Park

Trip to Keswick, VA

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Bruce with his Mr. Toad hat

Last weekend, we headed to Keswick, VA for a three-day celebration of my father-in-law’s 60th birthday.  The Montgomery family converged on the area, coming in from MD, NC, and MN for the festivities.  Even my mom, sister, brother and their spouses came in from the Ruther Glen area on Saturday and Sunday to celebrate as well.  Being a Hokie, it’s hard to admit that Keswick and Charlottesville are gorgeous places to visit, but they truly are and I can’t wait to come back again in July for Janet & Adam’s wedding at Veritas!

While in Keswick we took a day trip to Monticello with grandparents and great-grandparents.  I hadn’t been to Monticello since probably 5th grade so it was nice to visit again after so many years.  We checked out the main house, stables, and Jefferson family gravesite.  With a 13-month old our time was limited, but that also meant we have more left to explore the next time we visit.  I also found some time on Friday for a little pool and wine time, which was fabulous!

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On Friday night, we had a delicious 8+ course meal and wine pairing in the private wine cellar at Keswick.  We ate delicious courses of tuna, ribeye, cheese, sorbet, mushrooms, etc all paired perfectly with champagnes, pinots, zins, cabs, etc.  Everyone at dinner also got to learn about my new fav wine, Orin Swift’s The Prisoner!

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On Saturday afternoon, after a fun morning photo shoot with my Kristen Garten Photography (check out Kristen’s work), I headed to three different wineries with my sister and sis-in-law.  We visited First Colony, Trump Winery, and Carter’s Mountain Orchard & Winery.  All three were very unique, but I think the red wine sangria slushie at Carter’s was our unanimous favorite.  July at Veritas can’t come soon enough!

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On Sunday morning, we explored the walking trails and gardens of Keswick followed by some romping time at the nearby playground. And, yes, even little Ripken got to come and enjoy some pampering at Keswick!

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The entire weekend was such fun…seeing family from all over and having them get precious time with Ashley was a great joy!

Thumbs up: reservation system/flow at Monticello, food and wine at Keswick, pool time, walking trails, playground, pet-friendly hotel, nearby wineries
Thumbs down: nothing to report

Ashley’s First Birthday @ Laurel Hills

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One month ago (yes, I’m so behind) we celebrated Ashley’s first birthday with wonderful family and friends at Laurel Hills Community Center.  Since we were in the middle of selling our house (btw, great house still for sale) there was no way I could plan a party around potential showings at our house.  And yes, of course, there happened to be last minute showings that day.

Laurel Hills is a great place to have a party.  We rented the dance studio on the bottom floor, which holds up to 30 people.  It has large windows on two sides of the room and mirrors on another side, which made the room seem larger than it was and gave the babies extra entertainment.  We brought a large basket of toys from home to keep the babies entertained and everyone played a part in the setup and cleanup.  My mom/aunt were in charge of toys/balloons, my mom-in-law was in charge of the flowers, and my sister had the decorations.  My wonderful neighbor who has a side catering business (and who has even done small events for VP Joe Biden) made delicious salmon and chicken/sweet potato sandwiches, salad with homemade balsamic vinegar dressing, and homemade iced-clove tea.  And everyone else either set-up food, hung streamers, hauled things to/from the car, hauled chairs/tables, or kept an eye on the birthday girl!

The celebrations really began on Friday night when we all met for dinner at Crowley’s, our neighborhood restaurant.  Saturday night the festivities continued at our house with more cake, grilled meats, potato casserole, yummy drinks, a bon fire, interesting political discussions, and Trivia Pursuit! Then, we finished up on Sunday with a yummy breakfast at the house organized by my mom-in-law.  We had wonderful family come from all over (CA, KS, MO, MD, and VA) to celebrate her little birthday; we were completely overjoyed and overwhelmed by everyone’s generosity.

Thumbs up: great party room for small events, close proximity to restrooms, free tables/chairs for self set-up/clean-up

Thumbs down: nothing at all 🙂

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Maymont Park

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A few weeks ago we headed to Richmond to visit our college friends, Kelly and Drew.  On Saturday, while the boys were out exploring the local watering holes, the girls made a trip to Maymont Park.  Being a Virginia native and having lots of family in the Richmond area, I was floored when I heard Richmond has wild animals…in the city!  There is so much to do here, but we focused on feeding the animals at the petting zoo and visiting the Virginia wildlife in the animal exhibits.

Maymont is 100 acres of rolling hills, gardens, animals, and historical buildings to explore.  According to their website, a wealthy Richmond couple, James and Sallie Dooley, left their gorgeous estate to the City of Richmond as a special place for people to enjoy.  The park officially opened to the public in March 1926.  As I mentioned, we only had time to experience the animals at the park, but there is the mansion, carriage house, numerous gardens, and even a mausoleum to explore.

We entered at the Spottswood Entrance, which is at the corner of Spottswood Rd and Shirley Ln.  This is the entrance closest to the Children’s Farm with paved trails to the wildlife exhibits.  Here is a map of Maymont, which is helpful in deciding where to park based on which exhibits you want to experience.

After parking the car, we immediately headed for the Children’s Farm.  It’s a self-guided exhibit and they suggest a $2 per person donation.  We saw peacocks walking around, lots of sheep, wild looking bird-like animals in the barn, bunnies, goats, donkeys, pigs, etc.  All of the animals were extremely friendly and welcomed our yummy treats!

Once we finished with the petting zoo, we continued down the paved trail to the wildlife exhibits.  Here we saw a hawk, white-tailed deer, a gray fox (sadly circling the perimeter of his habitat), vultures, owls, a bald eagle, a black bear, and buffalo.  The poor bald eagle had an injured wing and the black bear enjoyed his high-security home (in response to the 2006 incident where two black bears bit a small child).   Even though this isn’t the same eagle as is in Maymont, here is a cool live eagle-cam on two eagles and their newly hatched chicks along the James River.

Meandering through the trail, you’ll cross a small stream several times and see signs for the butterfly trail.  This was the beginning of March, so several of the daffodils were in bloom. The trails through the park are also great for running on, as we saw lots of people jogging that day.  In the far distance you can see the mansion and other buildings.  Several of these can be rented for events, whether for a wedding, corporate event, or birthday party.

So, next time we’re in town we’ll totally check out the other features of the park and maybe even do a guided tour of a mansion.  If you have kids and are looking for something fun and cheap to do, definitely check out Maymont and all it has to offer.

Thumbs up: proximity of wildlife in city, petting zoo, rolling hills landscape, buffalo exhibit,

Thumbs down: gray fox exhibit, black bear exhibit

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Isabella Cannon Park Update

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img_0714As Ashley-bug turns the big ONE today, I wanted to provide an update on one of our favorite neighborhood parks, Isabella Cannon Park.  We’ve explored so many parks and learned so much about the City of Raleigh in the past year and can’t wait to see what the next year has in store for us!

Since opening last July, Isabella Cannon Park has continued to blossom. The trees and shrubs are providing a nice backdrop to the landscape and the fresh patch of green grass in the middle is giving frisbee enthusiasts and dog lovers a place to play. On a typical day, you’ll see a good mix of college students and neighborhood residents enjoying the park.  From swinging on swings, playing on the rock climbing wall, or shooting hoops, there’s a lot for everyone to do.

Recently, there has been some construction along Gardner St and Everett Ave. The entrances along Gardner St and at the corner across from the Rose Garden are being replaced.  The old stairways were in desperate need of a facelift and I think these will help draw more people into the park from those areas.  Several of the overgrown brush along Gardner St has also been removed, making it a more inviting place.

Isabella Cannon Park is located at 498 Gardner St, Raleigh, NC

Thumbs up: swings, stone hardscape near entrance, swing set, basketball courts, newly replaced entrances, unique rock climbing area

Thumbs down: nothing to note

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A portion of this post originally appeared on southwestraleigh.com where you can learn more about how to live, work, and play in the Creative District.

Umstead Park – S & N Turkey Creek Trail

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img_04963-150x150Craving some exercise and needing to leave the house for a Sunday morning showing (yes, cute house for sale), we headed to Umstead Park a few weekends ago to check out S & N Turkey Creek Trails.  We figured we’d park at our regular spot in the median off Reedy Creek Road, but came to find nothing but “No Parking” signs!  Ugh, you could sense the frustration I had when I saw them.  There are a few nearby neighborhoods, but those too have several “No Parking” signs along the streets and my husband’s disapprovement of parking in random neighborhoods meant we had to search elsewhere.

Knowing S & N Turkey Creek Trails parallel much of Ebenezer Church Rd, we drove over that way looking for the parking spots I stashed in my memory bank. Heading north on Ebenezer Church Rd, just past Clyden Cove on your right, you’ll come to gravel/dirt parking on the left-hand side of the street.  There are several “No Parking” signs near the gate so just be sure to park towards the left.

After quickly bundling up the baby, we set off down the gravel hill and continued north on S Turkey Creek Trail.  If you head left at the bottom of the hill, you’ll go south back towards Reedy Creek Rd.  Very soon in our trip we came upon Crabtree Creek followed by Cedar Ridge Trail, one of the many hiking trails in the park.

Continuing on, N Turkey Creek Trail begins.  A bike race was happening this particular Sunday morning, so it was pretty exciting to see all the bikers with race bibs zoom by us.  There are some narrow sections on this trail, but for the most part they are wide, gravel paths.  Lucky for me, Bill pushed the stroller on the way out and dealt with most of the hills. Knowing Ashley would be hungry soon, about 30 minutes out we turned around and headed back for the car.

I love exploring the Umstead Park trails because of its peacefulness amidst a bustling city.  Regardless of the trail you explore in Umstead, it’s bound to be an exciting one full of walkers, runners, bikers, or horses!

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RDU Observation Park

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This post is dedicated to all of the guys in my life (husband, dads, and grandfathers) who flew planes in the service or for fun or who love to spend hours at air shows or the National Air & Space Museum. 

We took advantage of last Thursday’s gorgeous weather and headed to the RDU Observation Park at RDU Airport.  Thinking I’d never spend more time at an airport than absolutely necessary, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.  Surprisingly, it’s a pretty neat way to watch planes land and take-off provided, you don’t have a vested interest in the ones you’re watching take-off 😉 For those of you who have sprinted from one end of DFW to the other to catch a connection only to learn you missed it, may not enjoy spending additional time on airport authority owned property.  But, for those who are interested in the simplicity of an airport, going from one place to another, this is a fun place to visit!

First, be sure to take the simpler entrance into the General Aviation area from Lumley Rd, which you can get to from 540 or 70 and follow the signs to the Observation Park.  The park is actually located near the intersection of Business St and E International Dr closest to the Terminal 2 runways and the private jet hangars.

The park has a large parking lot with stairway and ramp access to an elevated and covered deck overlooking the Terminal 2 runways.  Along the deck railing there are educational guides with information about the different planes built over time, from the Wright Brothers plane to the Cessna CJ1 and beyond.  We had great views of the control tower and the take-off and landings of large commercial jets and smaller private planes.

The park also has a small, sandy playground area with climbing equipment, a kiddie-size runway, picnic tables, benches, open fields, public restrooms, and more aviation information guides.  Not far from the park is a cafe open from 8am-2pm.

Finally, if you find yourself at the airport with a few extra hours to spare, check out this helpful airport guide I stumbled upon at Stuck at the Airport.

Thumbs Up: beautiful views, picnic spots, aviation information guides

Thumbs Down: bad signage from Aviation Pkwy entrance

Historic Yates Mill County Park

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This post originally appeared on Southwestraleigh.com where you can learn more about how to live, work, and play in the Creative District.

Even though the Historic Yates Mill County Park has only been open for less than six years, Yates Mill dates back to the early 1800’s and is the only gristmill still standing in Wake County.  Throughout the mill’s history it changed ownership about a dozen times and the park is now owned through a partnership between NC State, Yates Mill Associates, Wake County, and the NC Dept of Agr & Consumer Services.

Historic Yates Mill County Park is located at 4620 Lake Wheeler Rd, about 3 miles south of I-40/440.  After winding down a short entrance road you arrive at a large parking lot with a beautiful research and education center as the backdrop.  The A.E. Finley Education and Research Center is a beautiful stone and wood building that contains an exhibit hall, classrooms, auditorium, and back porch complete with rocking chairs overlooking the pond.  They offer programs for people of all ages and here are just a few upcoming events to highlight:

After you’ve finished exploring the Park Center, head to one of the trails for a walk out and around the pond.  We explored the Millpond Trail (1 mile), which loops around the pond offering breathtaking views of the wildlife, water, and flora.  On this trail, you’ll pass by the old mill and dam, boardwalks along the pond that are great for fishing, several picnic areas, the Field Classroom, and tree markers that correspond to the “Tree Identification Trail” brochure at the Park Center.  Even though it’s an unpaved path, it’s quite wide and flat but not suitable for strollers in all areas.  Being a beautiful sunny day, I passed quite a few people jogging the trail too.  Whatever you do, be sure to stop by the mill yard and dam and take tons of pictures!

The two other trails we didn’t have time for today are the High Ridge Trail and the Creekside Trail.  The trail map shows that High Ridge Trail is more strenuous and about .78 miles and connects up with the Millpond Trail.  Creekside Trail is an out and back unpaved trail that is 2 miles in total length.

This park is jam-packed with activities and sights, but also has several peaceful areas if you just want to relax a bit.  Try your luck fishing from one of the boardwalks, enjoy a picnic lunch at one of the many spots along the Millpond Trail, or take a nap in the rocking chairs on the back porch.  So, whether you came for excitement and learning or quiet time and reflection there’s something for everyone.

Thumbs up: photo ops, serenity, educational exhibits, pond, mill and dam

Thumbs down: trail maps don’t indicate whether paths are stroller-friendly (thanks to the sweet mom-daughter team that helped us out)

Windemere Beaver Dam Park

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I have had the privilege to visit several parks with my daughter and granddaughter as they have been working on their blog for the past 8 months!

With the holidays, I asked if I, her sister Ginni, and Ginni’s husband, Blair, could take the baby to a nearby park for the Twelfth Day of Raleigh Parks Christmas and let us take pictures and blog!

Well here it is and to all who know me, I will keep the four letter words to “park”!

Windemere Beaver Dam Park is a wonderful neighbor park – quiet, peaceful and serene!

If I lived in this neighborhood I would be bitter, because I would have to share with all (lol)!

I also realized I was not the only grandparent enjoying the Raleigh sunshine that day, as the park had several families celebrating and enjoying a gorgeous day with their babies just like me.

Windemere Beaver Dam Park is located at 1500 Nottingham Rd in the median between Brooks Ave and Nottingham Rd. It is a wonderful place for families to celebrate just about anything, not only Christmas, but birthdays, soccer/t-ball/pick-up games, etc. They have a couple of picnic tables and numerous benches to take a rest if you are walking, jogging, or running on the nearby greenway trails. You can take a quiet walk and visit the babbling brook that goes around the outskirts of the park; and how wonderful that would be on a hot summer day, to dip your piggies!

In my opinion one of the best features is the open field, where you can play good old fashioned games of kickball, freeze tag, dodge ball, Red Rover, Red Light/Green Light, and of course soccer, lacrosse, t-ball, etc. I would suggest to bring your own chairs so you can be mobile between the open fields to the jungle gym/swings.

The playground area offers 2 slides, 2 swings for us big people and also 2 additional tot swings for our babies.

I truly think the best part of this neighborhood park is how the City of Raleigh kept it in its natural environment! It is a wonderful habitat, great for bird watching, as I saw several cardinals (male and female), chickadees, mocking birds, finches, nuthatches, great for a beginner bird watcher! They have everything they need to survive – food, water and shelter.

I’m grateful that Raleigh has one of the BEST park systems on the East Coast! Being just a visitor to this city over the past 9 nine years, I’d like to thank the citizens and the city council for making your parks a priority in their budget/bond referendums over the past several decades.

Thumbs Up: great family outings, jogging trails, natural habitat

Thumbs Down: parking, lack of park sign, not very stroller-friendly

Laurel Hills Community Center

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With the weather being overcast and uncertain we needed to find another indoor place to romp around.  So, on the 11th day of Raleigh Parks Christmas we went back to Laurel Hills Park to visit the community center for Tot Time.

The community center is two stories and has a few meeting rooms, art rooms, dance studio, fitness center, vending machines, and large gymnasium with two basketball courts.  The friendly staff in the lobby can help register you for classes and answer any questions you have about the facility.

The Tot Time program is for kids ages 5 and under and runs every Tues and Thurs from 10am-noon in the gymnasium.  And it’s FREE!  During Tot Time they put out large play mats, toddler slides, tot bikes, recreational equipment, and other fun toys for the kids to play with.  This is a fantastic place to bring the kids on a cold, rainy, or extremely hot day to burn off some energy.  Ashley crawled all over the gym and played with every toy.  She even tried going up the slides, slide first and crawled through the tunnels and played with the other tots. Tot time is a fantastic play option for the winter months, especially for the non-walkers!

There are several different Tot Times going on throughout the week allowing you to hop around to different places.  Here’s the schedule starting in Jan 2012. I know where we’ll be in the winter months!

  • Mon from 10:30am-noon: Glen Eden Park
  • Mon/Wed from 10:30am-12:30pm: Millbrook Exchange
  • Mon/Wed from 10am-1pm: Tarboro Rd Community Center
  • Tues/Thurs from 10:15am-12:15pm: Laurel Hills Community Center
  • Tues/Thurs from 10am-noon: Green Rd Community Center
  • Wed from 9:30-11:30am: Lake Lynn Community Center
  • Wed from 10-noon: Barwell Rd Community Center
  • Wed/Fri from 10:30am-noon: Optimist Community Center

Thumbs up: play equipment, large open space, FREE admission, indoor options for bad weather

Thumbs down: nothing to report

Walnut St Park

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On the ninth day of Raleigh Parks Christmas, we headed out to Cary with my friend, Kristina, and her daughter, Lucy to visit Walnut St Park.  Wow, what a great park for crawlers and cruisers!  Besides the large open spongy surface, there are tot swings, a jungle gym with smaller slides, and an area with balance beams and climbing structures that proved to be so exciting for the non-walkers!

Walnut St Park is run by the Town of Cary and is located at 1420 Walnut St, not far from Cary Crossroads shopping center.  Not a surprise, but the main entrance sign is easy to miss when driving on Walnut St, so look for the cross-street of Nottingham Dr.

This park has both a tot play area and an older kid play area that are both very close to each other.  Both playgrounds are covered in the spongy surface with the exception of the small sandbox with diggers in the tot area.  There are swings, jungle gyms, and a small pavilion in each playground area.  The older kid playground also has some amazing climbing structures that were very popular.

If you’re looking to take the dogs on a walk or stroll the kids around, this park has a great paved walking trail.  According to the information sign, 2.5 loops around = 1 mile.  While walking around the trail, you’ll see many birdhouses, an area dubbed the wetlands, a natural mulch walking trail, and a large 1.5 acre open recreational space.  There are many benches scattered throughout the trail and a few picnic tables near the large open field area.  Don’t forget to check out the fancy brick “imaginary garden” promenade that cuts through part of the loop.  Check out the Town of Cary’s website for information about future phases of the park, which include adding a basketball court.

So, I know I can’t say it enough, but the Town of Cary does a great job with creating playgrounds with the spongy surface, which is so nice for the really small crawlers and cruisers!  Ashley and Lucy had a fantastic time roaming through the climbing structures, swinging on the tot swings, crawling from one end of the playground to the other, all the while trying to sneak a taste of the nearby mulch chips!  This would be a great park to bring your lunch followed by a romp around the playground.

Thumbs up: playground, walking trail, tot area, nearby pavilions

Thumbs down: somewhat hard to see entrance sign from Walnut St