Month: December 2015

2015 Holidays in the Parks

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IMG_3193With school out for a few weeks over the holidays are you looking for some activities to keep the kids entertained?  Or do you need last minute gift ideas? Check the Leisure Ledger and gift a loved one an experience! From crafts, games, movies and nature hikes, the local parks have fun activities for all ages!  Here’s a list of several indoor and outdoor programs sure to keep the kids busy (and the parents sane) that are happening across different parks through New Years.

City of Raleigh programs (contact local park to register or register online through RecLink)

  • Holly Holidays at Optimist Community Center – Fri, Dec 11 or Sat, Dec 12 at 12:30pm; ages 3-5; make a craft or edible creation; $6 per class; registration is almost full
  • Calling for Owls at Annie Wilkerson Nature Preserve – Sat, Dec 12 at 4pm; ages 3-5; read a story, make a craft and try to call the owls; $3; registration is almost full
  • Holiday Gifts from Nature at Durant Nature Preserve – Sat., Dec 12 from 2-4pm; ages 6+; make a creative gift from items found in nature and sip hot chocolate; $5
  • Holiday Tours at Mordecai – several tour times starting at 5pm on Sat., Dec 12; all ages; take a guided lantern tour through the Mordecai house and grounds to see how the holidays would have been celebrated in the past; $5
  • Kritter Kids at Lake Johnson – several Tuesdays starting Dec. 15 from 4-5pm; ages 4-9; play a game, make a craft and try to spot a different animal in the wild; different theme each week; $5
  • Creative Crafts throughout the Holidays at Hill Street Center – Wed, Dec 16 at 5pm; ages 5-12; make a fun holiday-themed craft; FREE; registration is required
  • Cool Artsy Crafts at Sanderford Road Park – Thurs, Dec 17 at 5:30pm; ages 5-14; enjoy a cool arts and craft experience; FREE; registration is required
  • Ornament Decorating at Pullen Arts Center – Fri., Dec 18 from 5-7pm; ages 5-11; drop the kids off for a fun evening of ornament making and decorating; $10; registration is almost full
  • Santa’s Night Out at Marsh Creek Park – Fri., Dec 18 from 6-9pm; ages 5-12; monthly program with a Santa theme for December including crafts, games, snacks and a movie; $20
  • Snacks with Santa at Chavis Park – Sat., Dec 19 from 10:30am-12pm; ages 1-12; enjoy games, arts and crafts, and take a photo with Santa; FREE; bring two non-perishable food items as donation
  • Kidz Crafty Cooking at Chavis Park – Tues., Dec 22 from 6-7pm; ages 5-8; celebrate the month of December by cooking a tasty treat; $5
  • New Year’s Day Hikes – jumpstart your New Year with a guided nature walk of about 1 mile at one of the following parks:
    • 10-11am at Durant Nature Preserve, Horseshoe Farm Nature Preserve or Annie Wilkerson Nature Preserve
  • Friday Night Movie at Lions Park – several Fridays beginning Jan 1; ages 2+; enjoy a family-friendly movie along with popcorn and drinks; $1.50

IMG_3292Wake County Parks

  • Winter Wrap-Up at Crowder District Park – Sun., Dec 13 from 2-3pm; all ages; join a naturalist and identify animal tracks, explore conifers, drink pine needle tea and do a science experiment; $3/individual, $5/family
  • Night Tree & Wildlife Treat Creation at Harris Lake County Park – Fri., Dec 18 from 3:30-5pm; enjoy a reading of Night Tree by Eve Bunting followed by making tasty treats for your backyard friends; all ages; $8/family
  • Wagon Ride & Cocoa with Santa at Harris Lake County Park – Sat., Dec 20 from 1-2:15pm; enjoy a wagon ride while singing Christmas carols and enjoying hot cocoa with Santa; all ages; $10/family
  • Crafts & More for Kids at Harris Lake County Park – Mon., Dec 21 from 10am-2pm; kids will enjoy hikes, crafts, and games for 4 hours while you run errands and do last-minute shopping; $16; send lunch and water
  • Fossil Fundamentals at Blue Jay County Park – Wed., Dec 30 from 2-3pm; ages 5+; learn about fossils and how to start a collection; $3/individual, $5/family
  • New Year Celebrations at Historic Yates Mill County Park – Sat., Jan 1 from 11am-12pm; all ages; learn about New Year traditions around the world and create a Chinese New Year
    lantern to take home; $3/individual, $5/family

img_4946NC Parks

First Day Hikes at NC State Parks – enjoy a guided hike (at varying levels) or explore a park on your own; here are some highlights of guided hikes in the nearby state parks

  • William Umstead Park – meet at the Reedy Creek side of the park at Loblolly trailhead for a photography-focused hike at 8am
  • Jordan Lake State Park – meet at New Hope Overlook for a challenging hike along the 2.7 mile Blue Loop Trail at 10am or meet at Seaforth Recreation Area for a 1.25 mile gentle hike along Pond Trail at 3pm
  • Falls Lake State Park – join a park ranger at Rolling View Recreation Area for a guided .75 mile hike and scavenger hunt; hikes will start at 10am, 11am, 1pm and 2pm; check out our 2015 First Day Hike
  • Raven Rock State Park – join a park ranger for a 2.5 mile hike to Raven Rock at 1pm
  • Carvers Creek State Park – at 1pm choose either a 1 mile Hansel and Gretal hike, a 2 mile nature hike through the Longleaf pine ecosystem or a 3 mile history hike
  • Eno River State Park – meet at the Fews Ford Access for either a 2 mile or 4 mile hike at 2pm

NC Art Museum

Horseshoe Farm Nature Preserve

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IMG_2812One Sunday morning at the end of October I took the girls to the newly opened Horseshoe Farm Nature Preserve.  The park is located at 2900 Horse Shoe Farm Rd in Northeast Raleigh and contains about 146 acres of property on an oxbow of the Neuse River.  The city purchased the property in 1994 as a future park site, and it is now being developed in multiple stages.  According to the city’s website, Phase I development included improvements to the entrance drive and dam, parking, signage, soft surface walking trails, connection to Neuse River Greenway, picnic shelter and restroom facility. Future phases include developing an educational center, playground, amphitheater, and canoe launch while promoting sustainability and enhancing the land’s natural characteristics.  We’ve been keeping an eye on this park ever since we explored the nearby Neuse River Trail so it’s nice to connect to a nature preserve along the greenway!

IMG_2819After parking in the main parking lot, we headed toward the large pavilion and then to the large open space to run and kick the ball around.  Down from the large pavilion is an old red farm house  and white picket fence leading to a rustic barn, all perfect for an outdoor photo op (which we witnessed while there).  In looking at future phases, the farm house looks to be used for the education/art center.

Hoping to take advantage of energetic little ones we kicked the ball across the field to the other side of the tree line in hopes of finding the nature trail.  Luckily I looked at the park’s website before coming out to the park to know a 0.5 mile natural walking trail runs along the tree line in a horseshoe shape.  There were no signs within the park indicating such trail exists, but that’s probably because of the park’s infancy.  So we headed to the tree line where you can barely make out the river through the woods and started our short walk.  The girls really got into collecting berries and learning about plants in nature this fall so they really enjoyed this walk.  Along our way we saw lots of berries, colorful leaves, tall and fuzzy grasslands, pine cones, moss, and sticks.  The main parking lot and large open fields aren’t visible from a few sections of the path, but for the most part you can see the whole park from anywhere.  The path horseshoed around toward the old farm house and barn where we saw a one year old’s cake smashing photo session going on, which was a lot of fun!  The photo op motivated me take a few pics of the girls under the beautiful maple trees, which were just starting to show their color.  I had to bribe them with the promise of chocolate once we got home!

IMG_2843After our walk we rested under the pavilion with snacks and water and then used the compost restroom facilities before heading home.  I look forward to coming back to this park over the years to see new developments and to hopefully better time the changing of the colors of the leaves.  Check out their list of upcoming park programs including a New Year’s Day 2016 Hike!

Thumbs up: connection to the greenway, open land for endless running and playing, easy 0.5 mile nature trail, future park developments, photo opportunities, compost restrooms, native landscaping

Thumbs down: lack of signage about nature trail inside park

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