Nice little (emphasis on the little) park, right under the bridge in downtown Wilmington. The park…read moreis mainly used for it's boat launch, taking photos with the bridge and neighbors walking their dogs. It consists of a small parking lot, a green hill, a couple benches with close up views of the Cape Fear River. Lately I've been exploring our local parks a lot more and I'm insanely impressed with the NHC Parks & Rec, after what I've found. Dram Tree, though, I wouldn't really consider a "park," but rather a picnic spot and/or photo backdrop. It's cute and I'm glad I visited, but won't really be hanging out here or recommending to anyone other than tourists looking for a unique date spot.

Yeah...it's small but wow...what a view of the Port City's bridge and Cape Fear River. I believe…read morethe parking lot is larger than the park, itself, so it's a cute place to meet up with someone or to just get away from the hustle and bustle for a few. This park offers no playground for young children but offers a few patches of greenery to relax the mind. Nothing spectacular but the view is welcoming.

What a lovely spot! Just discovered this one mile wooded trail and enjoyed hiking it with our dog…read more Dogs are supposed to be leashed. We did run into one entitled woman on speakerphone with her unneutered off leash lab who didn't even attempt to leash him (didn't look like she even owned a leash) but other than that it was a lovely walk and everyone else was polite.

Check the tides before you go if you plan to kayak. We went a little too close to low-tide and only…read moregot to paddle for 45ish minutes. We didn't know how low the water would get and didn't want to be stuck. We had never been here too so before we carried our kayaks out we decided to walk the trail without them first to check the path. It is about a half mile or more to the kayak drop-in. It's a nice path and would have been easier to have a kayak dolly. We carried ours and it was quite a workout but a beautiful walk. We saw lots of other walkers and while on the water it was very cool. Lots of oyster beds and birds. We plan to come back very soon when the water is higher! Great park for just a walk too.

This is a huge park with over 900 acres of wilderness. There are several trails, a place for…read morekayaking, picnic shelters, and and even an obstacle course. They have one restroom area that isn't that particularly clean but it's still nice to have. There a few different places to start the trails. There are certain trails for bikes only. One thing that there are signs for all over the park is "No horseback riding." This is pretty much a flat surface for hiking and so it's nice for a quick walk. You drive down a long gravel road to get to the areas of where you can hike. There is a water area if you would like, and they also have maps. Great place to visit for some free, outdoor fun. Dogs are definitely allowed!!

There is so much to explore here. Lots of trails for hiking, some are bikes only - so look at the…read moresigns. Be careful of snakes. Trails are flat - there's not a lot of incline so you can go far and it's pretty easy. Dogs are allowed on leash and loved sniffing everything. We didn't see anyone while we were there. I think it's not terribly populated or because it's so big that people can spread out, so it's nice to have some privacy and not be on top of other hikers. Bring bug spray if you're going during warm weather.

This is a square space of Carolinian forest which is not far from the beach, but offers a different…read morevibe and plenty of tree cover. Some bridges cross over small waterways and give the opportunity to gaze over some pretty still water. Relative to the more coastal areas, the obvious advantage here is shade, and the disadvantage would be the potential for a lot of bugs in the warmer weather. There are several trails which circuit navigate the place, and it joins a historic site. It does have its own parking lot and there is no charge to get in.

Visited the new entrance today on Wednesday morning around 9 AM. Not many people were there, so…read morethere was still quite a few parking spots. there was one porta potty. It was a nice short hike. There was a sign at the parking lot of where the trail started, but not totally clear. You just head along the wooden rope fence on a grass dirt area until you'll get to a gate (about .1 miles), where you'll have an option of going either left or right. I decided to make a right and eventually came to another intersection where I I made a left and it was a loop trail, around .75 total miles starting from the gate. There are trail marker wooden sticks, but no trail names. No map either on site. There are garbage cans throughout the trail, dog poop bags at the start, and a couple of benches on the loop trail. It was an overcast day, so hard to tell if it was shady. If I had to guess, it would be semi shady because of all the trees. It was fairly flat, but lots of tree roots. Still manageable with my jogging stroller.

Empie dog park is the best. I go early and my dogs have lots of great friends that they play with…read moreon a regular basis. Well maintained and lots of shade.

Very comfortable for dogs and people too. Flowing water for the canines and concrete walkways and…read moreshaded central place to sit. One of few places I can actually use as being disabled, using a walker. Thank you for designing a place for everyone.

Enjoyment and peace to me refers to no obsessions, no negative anticipations, a humbled amount of…read moreself-pride, emotions blending with my surroundings, and an acceptance of one's self-imposed introversion. Unlike others, I think I have found mine. It is a place (a Park) where you would feel in awe listening to "Unchained Melody." Five days a week, I take two family members to a park about a mile and a half from our home. The ride to the park is filled with sparkling eyes, hyperkinetic movements, window smears, a few gasps of air from the slightly lowered back windows, and figments of light-colored hair floating around in our truck. When I enter the main gate, one is taken back by not only the neatness but the simplicity of it all - spacious parking spots, immaculate cement sidewalks, paved pathways, well placed quasi overlooks, kempt rest areas, clean water fountains, attractive gazebos, and strategically located benches. All surrounded by a forest of 30' to 80' pines. This park was thought out well by people who knew what they were doing - "You built it and we will come." Maintenance is always ongoing and efficiently done. No sitting around here - on a morning schedule four wheelers, rakes and truck loads of different types of material are coming and going! As I get out of the truck and walk around the parking lot to the main path through the park, my two friends become more excited and look at me with wonderment. This is their "Disneyworld" and they want to get there as quickly as possible. They love not only the setting but their friends who are waiting for them. My gait hastens and my arms feel the vigor of their excitement. We acknowledge others who walk by us and on occasion a new tender bond is formed by my friends and an unexpected empathic acquaintance (a handsome Greyhound, poodle, labrador, Jack Russell, or German Shepard). The distance from our vehicle and the section of the park that is emboldened in my friends' is about a quarter of a mile; it is covered rather quickly. Our destination is in the northeast section of the parks 42 acres. It was built in 2023 - 2024 and opened in 2025. The dog runs are divided into two sections - large dogs go to the right and small dogs (under 14" at the shoulder) go to the left. There are double gates for each entrance along with a cement pad in between. The park grounds are covered with sand, and the trees are trimmed about 10' from the base. There is a multitude of young trees that have been coppiced. The trees are separated strategically by about 4 to 12 feet to allow for safe running and play. A water fountain and a doggie bag container are at the entrance. The sand base is very accommodating. When it rains, it dries quickly. There are always more people in the large dog 1-acre area. Some people come to the park based on their employment schedule. Sometimes just by the hour, other times it is by the day or days of the week. One woman takes her two dogs from park to park. No one asks or inquiries about others employment status, financial well-being, type of car that they drive, political ideation or health. The interactions here are very neutral, friendly, and unconditional. No ulterior motive, no vanity, no ego yet some self-deprecation. It is extraordinary to find such people and such a place. They are truly an egalitarian group with the common denominator being dogs. At times, an occasional slip of a personal situation or problem comes forth - "Kimberly was married while you were gone... my doctor mentioned Alzheimer's... I was unconscious for a month after the accident... my brother died - he could never get off the drugs." And we learn in a moment of spontaneous but unintentional sharing that some of the men and women are representative of different professions and lifestyles from computer operators to physicians to housewives and househusbands to engineers to accountants to college students to bartenders to public school teachers to university professors to police officers to business executives to stay at home father's and retired guys like me. See Part 2

If the main parking lot is full, there is a smaller parking lot on the backside of the park, where…read moreyou will have to access from Antietam Drive. The bathrooms were closed, but they had porta potties available. The drinking fountain was closed during my visit. There is one covered picnic shelter. There was some pretty small purple trees, and some purple flowers on the trails. There are basically two separate loops on both halves of the park. It takes about 20 minutes to walk the loop on the right side by the playground and about 13 minutes to walk the loop on the left side of where the dog parks are located. The left side loop will have more of a view of the road and cars passing by, but you won't have that on the right side of the park. You'll still hear the cars passing by no matter where you are though. Most of the trails are lined with tall trees. It was overcast on the day I went, so can't say how shaded the trail is. I'll guess that it's not very shaded. Some parts of the trails line up to houses in the neighborhood. Walking both of the loops, checking out all of the trails took about 1.5 miles total, but on the website it is 1.25 miles. Highest elevation is maybe 10 feet. The walking trail was paved, easy to navigate with my jogger stroller. The playground is targeted towards older kids. Lots of climbing structures and one slide. The dog park is separated into smaller dogs and larger dogs. There were a lot of tennis balls and benches in the dog park. Located outside of the dog parks was a drinking water station with a doggy bowl. Doggy bags are located in the park and some trash cans throughout the park. There's also an open fitness area right by the playground. Very nice and clean (although, still very new) park to walk.

Great disc golf course as well as playground and walking paths. Definitely worth the drive if you…read moreare into disc golf and also if you just live in the area and you want to see something different. Lots of parking.

This is a lovely lark that has a lot of fields and an 18 hole disc golf course. I am a disc golf…read morefanatic so this is heaven to me. The park is huge and have two separate restroom facilities that are really clean. There is a large playground and a few pavilions. The only thing that is missing is water. There is not any kind of lake or pond and that would make it even better.

What a wonderful afternoon in tended, maintained, and planted nature gardens. We spent 2.5 hours…read moreenjoying every trail and side trails. It felt like we had the place to ourselves for the most part today.

Airlie Gardens is one of those places that reminds you why folks used to put on a good pair of…read morewalking shoes and spend an afternoon outdoors instead of staring at a screen. The grounds are beautiful, peaceful, and rich with history. Even though only some of the flowers are blooming right now, there is still plenty to enjoy--towering live oaks draped in Spanish moss, winding paths, ponds, sculptures, and the feeling that you've stepped back into old Wilmington. The famous Airlie Oak and the historic chapel make it feel more like wandering through a living postcard than just another garden. Airlie dates back to the late 1800s and was created by Sarah and Pembroke Jones before becoming a public garden preserved for future generations. The gardens are well kept, easy to stroll through, and especially lovely this time of year with the Azalea Festival season beginning. It is the kind of place where you slow down, take a deep breath, and remember that nature did landscaping long before homeowners associations started issuing warning letters. The one drawback--and for us older folks it is a real one--is that there simply are not enough restrooms spread throughout the grounds. With so much walking involved, having a few more bathrooms around the gardens would make a tremendous difference and would make the experience more comfortable for seniors and families. Overall: 4 out of 5 stars. A beautiful, historic Wilmington treasure that is absolutely worth visiting, especially in the spring--just be sure to make a restroom stop before setting out on the trails.