a playground, restrooms, or anything like that. Street parking nearby is easy to find.

Great lifeguards. Knowledgeable, professional and friendly. Wonderful pool experience!…read moreVery Clean locker room too.

Out of all of D.C.'s recreation centers, this one is among the most spacious. An outdoor pool, two…read moreplaygrounds, a community garden, a forest garden, courts, and a field give visitors plenty to do! Street parking is nearby and the grassy area even has some shade!

I like any public park that is enclosed because it allows me to keep my eyes on both boys without…read morebeing on top of them. It also has a private parking lot. The playground is nice, and so is the field. The swing set area could use some maintenance but all in all we can dig it.