Potomac Overlook Regional Park in Arlington, VA!

Today we checked out Potomac Overlook Regional Park in Arlington, VA! Located in Arlington County this 70-acre park has a lot too offer everyone. The park is located in the suburbs of North Arlington amongst marvelous single family homes.

Once you pull into the park you'll see a small playground and picnic shelter with clean restrooms. The kids had a great time playing on the equipment that look liked a wooden fort. The equipment was completely in the shade and had a small fence to guard them from the parking lot. Picnic tables were located under the picnic shelter and right next to the playground also completely in the shade.

Once the kids got tired of the playground we headed towards the Nature Center which is located down a small access road through the trees. The Nature Center is closed on Mondays but open Tuesday through Sunday except for holidays.

The Nature Center has many different animals including a hive of bees, snakes, turtles and more snakes! In the upper level you'll find their new program "Energerium" educational information on energy basics and conservation efforts. On the lower level you'll find the "Kids Cave" with educational information on bats and other animals you can find in the park.

Once the kids saw all they could in the Nature Center we headed out towards the parks vegetable garden. Here you cross over a Koi pond to enter the garden. They had many plants growing including herbs, pumpkins, squash and strawberries. Several park employees were tending the garden and showed the kids several herbs to smell and taste. My son got a kick out of the pumpkin patch and spotting the newly grown pumpkins getting ready for harvest in a few weeks.

After the garden we headed out towards the trails to walk around some. The kids got sidetracked by a shaded bench in front a bush that had many butterflies coming to the flowers. Here we ended up eating lunch and just hanging out watching the bees and butterflies go after the nectar.

By this time the kids got tired so we headed back to the parking lot. Next time we come to the park we are gonna have to check out all the trails that are located through out the park. We saw many people jogging and walking dogs through the trails.

This is a great park with lots of shade and fun things for the kids to get into in Arlington, VA!

White Trail in Algonkian Regional Park in Sterling, VA!

My family and I are always looking for nice nature trails that the kids can manuever through without difficulty. One that I frequent with friends and family is White Trail in Algonkian Regional Park in Sterling, VA!

The head of this Loudoun County trail is located near the entrance to Volcano Island and situated right next to RV/Boat Storage lot. The trail takes you through the woods and never gets you close to the river so you won't have to worry about the little ones falling in. It actually ends up on the other side of Volcano Island so if you park in the lot you won't trek far to get back to your car. The trail is maybe a half mile and very flat with resting benches in a couple areas. The trail is clearly visible but every once in awhile after a storm a downed tree will block the trail. The park authority is really good about clearing the larger trees off the trail. In the areas where the ground can get a little swampy they have placed bridges to ease in crossing over. No bikes are allowed on the trail only walkers and joggers. I would say you could take a wagon through here but I would recommend a backpack for the smallers kids due to the down trees that are sometimes across the path.

Great little trail for the kids to get out on and get close to nature we almost always see deer out in the woods. If you're a geo-cacher this trail has lots of hidden caches to be found!

Lake Audubon in Reston, VA!

Reston has 4 artificial lakes with many different planned communities surrounding these lakes. The original purpose of these lakes was for stormwater managment to capture rain run off which then heads toward Difficult Run watershed and eventually out to the Potomac River on it's way to the Chesapeake Bay.

Last week we checked out Lake Audubon in South Reston. This Fairfax County lake was built in 1979 and covers 44-acres. We parked at the Lake Audubon Pool parking lot and headed out on the trail that surrounds the lake. This is near the Beacon Hill and Lake Audubon communities off of Twin Branches Road. There is a great website called Reston Paths that helps you navigate the trails since most of it winds through neighborhoods and has you crossing small roads.

No swimming is allowed on the lake but a boat launch ramp allows you to launch boats for fishing. As you walk the paved trail around the lake you'll find many private boat docks for the lakeside homes, condos and townhomes. We headed towards the dam area where we were stopped by a large set of stairs. Since I had the stroller we stopped at a picnic table in the wooded area right at the waters edge. The kids had a great time eating a snack and watching the fish come up to the edge looking for food. The picnic table was completely in the shade and allowed the kids to take a break from their walk.

We picked a beautiful day to walk the trails and it was almost always in the shade of huge older trees. The homes in the communites surrounding the lake are beautiful with awesome views of the lake and nature.

Peterson Lane Park in Vienna, VA!

Yesterday the kids and I stumbled across Peterson Lane Park in Vienna, VA! This 5.45-acre Fairfax County park is situated between a neighborhood of great older and custom single family homes in the Town of Vienna.

From the parking lot off of Malcolm Road you can barely see the playground equipment in the distance. Just follow the pathways that take you passed the freshly asphalted basketball court and you'll find the playground equipment. As we walked to the playground yesterday we were greeted by these two cute little fawns having a snack by the basketball court.

The playground equipment is in great shape and offered the kids lots to climb on including a toddler and regular swing set. The playground was mostly in the sun during the morning but there are tons of trees for the kids to escape the heat. There are no restrooms available but plenty of benches to take a break on.

If the kids get tired of playing on the equipment you can head out onto the paved trails that run through the park and around the neighboring areas. There is plenty of shade and wildlife for them to check out.

 If you get hungry or need to get a little shopping done the Town of Vienna and Chainbridge Road are just a short drive away. This was a very cute neighborhood park and if you live in the area you should check it out.

Potomack Lakes Sportsplex in Sterling, VA!

We are very lucky to live close by the Potomack Lakes Sportsplex in Sterling, VA. This Loudoun County park is near the entrance to Algonkian Regional Park off of Cascades Parkway. Most people know the park as the "Algonkian Park" due to its proximity to Algonkian Regional Park. Communites near the park are Cascades, Countryside and Lowes Island with many single family homes, townhomes and condos.

The Potomack Lakes Sportsplex includes 4 lighted softball fields, 6 soccer fields and a large playground with picnic pavilion. Clean restrooms are available both by the softball fields and soccer fields. The playground is huge and has 4 large pieces of age appropriate equipment with two sets of swing sets. It is surrounded by large trees that allow the kids to step out of the sun and into the shade. Many benches and picnic tables are available to rest or have a picnic lunch.

If you are a hiker or bike rider you can find a path heading east away from the playground. A portion of this path is the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail and also part of the Cascades Community pathways. Painted green squares on the trees let you know when you pick up the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail. It's possible to hike about 12 miles all the way to Difficult Run in Great Falls, VA. Also if you like to geo-cache this trail is a great place to find many hidden caches.

The Potomack Lakes Sportsplex is great if you're into sports and if you enjoy a huge park with lots of equipment. This playground is one of the best in the area!

Dunn Loring Park in Vienna, VA!

Dunn Loring Park in Vienna, VA is located off of Gallows Road in Fairfax County. It is within walking distance of the W&OD Trail and the Merrifield/Dunn Loring Metro Stop.

The park is completely in the shade of an older grove of trees. The equipment was newer and included a swing set for both older and younger kids. A porta potty is available in the parking lot and it was in pretty decent shape when we went to the park. A small picnic shelter is also available at the park and available for rental. The park does include tennis courts and a full size basketball court. Also there is small set of walking paths around the park.

Fun neighborhood park in Vienna!

Now you can find The Next Best Thing on Facebook!

If you're a fan of social media like I am you can now check out my blog, "The Next Best Thing..." on Facebook. You'll find the same great articles on my Facebook page so just hit the "like" button and you'll recieve updates whenever a new review comes up!

Here is the link to the "The Next Best Thing...."!

Lake Accotink Park in Springfield, VA!

Today my kids and I checked out Lake Accotink Park in Springfield, VA. This 493-acre park located in Fairfax County has a large lake, 4-mile shaded trail around the lake, playground, carousel, miniature golf course, shaded picnic areas, picnic pavillion, snack bar, restrooms, boat rentals and boat launch. On your way to the park off of Backlick Road you head through older single family homes and a small industrial area. You would never know that such a beautiful natural park is on the other side.

The playground is located at the furthest parking lot you can drive to tucked behind the ticket kiosk for the carousel and miniature golf course. The equipment was newer and completely in the shade. During the week the carousel opens at 12 p.m. and runs every 1/2 hour until the park closes. The park also had several picnic shelters and a pavilion to rent for get togethers.

After the playground we walked along the gravel trail around the lake. Almost of all the trail is completely in the shade and there are resting benches and trash cans all along the trail. After you enter the park you pass under a train trestle well off the ground and out of harms way. My oldest son loves trains and when we were there two trains came through and made his day. At the end of the lake there is a small dam that allows overflow to be relieved and sometimes this run off will cut the walking trail off near the bridge. If you're a fellow geo-cacher there are many caches hidden along the trails too.

The kids and I really liked this park. If you're into walking through natural areas around a lake you'll really like Lake Accotink Park!

Signal Hill Park in the City of Manassas Park, VA!

A few days ago we checked out Signal Hill Park in the City of Manassas Park located in Prince William County. This 110-acre park includes a water park, playground, multipurpose field, basketball courts, softball field, picnic pavilion, picnic area and grills, walking paths and a fishing pond. The Signal Bay Water Park includes a zero entry pool and lazy river.

The playground doesn't have any shade but on a nice day the equipment is decent and there is a swing set. There is two shaded picnic tables near the playground with restrooms. If the kids get tired of the playground you can walk along the trails to the pond to check out the ducks and geese.  If you're into geo-caching this park has plenty for you to track down.

This park has a lot to offer for sport enthusiasts and the kids!

Claude Moore Community Center in Sterling, VA!

We are frequent visitors of the Claude Moore Community Center in Sterling, VA! Claude Moore Community Center offers a gym, basketball courts, elevated jogging track, drop-in child care, rock wall, classes, indoor competitive lap pool, and leisure pool. During the winter time they open the indoor basketball courts to little ones and give them balls to run around the gym and play.

They have an awesome zero entry pool with a jungle gym in the middle of the pool for the younger kids. Claude Moore also offers an indoor three story water slide, lazy river and whirlpool. This facility has similiar features as Cub Run RECenter in Chantilly and the Freedom Fitness and Aquatic Center in Manassas.

The pool is fully staffed with trained lifeguards and swim instructors if you choose to join a swim class. The pools also offer life vests for the kids to rent if needed. Locker Rooms are available including a family locker room with showers. A fee schedule is posted on their website with certain packages available based on your needs.

My kids love this pool and I know when I take them here they are safe and the locker rooms are clean.