Watkins Regional Park is truly a hidden gem! I recently took my 4-year-old niece, and she absolutely loved every minute of it. The Wizard of Oz-themed playground made such an impression on her that we've been watching The Wizard of Oz on repeat ever since our visit. It was so much fun seeing her imagination come to life as she explored all the themed play areas. One thing I really appreciated was that there's something for kids of all ages. There are plenty of play structures and activities to keep everyone entertained. The park is also very family-friendly, with lots of shaded benches and picnic shelters where I could comfortably sit, relax, and keep an eye on her while she played. After the playground, we walked across the street to ride the carousel, which she absolutely adored. They also have a train ride, but unfortunately it wasn't operating during our visit. That just gives us another reason to come back! Next time, we're planning to visit the farm and meet all the animals. I can't believe such a special place is just a few miles from home. If you're looking for a fun, affordable outing with children, Watkins Regional Park is definitely worth the visit. We can't wait to go back! read more

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Great playground for ages 3-10. Park is nice and clean with a merry-go-round ($). Nice walking trail to see farm animals (free) read more

The local park is great for those into fitness. What helps is that it is merely nice and shady even on a humid day which makes the walks and runs enjoyable. read more

Watkins Regional Park - Playgrounds Near Me - Upper Marlboro, Maryland

Brought the family back here for the festival of lights. First I would recommend buying the tickets online as they are cheaper online than at the gate. It's a great drive through light show that allows you to stay warm and cozy in the car. The ticket is for the vehicle and allows you to enter any time during your entry day. It's a 2-2.5 mile drive with light displays on the left, right and overhead. They also have hayrides if you want to brave the cold. A fun and inexpensive holiday event for the whole family. read more

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I love Watkins park and the turkey trot/festival of lights was amazing and took the park to the next level for me. I've never ran through the park at night and with the lights it was truly magical. I can't wait to attend next year and many years to come ! read more

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I love this park. You can get 1.7 miles all the way around for exercise but I love the activities that they have for the kids and sports lover. Indoor and outdoor tennis courts. Also plenty of space for camping liver. read more

My daughter absolutely loves this park. We go almost every weekend. It is large with swings and fully decorated like the Wizard of Oz. There's plenty of space to have a picnic. On the other side of the park, there is a train and a carousal that is pretty affordable. On any given weekend day, you will find plenty of children and families out there. Would highly recommend! read more

I play softball here, the fields don't drain well and there have been numerous Sundays when the fields haven't been lined. Bathrooms need major updating read more

I came for the Christmas light and it's always so nice to see with and without kids I love seeing lights and who doesn't love Christmas ! $20 per car up to 6 people , and $15 online ! Turn on your Christmas music and go for a nice drive on this 3 mile lights journey read more

Watkins Regional Park - Playgrounds Near Me - Upper Marlboro, Maryland

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I came to Watkins Regional Park for the annual Festival of Lights. This particular festival allows you and the kids to stay in the warmth of your car and drive through to view the lights. I will say it Is quite well organized with one designated entrance and one designated exit. There are also plenty of cones to appropriately ensure the continuous and proper flow of traffic through the park as well. All of the light displays are quite nice and creative. You see some light displays you may expect like Christmas trees, Santa, and snowmen. However, you also see cool ones like Santa shooting presents from a cannon or Santa hitting a baseball. The total experience is just the right amount of time for young kids. Not too long and not too short. Buy your tickets online and check it out when the holidays choke back around! read more

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Home away from home. When my kids were little we spent hours here. Now I go to walk often on the trails. read more

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This park has been on my bucketlist for yeeeears and I was delighted to finally get to see it in person. The playground was packed with kids having the best time. There seemed to be at least two parties going on in the pavilions nearby. Someone was grilling and it smelled amazing. This park is bigger than I expected. We parked in the wrong lot but that just gave us the chance to see the tennis courts, teenagers playing football while their parents sat under tents, family reunions, people walking dogs. The zoo was closed by the time we arrived, but we did check out the carousel and took some great photos of the mini golf course. The park is marvelously paved, so I had no difficulty getting around in my wheelchair. We had a great afternoon. Would recommend read more

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If you ever get a chance to experience their Wild Things Program with Jaron, you will leave learning lots of new fact and gain a newfound respect for animals of all kinds (yes, that includes the Madagascar hissing cockroach). We came with a group of infants to 9 year olds, and Jaron captured their attention the entire time - which was almost an hour! He was like a one man show; we couldn't wait to hear what he would do or say next. Most of his facts were new to me - debunking false perceptions for certain animals. He was phenomenal! Our group also took a hike with Lizzie (?) who guided this same group through the park. She also pointed out interesting facts and did a great job keeping us safe and engaged. There is so much going on in this park - playground, hiking, camping, etc and we look forward to returning! read more

Love love this park. It has so much to do! I go here all the time with my family. There's the playground, the nature center, the carrousel, mini golf, Old Maryland Farm, and the newly renovated train. The kiddos always have a blast. Only thing is I wish the nature center and farm were open earlier for the younger kids and to beat the hot days of DMV summer. They open at 10 am. read more

Watkins Regional Park - Schedule of train, carrousel and mini golf - Playgrounds Near Me - Upper Marlboro, Maryland

Such a cool playground!! My daughter had so much fun here! It was definitely worth the drive. read more

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This park is one of my favorite places in PG. It's a huge park and I have enjoyed several different events there. The playground is a must for the kiddos. The nature center is Amazing! Great place to visit to see some cool reptiles and birds. Highly Recommend! read more

Great place to jog ,hike, tennis,walk and see animals for free and train ride for kids and carousel

I remembered us venturing over here last year and decided to check it out again this year. I wish someone would inform patrons to turn their lights off for a better experience when driving through. Staff could also use some customer service training...I mean tis the season for goodness sakes! And understanding this time could be hard for some just a simple smile and sense of welcoming would be nice lol... Some lights on a few displays were out and there were some spaces that were bare...just dark and no lights... We definitely won't be coming back next year. I hope for next year they try to change up things a little bit and put some extra jazz in the other areas just like the candy land portion...perhaps change the theme and create some kind of story line that flows... Anyhoo- if you have younger kids and just want to see a bunch of lights thrown together to entertain them then this maybe something for you... Lol read more

This review is for the Festival of Lights, which we drove through a few days after Christmas, 2021. Planned to be a fun get-out-of-the-house activity for my 4-year-old, the adventure and quality of light displays surpassed all of our expectations. From dazzling arches to a multitude of themed Santas throwing basketballs to shooting presents through cannons into a giant gift bag to penguins splashing into water from an iceberg (all animated through moving lights), each display added to our experience and we were constantly oohing and ahhing from the comfort of our car. It was raining, which made our adventure even better! I think the cost was 10 dollars per car, which was well worth it. Only complaint? We found ourselves at the end of a LONG, slow-moving line of cars for much of the time -- only to find out later that we were stuck behind a horse-drawn carriage. Perhaps the horses should have a separate lane? It's hard to explain the wonders of Watkins Regional Park's playfully curated Festival of Lights without seeing it for yourself, so check it out. Enjoyable for all ages, but especially magical with young kids. We plan to explore the rest of the park another time. read more

Watkins Regional Park - Castle, loch ness monster, and a ship! - Playgrounds Near Me - Upper Marlboro, Maryland

I love visiting this park, I used to take my dog walking along the trail. It has beautiful scenery and plenty of room for runners, walkers & bikers. There's also tennis, parks and a lot of room to run around here. Entry and parking is free, during the holidays they do have a Festival of lights that's very fun and festive, I believe the price is $15 per car but I think it's worth it. read more

I love this park. It's been around since I was little and I still love going. I can't wait until the annual Christmas lights read more

Awwwww my first time at this park for the Holiday Lights BIKE ride. Normally it's only cars but Watkins thanks to Troy what's his name pushed for a day for cyclist. My friends and I came from Virginia and as far as Richmond for this event. We are going to try to get one of our parks to offer this. AMAZING, family friendly, the staff was great and at the end they had hot cider with a fire pit. Also they handed out mini bike shaped lights. We had a blast and it put me in the season. Can't wait to visit this park in the spring g. Looks as if they have a train ride, Pitt putt golf, tennis and camping according to their web site. read more

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Although it's a trek from Arlington (about 40 minutes), it's well worth the trip even during the off-season. I brought my 13 month old here on an unusually warm December afternoon. There's plenty of free parking available near the playground. During the warmer months, there is a wizard of oz mini golf, a carousel, and a train. On this visit we explored Old Maryland Farm, the nature center, and, of course the Wizard of oz-themed playground. The farm was very quiet. We saw some chickens, turkeys, peacocks, pigs, cows, rabbits, horses, and sheep, although none of the animals were active. There is a path from the parking lot. I brought our stroller but it became cumbersome. The nature center, which is on the opposite side of the playground down a path, was interesting. There's a one in the middle of the room with fish and turtles. There are some birds both indoors and outdoors. In the terraniums there were snakes, frogs, lizards, etc. I appreciated they had step stools positioned near the tanks so my son could view them on his own. The playground is definitely the highlight of the park. The theme is adorable and has everything from ruby slipper slides to Auntie Em's house. There is even a munchkin land area where younger ones can crawl around amidst colored domes. There's a musical section, lots of slides, nd swings. We spent a few hours here, including time picnicking. There are plenty of tables available for this. I'll definitely keep this park in my back pocket of places to play in the DMV and will definitely return in the summer for the train and carousel! read more

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Nice park!! I had only previously been for the holiday festival of lights drive through and honestly never paid attention to the walking trails but then again, at night it would be hard to see all that! I met my sister here early on a Saturday morning. It was chilly but we both were bundled up so we were fine. I was surprised at how big this park is. There's ample trails for walking, jogging or biking! I plan to come back during the season for the lights! read more

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Watkins park is completely different than how it looked back in my kid years! But I often babysit kiddies && they loveee it here! They always beg me to bring them back! Monkey bars, swings, slides, spinny things, cars you can rock in, those echo telephone things, fun play houses, you name it! Also the bright, colorful, and fun aesthetic is super cute! Watkins park will always be a gem! read more

Watkins Regional Park - Playgrounds Near Me - Upper Marlboro, Maryland

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This review is specifically for the Festival of Lights, though we have visited the park on another occasion. Each time, it's been a great visit. For the holidays, though, it's hard to compete with the show they put on here for the drive-thru light show. Slow down and soak it all in! It's a lengthy trek through a Christmassy/Winter Wonderland! Not to compare it to other Maryland light displays... but I'm about to do just that. LOL! I have to say, this one might be the best in the state (of the ones we've seen so far). It's not short by any stretch and the price is pretty reasonable. ($10 per car, but $8 online in advance of the gate). The park during the rest of the year was also spacious and enjoyable. No complaints at all there either. But the star of the show? Definitely their holiday lights. It's perfect for a COVID environment as well, because it's all drive-thru and inside your own car. But they don't skimp on the seasons feelings at the same time. Great job to everyone involved in making a wonderful holiday memory for our entire family! read more

On our never ending park exploration quest with our toddler, we finally made a trek to Upper Marlboro to check out Watkins Regional Park! You could prob spend the entire day here and pack a picnic because there is so much to do to include trails, small animal farm, courts, etc. However, with a toddler and a two hour window, the Wizard of Oz playground and the Old Animal Farm was enough to fill out time. The playground is best for 2-5 year olds and has a few picnic tables. It is quite large so you'll be finding yourself exploring all the nooks and crannies of all the play structures. The animal farm is about a 5 minute walk away from playground and has rabbits, peacocks, chickens, pigs, duck and goose, goats and lambs, turkey, ponies, cows and horses. A great morning adventure for a young family. read more

Watkins Regional Park - Trail map - Playgrounds Near Me - Upper Marlboro, Maryland

I joined a Glow Hike & Bonfire tonight. It was awesome! We hiked 4 miles in Watkins Regional Park and ended with a bonfire and s'mores. It was a beginners hike in the woods but challenging if you are double masked like me lol (N95 mask and cloth mask + social distancing... a common theme of mine ). I didn't eat s'mores at the end because I didn't want to take my mask off but we both sat at a distance from the fire and enjoyed group discussions before heading back to our cars. I've been trying to get a few short hikes/walks in to take a break from so much biking. I also bought hiking sticks though I did not need them. Anywho, tonight was lots of fun . The park is beautiful and clean. I loved the trails! Event hosted by Goombay Inc. read more

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Watkins Regional Park is an amazing park great for the entire family. It's HUGE and comes with a farm for kids, tennis courts, fields, tracks, trails, two playgrounds, mini-golf and so much more. If you have small kids, they will love the horse track themed playground and the massive playground themed after the Wizard of Oz. My toddler LOVED it! read more

Very nice, but wish they had more defined hiking trails. Overall very nice park, well maintained.

Love it. Fun, clean, & peacefully place to walk or relax. During the holidays we go see the light display. I take my friends kids to their mini zoo. They love it read more

This is one of my favorite parks in the area. There is soooo much to do here!! Nice trails and scenery. A cool nature center for the family. A carousel, mini golf and train ride offered here for a low price. You can camp here in the warmer months. I haven't done an overnight camping trip here yet. They have a tennis bubble that I absolutely love!! They do offer winter lights here. Possibly the best light show in the DMV. The do lovely job in keeping the grounds clean and staff here are friendly and helpful. read more

A gem in PG County. Wonderful walking trails, nature center and playgrounds. Also really cool farm for young visitors. Fun carousel and train ride. Also fields for various sporting events. Also recommend the holiday lights showcase. It's nice and we try to go at least once each year. Free entry and plenty of free parking read more

The park is nice, beautiful and greenery with lots of open space and trails. There is a Nature Center, Petting Zoo, (2) Playgrounds, Tennis and Baseball fields and much more. read more

I'm actually surprised at how many little trails and paths it has for being right on a neighborhood. Scenic; Lots of community events, they have the baseball diamond, tennis bubble, bike path, merry go round, petting zoo... all that good stuff as well... The strange thing is that they leave the Christmas lights up most of the year which is a bit lazy but oh well lol read more

Watkins Regional Park - A walking/bike path - Playgrounds Near Me - Upper Marlboro, Maryland

We love this park so much. It's a little bit of a drive for us to get here but it was worth it. We went about a week ago and the leaves were beautiful. We went to the kids playground first for our little girl who's 2 and a half. We went in the middle of the week so it wasn't very crowded at all. I'm not sure how it is over the weekend but the play area was very spacious. I grew up on the Wizard of Oz so I thought it was really cool how they had the yellow brick road, Auntie Em's house and even had the witch's legs under the house. They had swings, slides, Dorothy's red shoes as a slide, a tractor and other areas that were pretty cool compared to the other parks we've seen in the area. The only part I wasn't a huge fan of was the bells/drums. Some of the bells were cracked and the sticks made to strike them have been cut/destroyed but it wasn't a big deal. You can find some sticks around the area that does the job. We went to the barn/farm area as well. It's a little bit of a walk especially if you have young kids but wasn't too bad. I saw they had a miniature golf area and mini train area but it wasn't open at the time. We saw the animals in the farm and you couldn't feed or pet them but they had some chickens, turkeys, peacocks, pigs, cows, horses, and donkeys. It was still cool to see. We saw that they had the lights set up for a drive through light show but it was too bright and we weren't going to stay that late. It would've been cool to see but we may have to go back to check it out. There were a few signs we saw that you could have the option to camp there so I thought that was a cool option. They had some pavilions too that you could reserve if you want to have a party/picnic. The park was overall really clean. The bathroom wasn't a portapotty but a small building next to the play area. We will be coming back in the near future. read more

Love going here to walk and decompress from the work grind. Love the small animal farm and the various areas. This park is near my home so it's also convenient read more

Watkins Regional Park offers an array of activities and things to do for the entire family. Camping grounds, several playgrounds, hiking and biking trails, farm, and other activities. Bring your family and friends and enjoy read more

Nice park for a nice stroll or a bike ride. I haven't any complaints. Every experience has been a great one.

Really nice!!! My children really enjoyed the visit and we took a wonderful walk around the park!