Along the Potomac River northwest of Georgetown is a close-knit community called The Palisades. This is its recreation center. There's a small parking lot in the front and trails that lead to an actual recreation center, fields and a playground that doubles as a splash park in the summer. My four-year-old daughter loved the playground. It's modeled after an Indigenous American village along the Potomac River with slides, etc. For being in a wealthy neighborhood, it's a little run down, but still a lot of fun. If you like quirky art, take the small dirt path to the right when facing the parking lot. Walk a few yards to a small opening in the forest to find the "Glass Forest" with art hanging on the trees. It's a little creepy, but also quirky! read more

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Hmmm...I suppose I was assuming this playground would be more than it was given the area. The good: *a couple slides, things to climb on *dedicated parking lot *fitness equipment *skate park (definitely check this out) The issues: *the equipment is old and run down: pieces of the padded floor are all over the place and kids throw them *back to those kids and why we won't be back....where are the parents, nannies, guardians, SOME adult?! There were lots around but no one was telling their kid to not throw pieces of the ground at people. My son was excited about the slide....until he was trampled while going down it by 4 kids (at least 8 years old so they should know better anyways) running up the slide. This hasn't ever been an issue before since caretakers are usually at least sort of watching their kids but nope not here. Overall the equipment was boring and the playground way beyond capacity, particularly during these times. Not a fan, won't be back. read more

The Palisades park and recreation center is an incredible community resource! The park includes a paved path running through the baseball field, tennis court, soccer/lacrosse field, skate park, community garden, and gated splash park for little ones, with padded flooring material and imaginative jungle gym structures. The recreation center is newly renovated and worth a visit. It has a basketball court, equipped fitness room, and multiple activity rooms. The hours are Monday-Friday 9am to 8pm and Saturday 10am to 4pm and you can sign in with a DC driver's license/ID. The park is the heart of many Palisades community activities, including summer movies, neighborhood voting location, and the annual 4th of July parade. read more

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This is one of the best recreation centers in DC. I write this review with much hesitation in knowing it could fill up with visitors, which is a huge negative to me. But I just feel compelled to share my love for this place! From the start, if you think this is only a kids playground, you're missing out on A LOT of other amazing features of this rec center. To me, the playground is great but it's also the least exciting feature, according to me and my kids. The parking lot is very small and often fills up. The problem is that everyone wants to go here at the exact same time for some reason. It's not a big deal if the lot fills up, however, because you can park in the surrounding neighborhoods. You can even park on the other side of Reno Road and enjoy a beautiful walk along a trail to the Rec center. If you are someone who has trouble parking, however, maybe this isn't for you. This wall of text lists everything that the rec center has: woodland trails with deer and wild life, views of the Potomac River Valley that extend to Virginia, tennis courts, skate park, batting cages, golf practice tee area made with turf, a grass softball field, grassy tree covered picnic tables, gardens with food and flowers, a turf soccer field, outdoor basketball, indoor basketball in a beautiful half court gym, indoor tennis if the gym is converted for it (elderly people play something called pickle ball which is like tennis but with a really slow ball), and a kids park with everything from climbing structures to swings to slides to a spray park with a small water slide. Inside the rec center there is also a foosball table, kitchen area, workout gym that is free for DC residents, a multipurpose room that is beautiful and has trophy/display cases showing artifacts recovered from the park, and plenty of equipment that can be checked out, as well as new and clean restrooms and water fountains. It is the most complete park in the city, in my opinion. It's not lacking for anything I can think of. There is even a weird hippie art thing next door to the park called the Glass Forest, and it has deer in it. It's creepy and cool at the same time. The first thing people think of here is the kids park. It can get very crowded and some of the people tend to leave more trash than others. The other negative that I have a big problem with is the rec center workers like to drive their cars up the pathways for no reason whatsoever, just to avoid walking 20 feet up the hill to the rec center from the parking lot. It's dangerous. But that's not going to spoil this amazing place for me. Whether it's hot or cold, there's always something to do here. Just a note: it took me a long time to understand how this place works. I can sum it up as, this was a favorite for elderly residents of the Palisades and they supported it for years and might have taken part in renovations that were recently completed. So everything is setup with old people first in mind. I found that frustrating at first because there were just a few things that didn't make sense to me, but now that I kind of have the right mindset for why the basketball court is reserved for elderly pickle ball tournaments from 9am-1pm some days in prime kids play time, it makes sense. That's probably just a personal issue lol. read more

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What an adorable playground & splash pad in the heart of Georgetown! The pics online made it appear much bigger than it actually is; it's just a small neighborhood park but that is preferable, as you are able to keep your eyes on your children at all times. It's all enclosed by a locked gate which is great for keeping the monsters locked up. They have a bunch of covered seating for the parents, which is awesome and hard to come by. The little splash pad area is a good time for all the kids, despite how small it is. They have a swing set and a variety of slides and rock wall for kids of all ages to play on. Lots of international kids and parents here. We stayed here for a couple hours and my kids never wanted to leave. That, to me, is a successful voyage out. read more

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It's probably more of a 3.5 star place but enjoyable enough that I'd bump it to 4. The equipment seems a bit dated in some places like the slide, but the kids like it enough. The fish that dump water are also facing the wrong way sometimes and people have to fix it. The playground is for 5+ so everything on it has pretty big gaps. My two year old could kind of play on it but needed a lot of supervision which is tiresome. Overall, the water park area is the main attraction and it seems like a good alternative to chevy chase splash pad bc there are more places to sit in the shade and not as many kids - Likely due to the age factor. This park is definitely geared towards older kids. Their rec center is also very new and has nice clean bathrooms, a plus when you're heavily pregnant. There is a parking lot and bike racks. Big bonus in my book, but can also get very full. Had no problem finding very close street parking when it did get full and people come and go all the time. Convenience and pros outweigh somewhat dated equipment. read more

Absolutely love this park and splash pad area! It is in a quiet little part of Georgetown. My little one loves to play in the playground area and also play at the splash pad ( so bring bathing suits!) The playground is also right beside a community center so during the week restrooms are available which is a huge plus. :) But just a warning - the park is not shaded so the equipment can get pretty hot during summer days. read more

Palisades Recreation Center is a beautiful place -- an attractive, green parkland in the heart of the appealing Palisades neighborhood. This is fantastic spot to bring kids, your spouse, or your tennis partner. Palisades has a playground, baseball field, AstroTurf soccer field, basketball courts, tennis courts, a walking/biking path, and picnic tables. There's endless recreational and leisure activities to be had here. Oh, supposedly it has restrooms in the rec center itself, but they seem to be locked most times we're here. Pretty inconvenient for a rec center/park. Starbucks is about a two block walk, but it feels wrong to have to use their loos when patronizing a city-run facility, no? Just me? read more

Appeared at DPR's Palisades Recreation Ctr. for the 03/10/23 beginning pickle ball lessons, and was told no lessons will be held as there's a summer camp being held, informed rep. no prior contact of such, and received an email confirmation day prior, that same would be held. Waited outside ctr for about 5 fives for rep. to return - she returned and stated: no lessons today. I'd had the same type experience for beginning swimming lessons at Turkey Thicket, in about August 2022: showed up at 9:30 AM, and was told no the lessons began at 9:00 AM and that would be the swimming lessons begin time for future lessons. Also: same as the pickle ball lessons, and the swimming lessons: A follow up call from Palasaides after I'd departed and quite a distance, then told the lessons will be today, afterall; note I was told for the swimming lessons: the correct time will be 9:00 AM. DPR's customer service and staff information has no consderation for patron residents, and the operations reflect very low standards of consistent, or timely communciations. I chose Montgomery County MD for the beginning swimming lessons as I dont trust DPR. and they've failed again for the pickleball lessons, thereby Montgomery County MD, even paying the non resident fee is worth it, for at least a reasonable level of customer service. I'd requested a refund from DCPR for the swimming lessons and never got one, and was told to do so again, for the pickle ball lessons, which I wont, as DPR is a dysfunctional entity: Palaisaides, and Turkey Thicket rec centers experiences show the dysfunction. read more

Lots of nannies that just "leave the kids be" so when kids misbehaved to our kids nothing was said or done. Very clean & new material. Unique toys read more

This is a large, quiet, sunny, grassy recreation center off MacArthur. It's very good for kids and dogs. There's a baseball backstop and grassy field, a basketball court that is lit up in the evenings, at least in the summer, a smaller soccer field with some kind of fake grass, and 3 tennis courts. The water fountain is between the tennis courts and the baseball backstop. Parking is ample although there must be good bus access as this place is one block from MacArthur. I did not seek out bathrooms so I can't report back on that, sorry! read more

This is a spray park intended for younger kids, though ours managed to have a lot of fun anyway. There's also a climbing structure and a picnic area. Bathrooms are next door in the rec center. Best for up to age 6. read more

We had a really wonderful time at this rec center playground. The entire play area has a soft cushioned floor and is surrounded by a fence. This made it really easy for my daughter to keep wandering between the traditional playground area and the splash pad area. The park's theme is centered around the Potomac Indians that used to inhabit the area. The equipment was a nice mix of fun and challenging, with a swaying bridge, large mountain to climb, and other unique features. There are swings, a little music section, and a little kid playhouse. The water section includes a small water slide and several fountains. There was a shaded area for parents to sit where you could easily watch both sections. There were also some picnic tables. Although we arrived while the rec center was closed, the side door to the bathrooms was open. There was ample parking, although when we left around 4:30 pm it was pretty full. read more

Excellent park. Love it. Hidden gem. Kids love the slide and water element, climbing areas, Potomac River turf, and great area to bring scooters and ride. Lots of space to play games/sports, bike and walk. Inside bathrooms are open and clean - not locked. Also foos ball and hall inside. Usually not crowded but even when crowded its loads of fun. The only thing missing is a sand pit but that's ok. Love the diversity of kids you see here. The best things in life are free and welcome all and this is one of those lovely places for families and friends to enjoy! Pictures do not show vastness of park and other play areas - worth a visit. read more