Been to the Back Bay Refuge on and off for 10+ years. We travel to Sandbridge each summer and love…read morethis stop. It's quiet and peaceful. Nice boardwalks to walk and push a stroller on. We usually see fish, snakes and turtles. Sometimes there are a lot of bugs so bring bug repellant. Great stop!

This refuge is huge and very well maintained. It's surrounded by beautiful scenery, with the…read morebackwaters on one side and the ocean on the other, so there are some really amazing views throughout. There are plenty of great trails to explore, and we even spotted some wildlife along the way. They have good amount of parking it's $5 for entry in summer months. The restrooms are clean and well kept, and there are benches along the trails where you can sit and enjoy the views. Overall, it's a wonderful place to spend some time outdoors, walk the trails, and enjoy the peaceful natural surroundings. Definitely worth visiting if you love nature and scenic views.

Virginia Beach Adventure Park gave us one of those summers that actually felt like a summer…read more My son and I did the summer pass for a month, and as a local, I really appreciated having something this active, outdoorsy, and genuinely fun right in our backyard. We spent what felt like half the summer up in the trees, conquering trails, zip lines, and whatever questionable life choices led me to believe I was ready for the "longest" course. Spoiler: it is absolutely the longest. By the end of that one, I had given the trees everything I had. We tackled almost every course we were eligible for, and even my husband joined us one day, which was very much outside his comfort zone. That alone deserves recognition. Every visit ended the same way: sweaty, exhausted, full of adrenaline, and smiling like we had just accomplished something ridiculous and wonderful. And honestly, we did. By the end of the summer, both my son and I had noticeably better core and upper-body strength. Those ropes and platforms will humble you very quickly. I don't really have a favorite course because each one had its own personality, but some definitely felt like they were designed by someone who enjoys watching people question their decisions halfway through. In the best way, of course. One thing I do wish were a little clearer is the parking situation. The recommended parking is over by one of the aquarium buildings, and then you walk over to the Adventure Park area. I understand that there are contractual reasons for this, but as a local, it felt a little unnecessarily complicated. I used the HONK app and applied for the $50 local parking voucher, which ended up covering my summer visits, so that was a big win. Also worth knowing: if you park in the suggested aquarium lot and stay later, that building closes around 4:30. Depending on timing, you may end up having to take the longer route back around via the bike path to get to your car. I may or may not have chosen my own parking strategy from time to time. What can I say? I believe in adventure before I even reach the ropes. There's a Dunkin' nearby, which became very important to me after several of these outings because once you've spent hours suspended in trees, coffee becomes less of a beverage and more of a recovery plan. There are also food options available at the aquarium if you want to stay on site. What I'll remember most, though, is getting to spend that time with my son. We laughed, struggled, climbed, zipped, sweated, and got stronger together. There's something really special about watching your kid work through a difficult obstacle 20 feet in the air and then seeing that proud little grin when they make it across. We came for the zip lines and ended up leaving with a summer full of confidence, strength, and some really great memories. For locals especially, the summer pass is absolutely worth considering. We ended the summer with the black diamond course, and it was not as nearly hard as waterfall!

I love this place. The staff is so friendly and so helpful. I need a lot of help. Idk why. I just…read moredo. They're always there to help me and guide me. They also have great recommendations for which course to do next. I did have to use one of the emergency exits in one of the courses and they didn't make me feel like a failure. They validated that it was an actual hard course and I made the right choice. I just love coming here.

Nice park, beautiful old growth trees that have several nice trails winding through the trees. But…read morethe trails are poorly marked If marked at all. There are maps that are randomly scattered around the park they're awesome but they don't show you where you in the park so pretty worthless If you trying to figure out out where you are on a specific trai.

I got lost in here! Loved it My first time taking a trail…read morethrough a woodsy area. I'm a marsh girl myself, but this was cool. The tree roots created what looked like stairs in some areas. There were several bridges. Man made bike hills. Marked trees for direction. Lunch tables. Not much to say. The point is to walk or bike and that's just what everyone was there to do. Even the huge spiders and bunnies.

Who says adventure parks are just for kids? Honey, not this mama!…read more The kids climbed, jumped, and zipped their little hearts out, and there was even a competitive game of bouncy soccer! Meanwhile, Mama decided it was time for an adventure of her own. I tackled the climbing wall, hopped on that doohickey pictured, and reminded everybody that us '80s babies still know how to have fun! These kids are boring these days. Bless their little hearts. Mama had to show 'em how it's done! Took one star away because months and yearly passes not offered. #80sBabiesStillGotIt #AdventureHasNoAgeLimit

Nova adventure park was the perfect escape to beat the heat and burn off some energy!…read more This trampoline park offers a ton of cool features including several areas for younger kids to enjoy. I thought the park was clean and an hour was plenty of time to enjoy everything. Jump socks are required and they offer military discounts. You can sign the waivers online if you want to save some time and go straight to the check in. My favorite feature was the indoor soccer area, both of my boys loved the zip line

I love the sunset views and I absolutely love the exercising equipment and the walk is fun and…read moregreat to clear your mind and help with anxiety and stress! The walk is tranquil and calm, the after dark is so so fun, great for friend hangouts!!

Initially, before I even visited this park my thoughts were, it's just a simple huge field with a…read moreflat path. Well I was wrong in a sense. Clearly it is a simple roundabout flat paved circuit, but it's so much more than that to many different people. One, it's great for me because I'm not supposed to navigate uneven terrain yet. There was plenty of real estate to do my walk and give the regenerated ankle some exercise. I didn't walk around the elementary school nearby, just the path immediately that encompasses the bathroom. That path alone twice was a little over 2 miles roughly. The park is perfect if you have well behaved dogs. Plenty of room for Fido to run around. There were several people with their dogs walking. I saw a man run his remote controlled car through the field and walkways, a kid and his parental vision ride across on a dirt bike, and a man and his little kid on his atv. You name it! The field is massive you really won't run into anyone because of the amount of space! There were several soccer goals out there too. I'm sure this a perfect place for Impromptu soccer games and football games, they probably even hold games there. There isn't many benches, I saw at least one aside from the ones in the two mini shelters. There isn't a lot of shade so if you want to get some sun this a good place. There are trees along parts of the path for partial shade. I feel this would be a good place to teach kids how to ride a bike, or to cruise on a skateboard. Close to the parking lot they have outdoor exercise equipment provided by AARP that is protected by sun shades which is wonderful! I got on the elliptical bike for a minute or so and did step ups on the various level platforms. It's a good resource for anyone really! I think it's great and I'm thankful that it's available for anyone to use. Super smart as well to place sun shades up high to protect people from the sun as well as to protect the longevity of the equipment. Bathrooms are close to the parking lot with water fountains.

This is a hidden gem. It is small. About 2 miles of Loop trails. Gravel and dirt paths. Trails have…read moreviews of trees, wildflowers, birds, very small marsh, and a bridge. Super Easy hike, great for people of all ages, dogs, and runners. The extras I love about this park is they have structures built out of natural materials. I will include pictures. They also have colorful art in random areas on the paths. I included a couple of pictures of that too. The paths are VERY well marked. It is impossible to get lost. They have a HUMONGOUS American ELm and near there is a small secret path area that is more like the hiking that I prefer. It is always nice to explore. They also have a kayak area with a kayak ramp. They have a little playground. Next to the playground is a covered area that they hold lectures. There is a picnic table area. They have 2 porta potties. There is a couple of buildings on site but they were not open so I'm just mentioning them. Parking was fantastic. There were quite a few vehicles when were showed up but we saw a few people but it did not seem that busy. So this is a win for us. We walked it a couple of times just to make sure we saw it all and like I said super easy hike. If your in the area check it out

A perfect day for a family adventure!!! Rock collecting, dandelions a picking and meeting new…read morefriends at the park! There's plenty of things to do! Different hiking routes and a kayak landing area! They have plenty of benches around the trail to take a little breather. Parking area available. Pet friendly, just make sure you pick up after your fur baby. They do have poop baggies available at the entrance.

I am impressed by this nearby city park. I had no idea this was even here until we moved into…read moreShadowlawn a few months ago and it's a pleasant surprise. It's much larger than I expected and I love the dog park, large green area with the small three children's play areas, paved bike/running trails and the entire area. It's very big and there are several walking/hiking trails inside the main portion of the park spanning several miles and meandering through a wooded area that follows the marsh. It's well-kept and has multiple entrances from the Shadowlawn neighborhoods. -The entrance from VA Ave has a very small parking lot and then street parking. -The entrance from Indian Rd. has a much larger parking lot with plenty of space and opens to the large, green field with 3 separate play areas for toddlers with climbing sculptures in the shape of frogs and caterpillars. Really cute and has a pavilion and circular paved trail around it. -The entrance from Marshview Dr. has a small lot and this is where the dog park area is as well. Two tennis courts here across the street which are part of a small playground/tennis complex called Salt Marsh Park. Last weekend I finally went for a hike inside and covered about 1/3rd of the likable/walkable space. It's gorgeous! It's also neat bc they have it set up for trail bike riding and it's very well marked and laid-out. I came upon some beautiful areas for sitting and enjoying the view. If you haven't ventured here yet you should give it a try - actually pretty impressive in size and option for a neighborhood co-located park.

100 acres of beautiful trees, paths, dog park and 2 different playground areas. What a fun park…read more Loads of mature beautiful trees and they have areas that are grassy for kids to run and play. Lots of dogs at this park. I LOVE dogs.2 Different playgrounds. The playground area was my favorite. There were no kids so we explored the playground. Huge size. It was awesome. So their playgrounds are spread out. They have one at the area where you park your vehicle. You walk or ride your bike a ways turn right into another area . Nice size grass area to run and play and then 3 sections of little whimsical play areas. Frog area, Caterpillar area, and turtle area. Really nice paved walk ways with these beautiful little bridges. Dog park, People and Pet friendly. Wheel chair and stroller friendly. Great for bikes. They even have a station for bike repair and to pump up your tires. EXCELLENT for us we love riding our bikes. This is such a lovely area we were just riding our bikes around and found it. We love it. It has a lot to offer and it is very well kept

Cute little park located near the jetties at the beginning or end of the boardwalk…read more Even as locals, we enjoy visiting this park in the evenings after dinner on the oceanfront or just strolling the boardwalk. You can't beat a playground right on the beach!

Lovely playground at the beginning of the VA Beach boardwalk. This was a great find on a red flag…read morebeach day. The equipment is clean, not new but good enough. Space to run around and bathrooms right across the way. Lots of fun musical elements, multiple slides, and climbing features.