Oakboro Park

(45 reviews)

8.8 mi

This park is a great place to take a walk and kill some time. From the parking lot you can walk…read morethrough down the path. You will see basketball courts. baseball fields, sitting areas, and several fields for various activities. There were paths if you wanted to venture into the woods which i started to do but once i saw the giant spider webs, i turned around lol. There is a body of water. There is a huge playground if you have kids. There is also a building, im thinking it was a community center but i had no reason to go inside. Other than the kids in the playground this place was pretty quiet. Its a good place to enjoy your day outside.

I visited Laurel Hills today while attending the city's Wake County Genealogical Society Find Your…read moreFamily History Event & Holistic Wellness Expo. I've visited years ago while bringing my daughter to the playground. The playground is very modern here. A lovely place for young children. They also have several basketball courts and a nice gazebo picnic area. The Genealogy event was very informative. Staff were very engaged and helpful. Very well organized. It was intriguing to learn about my loved ones and where we come from.

Poppies will make them sleep !

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Holding Park

4.3

(9 reviews)

5.8 mi

This fabulous park is "inclusive" which means that it's available for children who are abled and…read morechallenged! Lots of ramps throughout for those who are playing in the park in wheelchairs or who have trouble walking. Awesome. Lots of climbing frames and slides and fun things to do, all of it in bright primary colors. The park is in excellent condition with lots of shade. The park is in a small depression area which means that it's really easy for parents to keep an eye on their kids and harder for the kids to wander off. [Review 2423 of 2024 - 3879 in North Carolina - 23436 overall]

Public pool with nice play area large deck with chairs covered tables and concessions. Registration…read moreis online and allows nonresidents of Wake Forest. Sessions are for 3 hrs and limited to a total of 200 people. At least 2 lifeguards always on duty. A nice way to spend a lazy hot day.

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Chavis Park

(8 reviews)

10.3 mi

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.

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

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Pullen Park

4.7

(190 reviews)

10.4 mi

No doubt the best park in the Raleigh area with lots of things to do for the rug rats. Carousel,…read moreboats, playgrounds, Choo Choo train, and wonderful picnic pavilions. Food stand has a few things which are actually pretty good plus ice cream and soft drinks, which are refreshing in the summer months. New bocce courts are nice addition and the tennis courts are never busy. Check out their live music schedule, too!

Every year around Christmas season, Pullen Park sets up the park in Winter Wonderland mode. This…read moreyear was fantastic and it's easy to see why tickets sell out so fast. There is a train ride through the park with all sorts of lights and Christmas displays. There are numerous free activities and crafts for kids of all ages. There is even a gorgeous carousel ride that seats many. It doesn't hurt that it is inside so you can warm up from the chilly outside. There is even remote parking with comfy buses that will take you to and from the parking lot and the park. It is a great experience and our grandkids ( and grandparents) have such a great time.

Their train ride is accessible and accompanied my service dog

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Williams Park

3.8

(6 reviews)

5.7 mi

Cool park! We came here for a playdate on a Sunday afternoon and it was poppin. Lots of kids and…read moreplenty of playground for everyone. There were kids of all ages from toddler to preteen. My husband said the bathrooms were heated which was pretty cool. The park is right next to Lynn elementary and there is a ton of grass and walking areas around, including a soccer field. I think there was a basketball court as well but don't quote me on that. It's a great place to take your dog for a long stroll without feeling as crowded as some trails like Shelley lake can be.

A beautiful park filled with tons of play equipment as well as two tennis courts and a sand filled…read morevolleyball court with a fielded in grass area. Perfect for dogs and kids.

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Marla Dorrel Park

4.7

(33 reviews)

15.5 mi

Incredible park with something for everyone. Love love loved this park. It is in a nice shady area,…read morethere's playhouses, multiple picnic/patio table areas for parties and people to eat meals and/or snacks. It also has a big range of play equipment for different age ranges. Did I mention that I love this park? There are cool statues inspired from fantasy themes like a lion with a squirrel body or a tortoise with a hare's head as well as a giant sea monster on a hill, complete with a nest of eggs. There's also an area with water spray thingies. That's my best attempt at describing them. They had been off for the winter but they're back on since a couple weeks ago! The kids love it especially with the weather heating up!

"Can we go to the dinosaur park, mommy?" I don't think he fully gets the difference right now…read more There is a large dragon sculpture that kids can climb on but there's no dinosaurs. The park is in heavy usage and it seems like due to this, likely, there are often things broken here. A bench, a fence, etc. There are multiple different play areas and a water play area. It's a delightful park to visit. We have played here for two hours straight. There is a covered picnic area that you can rent and people often do so for kids birthdays. The variety of play experience make this play so popular - sandbox with play excavators, climbing areas, platform rocks, a tree house area, dragon area, water play, slides and Roller slides, instruments, young kids play areas. This park is recommended (by me).

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Jack Smith Park

(28 reviews)

17.6 mi

This park is probably one of the nicest parks I've been to in a while. There is something for…read moreeveryone!! Dog park splash pad playground climbing wall/rocks CLEAN bathrooms There are areas with shade and a filtered water fountain onsite. Great way to spend a morning or afternoon with your little one. And parking onsite!!! Check it out!!!

We absolutely adore this park - splash pad is great in the summer, wind sculptures are beautiful…read moreall year round, love the bottom field with sheep. Maybe could have some more pavilion/shaded area.

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Sassafras All Children's Playground

4.2

(5 reviews)

8.8 mi

Best playground I have ever visited!! So many great things. Clean and a lot of running…read moreopportunities. Climbing areas. Zip swings. Sun spots and shade spots. Absolutely loved it here for my little guy.

This playground is perfect for kids of all ages and abilities! My 1 year old always wants to be…read morewith big kids and this was the perfect spot for her. There are ramped ways up certain spots and a nice sand area. My daughter loved the swings as well and the playground is huge with lots of features.

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Shelley Lake Sertoma Park

4.6

(67 reviews)

6.1 mi

I checked this out after work and rode my bike around the trail. It was a beautiful ride with great…read moreviews. It isn't too long but it's a great spot in a central area.

There is something here for everyone! A playground, walking trails, basketball courts and more! The…read moreviews here are beautiful and there is plenty of free parking! This lake is so peaceful and gives you time to connect with nature!

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Abbotts Creek Community Center

5.0

(3 reviews)

0.7 mi

Beautiful, light, bright, clean and well run community center. We play pickleball there 3 times a…read moreweek and it is so fun. They have three courts and supply the balls. Will keep returning.

Today we enjoyed Abbott's Creek Community Center + the park. I was so impressed with the property…read more When we first arrived we couldn't help but notice how clean the parking lot was. There was plenty of parking, I am not sure how it would be earlier during the day but it was great parking around the time that we went. As we were walking up there was a staff member there letting down the flag and she asked us how she could help us she was really nice. We noticed that they had an outdoor basketball court so we used them restroom and went straight there. The bathrooms were clean too. Which was great for small children who love to touch things. The park was really nice but we were only there for basketball court which was cool. One of the goals had a glass missing which was okay but for someone who likes to make all of their shots it was an inconvenience. But the park overall was clean and really nice. Overall it's one of the nice parks in Raleigh and we would love to go back.

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Buffaloe Road Aquatic Center

3.6

(23 reviews)

5.7 mi

I had an amazing time it was soooo fun I went with my friends and we had fun the slide is perfect…read morespeed and very fun to go on and the whirlpool is fun and we just had a great time I recommend going price is good too!

Love love love it here. I have attended a birthday party here with my child and for the past couple…read moreof months have had my child in the swim classes. I really like this facility and it's always clean. Staff is super friendly. Only thing i will say is it's kind of chilly in there and i wish the swim classes had even more offerings.

Off to the changing areas

Happy campers

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Water slide

Lake Johnson Park

4.6

(151 reviews)

12.9 mi

Lake Johnson Park is one of Raleigh's best spots when you want a workout that actually comes with a…read moreview. The 3-mile loop gave me the perfect mix of cardio, scenery, and just enough challenge to keep things interesting. The trail is mostly paved and very well maintained, but there are also a few off-road paths if you want to switch things up. The lake views are gorgeous throughout the walk, and the heavily wooded sections make it feel peaceful and shaded even on warmer days. I also appreciated that the trail has a few solid uphill stretches. I'd say it's ideal for intermediate walkers, runners, or cyclists looking for a scenic challenge without venturing into hardcore hiking territory. The only downside is the parking situation, which can get pretty tight during busy hours. Still, once you're on the trail, it's absolutely worth it. Raleigh really lucked out with this gem of a park.

Natures finest!…read more Local park with free (but limited) parking. Walking trails. Kayak and paddleboard rentals. Birdwatching. Clean picnic and public bathrooms. Great place to go and enjoy nature.

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Kayak or paddleboard

Sandling Beach at Falls Lake

4.8

(6 reviews)

11.2 mi

The beach is spotless, with no trash anywhere. You'll see a few hair ties and bottle caps, but…read morenothing major. The sand is coarse because of scattered pebbles and bits of wood, so bring floppers for comfort. The water is clean and safe. Two large buildings are available for changing and showering. Picnic tables sit under the trees, and grills are open for cooking. The park has multiple trails, a children's playground, and it's dog‑friendly for walking. Entrance fees: $10 per vehicle, $5 for seniors.

Sandling is a man made beach within Falls Lake State Park. They charged $10 for the holiday…read moreweekend entrance fee. Sandling is accessible to the fire pits for barbecuing and is very small. Perfect for families and small children. You can access the beach on Creedmoor Rd. This was the perfect place for a convenient beach day 4th of July weekend. It saved me the 4 hour trip to Bear Island. I arrived early around 10:30 a.m. and there were no crowds. We camped out near the showers and bathrooms. This park is perfectly lined with trees in abundance. Perfect for barbecuing. We enjoyed our morning picnic and the water was very relaxing. I appreciate how clean the sand area was and the garbage was well organized as well. I brought my mother who is 72 and I had concerns about the proximity of the restrooms and showers and overall access. I was relieved to discover how convenient the beach access was for those with mobility impairment and disabilities. There are no pets allowed and no alcohol permitted. I watched the park rangers escort someone with a pit bull to the parking lot to return home and a woman was asked to dump out several beer cans. You have been warned. They run a tight ship here. I plan to return throughout the remainder of the summer months.

View of the beach from the sand. (Cloudy at this time)

Lake Beach

Beachfront

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Oakboro Park - parks - Updated August 2026

People who viewed Oakboro Park also viewed

Marsh Creek Park

3.6

(8 reviews)

I was looking for a place to walk before going to work near my drive on Capitol. This place fit the…read morebill! The trails are paved, flat and well-maintained. There are ball fields, basketball courts, soccer, playgrounds, bathrooms and picnic tables. A stream runs beside the park. There was a thunderstorm last night so the trails were a bit littered with tree debris, but otherwise the place is clean. The bathrooms have bright lighting, are clean, well-stocked, and fully functional. The reason I knocked a star off was because I wanted more distance trails and parking is only available near the playground not near the trailheads. Overall, I recommend checking this place out!

Quiet little park, great skate park with bowl. The park is middle of the road but the skate park…read moreis pretty nice. As with any unsupervised skate facility there is a lot of graffiti with foul language which isn't good for the younger kids. If you are taking younger children be advised that the teenagers there will curse a lot. Also there will be the smell of pot as these kids are obviously up there smoking a lot. They won't do it out in the open but it's definitely there. When no adults are around there is also some under age drinking evidenced by many beer cans. The county keeps it pretty clean and comes by frequently so it never gets too bad. I definitely wouldn't send kids 12 and under up there alone.

Mrs Ruth's Farms & Corn Maze

3.3

(3 reviews)

We had a great time! Everyone was very friendly too. I loved finding clues inside maze. Be ready…read moreto get worn out- tons of fun games, bounce house, sand box, but all spread out over a field, so good exercise! Only ~20 min from south chapel hill, not far from s. Durham in Chatham county.

This review is specific to Mrs. Ruth's "Zombie Paintball Hayride", I cannot speak for any of the…read moreother things on the farm. The zombie paintball hayride was more hayride, less paintball, and even less zombies. The event starts when you load up into a tractor which takes you on a 15 minute trip through the woods until you get to the "mounted" tractor. Each rider has their own paintball gun and ~100 paintballs. Once the tractor starts rolling you'll get a handful of practice shots before you reach the "zombies", which consisted of a couple of teenagers in paintball gear making noises and a whole lot of clothing stapled to trees as scarecrows. The "zombie paintball" part of the attraction lasts for 5 minutes or so, and then you get to shoot the rest of your ammo at exciting targets such as trees, garbage can lids, and more trees. Once that's done, you hop on the first tractor and take another 15 minute ride back to the farmhouse. In short, good idea, poor execution. The zombie portion is way too short, and the tractor ride is way too long. If you're looking to be scared, look elsewhere, as the tractor ride was by far the scariest part of the experience.

Peach Road Park

(2 reviews)

This park is a little deep into the residential neighborhood but it does have some decent parking…read more I thought the large rubber-base playground was very cool - it has modern playground equipment and plenty of places for the adults to sit. Also two concrete-surface basketball courts and the only official handball court in the city. I did not check out the community center here, but it apparently runs computer training programs and some after-school stuff. [Review 11928 overall, 1710 of 2019.]

Amazing gem of a park. I mainly use it for the calisthenics area, which has everything you need…read more Pull-up, dip, push-up, low bars, high bars. As someone who is shorter, it's also nice that their pull-up bars aren't built too high. I really enjoy not having to jump up to a bar for once, and I bet kids could easily use them as well. I've seen a team of inspectors checking out the park and picking up trash while I was working out, it's definitely upkept.

Kiwanis Park

(1 review)

This park is located across from the Wake Forest Community Library so it probably gets some…read morevisitors heading to and from there. There is a separate parking area for the park and playground. Separate playground areas for smaller and larger kids with climbing frames and swings and such. The ground is a mulch platform which is great. Parents with their kids were here and I didn't want the kids in the photos, so there's more than what I posted. It's all in very good condition, looking practically new. [Review 2428 of 2024 - 3884 in North Carolina - 23441 overall]

Zebulon Community Park

(1 review)

We go here a lot and I really like it because the playground is surrounded by trees. A lot of other…read moreplaygrounds don't have trees to stay cool under and no one wants to roast in the sun while playing. There's a trail too and a small bridge with a stream underneath that kids like to play by. There are basketball courts and a baseball field. Good amount of parking, bathroom house and gazebo with picnic tables. Playground is nice size and there's a sand box as well.

Hedingham Golf Club

3.1

(21 reviews)

The driving range bays have gotten a complete makeover and I love it! Each bay has a lot more room…read moreand feels more private. But the best part are the Trackman screens that allow you to keep track of your progress and see exactly where and how far you are hitting each ball. Love it!

This course has changed so much with the new management company! The service was great and the…read morecourse has improved so much. I was there the other day and they put all new sod down on the tee boxes.

Kentwood Park

4.2

(11 reviews)

I stopped in to check out the awesome disc golf course at this park. It's massive and looks like…read morefun. The park features a large parking lot, a picnic shelter with grill, four lighted tennis courts, a lighted youth baseball field and two rubber-surfaced playgrounds. When I was here, the disc golf was in use as were all four of the tennis courts. Great spot. [Review 11613 overall, 1393 of 2019.]

This place is popping on a late Saturday afternoon when the weather is decent enough that you don't…read morefreeze. Lots of disc golfers hitting up the course. I took on the tennis courts. Although there's only four of them, two side-by-side leaves limited room (one of which has a flimsy backboard- albeit a backboard none the less, for practicing). I have to say that I found people here pretty friendly and though I hate having my ball roll into others people's courts, it seems like it wasn't a huge inconvenience. Good vibe here. The tall thin eucalyptus trees provide a little shade from the sun without blocking it completely. The courts surfaces were not too shabby- no large cracks that cause your ball to bounce funny. The fences were well approximated so no loose balls would roll out.

Junious N Sorrell Park

(2 reviews)

Solid park that is fenced in if you close the gates. Swings for babies/toddlers/ and older kids or…read moregrownups. There's a little playground for the 2-5 crowd and a larger one for the 5-12 kids. Semi-shady with two umbrellas over the 5-12 playground equipment. I'd come back! There isn't a private lot but there was plenty of street parking available when we came at 10am on a Thursday. No restrooms either.

This tiny park features a large playground and swing set. Some tall trees to provide shade and a…read morecouple of benches for those who are bringing the kids to play. It's a neat spot, but small at only a third of an acre. There is some street parking next to the park. [Review 11915 overall, 1697 of 2019.]

Fisher Street Park