It’s finally starting to feel like spring around here! What better way to celebrate this warmer weather than visiting one of our many local parks and playground. Check out our guide below:
The Best Local RVA Parks and Playgrounds:
*Click on each park link for address, hours and more information.
Armour House and Gardens
East End/Mechanicsville/Hanover
Pole Green Park– This 232-acre park has many amenities including softball fields, soccer field, football field, a skate park, tot lots, playgrounds, and more. The Pole Green Community Center located in the park also has various parks and recreation programs. Pole Green Park also has a unique feature for horse owners. The park has an equestrian ring and stable.
Courthouse Park– This Hanover park offers a great playground, walking trails and a fishing pond with a floating dock. Another special feature of this park is the roller hockey rink.
Eastern Henrico Recreation Center Sprayground– This sprayground is open from Memorial Day through the end of September. The recreation center also offers countless other programs and activities to Henrico residents.
Armour House and Gardens– This beautiful Victorian style home is located directly behind Arthur Ashe Elementary School. The surrounding property boasts a scenic walking trail, tennis courts, a garden, flowing fountain surrounded by arbors with blooming vines, and children’s gardens and play areas.
Dorey Park– This park includes a large pond with walking trail, meandering walkways through the woods, a playground, and open space as well as a gazebo and picnic shelters. Dorey Park also has an off-leash dog park, 1 acre in size, with 5 foot enclosed fence with two areas – one for small dogs and the other for larger dogs. A variety of classes and events are offered for both children and adults throughout the year.
Twin Hickory Park and Splash Pad
West End
Deep Run Park-Deep Run Recreation Center is located within the beautiful Deep Run Park. The park includes ponds, walkways, playgrounds, and open space as well as a gazebo. A variety of classes and events are offered for both children and adults throughout the year.
Meadow Farm Museum and Crump Park– A perfect park for families interested in history and nature. The Meadow Farm Museum offers many programs throughout the year such as farmhouse tours, animal tours, leisure games, and more! Crump Park is also used by the Glen Allen community for events like Glen Allen Day.
Twin Hickory Playground & Splash Pad– This park opened in July 2014. It features walking trails, open play areas, a multi-purpose field, a picnic shelter with restrooms, a playground for ages 2-5 and one for ages 6-12. The most unique characteristic of the park is the “sprayground,” a small, whimsical, zero-depth water play feature intended for children 12 or under with adult supervision.
Short Pump Park & Splash Pad– This park includes a dog park, spray fountains, athletic fields, play equipment, picnic facilities, and a restored 1902 two-room schoolhouse.
Cheswick Park– Cheswick, located directly across from Henrico Doctor’s Hospital, is Henrico’s oldest neighborhood park. It’s hardly ever crowded, but it’s play areas and shaded walking trails make this park a hidden gem. It’s a little hard to spot from Forest Ave., but once you get there, you’ll be glad you found it!
Dunncroft/Castle Point Park– Located at the entrance to Hungary Creek Middle School, this park features trails, picnic area and shelter, play area and equipment, and a nine-hole disc golf course.
Pony Pasture
Southside
Pony Pasture-This is an insanely popular outdoor spot for Richmond locals. If you’re into swimming, rafting, kayaking, picnicking or hiking – you couldn’t find a more amenable spot for your traveling family. Expect to find scenic beauty with big rocks and small rapids. Parking gets crazy in the summer, so plan to pull into the Pony Pasture parking lot by 11 a.m.. Closes at sunset.
Stony Point Fashion Park Splash Pad– A splash pad right in the middle of the upscale shops of Stony Point and with a Starbucks within shouting distance? Yes, please!
Rockwood Nature Center- This is the only county-operated nature center in Chesterfield. The log cabin-style building is home to an array of native reptiles and amphibians as well as a honeybee hive and visual informative displays and sits in front of over five miles of paved and unpaved trails.
Forest Hill Park– The park consists of the historic Stone House, a lake, tennis courts, picnic shelters, a children’s playground, and many paths and trails are popular for walking and jogging. It is well known as a popular sledding site anytime it snows in Richmond, and during the summer months Sunday concerts are hosted in the park as well as the South of the James Market, a farmer’s market held on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., typically from May through November or sometimes into December.
Huguenot Park– This park includes an azalea garden, fitness trail, picnic shelters, play equipment, restrooms, tennis and basketball courts, and fields for soccer and football. The playground is great for families with young children because the playground is fenced off to keep wandering toddlers in!
Rockwood Park– Chesterfield’s oldest park features a complex of ball fields and game courts, a nature center, an archery range, Ruff House Dog Park, garden plots and an extensive system of hard and soft surface nature trails.
Pocahontas State Park– Just 20 miles from Richmond, Pocahontas offers boating, picnicking, camping, camping cabins, 64-plus miles of trails, and nature and history programs. The Aquatic Center, which has a toddler pool, fountain wet deck, three-foot and five-foot-deep leisure pools, an activity pool and two tubular water slides, affords seasonal water-based activities for all.The park’s 2,000-seat amphitheater hosts the Pocahontas Premieres series of concerts and family-friendly entertainment.
Three Lakes Park
Northside
Three Lakes Park and Nature Center– This park offers both indoor and outdoor fun! You can visit the nature center to see local wildlife like fish, turtles, snakes, etc. and then go outside and play on their large playground. They also have various programs and activities scheduled throughout the year.
Bryan Park– Bryan Park was a gift to the City from the Joseph Bryan family in 1910. It has two picnic shelters, lovely Azalea Gardens, 4 tennis courts, soccer fields, tot lot, wooded areas, walking and running trails, lakes for fishing [license required], open spaces, a sledding hill and more.
Arc Park
Richmond Central
ARC Park– This is my favorite park in RVA! The ARCpark is the first of its kind in Central Virginia. It offers 3 playgrounds for toddlers, school-aged kids and every-age, a wheel-chair accessible treehouse with an extra-wide ramp, a custom-built, multi-sensory wall with panels that stimulate touch, hearing and sight, a play house, a small stage, water troughs and music instruments for creative play, water misting stations, charging stations for electric wheelchairs, family restrooms and shade picnic areas.
Byrd Park– This park offers three lakes for fishing [license required], peddle boat rides [call 646-5713 for details], 2 picnic shelters, Little League Ball fields, 12 tennis courts, an exercise trail, lighted areas, a Vita exercise course, and the Dogwood Dell amphitheater where the Festival of Arts is held June through August.
Maymont Park– This 100-acre Victorian estate, once home of Major James H. Dooley, is now operated by the Maymont Foundation. It has a wonderful nature center for the kids (and grownups!), petting zoo, museum house and Japanese Gardens. There are also tram and carriage rides.
Canal Walk– This downtown walk, which stretches for more than a mile along the James River and the Kanawha and Haxall canals, leads you through nearly four centuries of Richmond’s history. Filled with statues, monuments, and plaques that describe various events and people who helped to shape our city, the Canal Walk is a great way to get everyone out for a day of sunshine and exercise, while offering plenty to see and do.
Belle Isle– This 540 acre island is known for its outdoor offerings, which range from strolling and picnicking to running, mountain biking, whitewater rafting, kayaking and canoeing. A running and bicycling path circles the island, offering easy access to popular sunbathing and wading spots. Fishing is also popular in the waters surrounding the island.
Mary Munford Playground– This wooden playground, located at Mary Munford Elementary School, is special because of it’s castle-like structures. It also has a play area for students with special needs.
For info on even more local parks, recreation, classes and summer camps follow these links:
Enjoy the outdoors, ladies!
♥ Erin
