Williams Park

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Williams Park is a bustling playground in the center of North Raleigh adjacent to Lynn Road Elementary School.  It is located at 1525 Lynn Road and some of the photos are from when Ashley was much younger and some are from this Spring.  As you can see, having a friend to climb through tunnels with, chase through the soccer field, and swing with is the best way to spend an early Spring afternoon!
In addition to the large playground area (complete with shady canopies), Williams Park has a large open field with soccer goals surrounded by a short walking path, tot swings, sand volleyball courts, youth swings, tennis courts, a large shelter area, and some shaded sitting areas.  The playground surface is made of wood chips and sand.  The playground areas are a series of small climbing structures with slides that are connected by monkey bars.  For younger ones, that means lots of repetitive trips down the same slides or that they’ll need your help getting to the other play areas.  Since Ashley was just beginning to climb ladders at this time, she needed my help getting up to the higher slides too.

If you take a walk along the trail at the park, you’ll find a small plaque memorializing the park to Peter P. Williams Jr.  According to a News & Observer article, his father donated the land for the park in honor of his son.  I always enjoy when I can find some tidbits on the history of a park!

Thumbs up: great shade, close parent-sitting areas throughout the playground

Thumbs down: I’ve been here in the past and seen where drainage can be an issue

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Easter Adventures & Chatham Manor in Fredericksburg

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Easter was an especially exciting time this year because my lil’ brother and sis-in-law welcomed their new baby girl, Emma Caroline, on March 27!  I drove up to Virginia with Ashley to help in anyway I could and to steal some newborn kisses and snuggle time.  Here are some fun photos of baby Emma and Easter:

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While we were visiting VA, we found some time to head into downtown Fredericksburg and explore Chatham Manor, which is part of the National Park Service and served as a Union headquarters and hospital during the Battle of Fredericksburg in the Civil War.  Chatham Manor is a gorgeous Georgian mansion located at 120 Chatham Ln that overlooks the Rappahannock River.  It was built in 1771 by William Pitzhugh and named after William Pitt, the Earl of Chatham.  Chatham Manor was a thriving plantation and home to several owners and famous guests (Washington, Lee, Lincoln, Clara Barton, Walt Whitman) over the years.  Unfortunately, wartime caused much destruction to the house and grounds and it sat in much disrepair until Helen and Daniel Devore began restoration in the 1920s.  In 1931, John Lee Pratt purchased the home and willed it to the National Park Service in 1975.  Read more about the history of Chatham Manor here.

img_2900Today, Chatham Manor and its grounds are still beautiful and a symbol of the South.  The entrance through the gardens is surrounded by a large brick wall.  We visited at the beginning of Virginia’s spring season so the gardens were popping with daffodils.  Other than the main house, there is a fish pond, kitchen, dairy barn, and greenhouse.  The main house has exhibits that are open to visitors (our little visitor was not interested in walking through the house that day) but the other structures on the property are not open to the public.  The back of the property overlooks the river, providing gorgeous views of downtown Fredericksburg.  You can also see a replica cannon and pontoon bridge, similar to what General Burnside’s Union army used to cross the river in 1862.

Having not visited a Fredericksburg-area historical site since an elementary school field trip to Ferry Farm, I can’t wait to return and explore the other nearby battlefield areas with Baby Emma, Ashley and other future little ones.

Thumbs up: rich history in Fredericksburg, gorgeous views, gardens

Thumbs down: nothing to report

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Historic Oak View County Park Egg Hunt & More

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About a month ago we visited Historic Oak View County Park for an Easter Egg Hunt with our Stroller Strides friends.  Lucky for the group, the weather held off until after our event and we had a great morning of eating breakfast treats, hunting eggs, feeding goats, and running around like maniacs.  Renting the Bluebird Shelter was a great idea and such a great spot for nearby egg hunting and visiting with the goats.

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After the egg hunt, we quickly explored some of the areas that we hadn’t seen much of during our last visit: the large barn, Carya shelter, restoration of the Tenant House, the pecan grove, and the Farm History Center.  The barn has several interactive exhibits for little ones to learn about farm animals and is the home to the Nubian goats.  The Carya shelter has four picnic tables and a nearby charcoal grill.  The Tenant House restoration project began in September 2012 to help tell the history of tenancy and its role in North Carolina’s agricultural past.  The pecan grove was planted in the early 1900s to diversify the crops on the farm and even though it has suffered major damage over the years due to weather it is a beautiful site.  The Farm History Center is a non-historic building at the park that has several NC agricultural exhibits, restrooms, a place to rest, and the super interactive Farmer’s Corner for kids.

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Oak View County Park also has a temporary exhibit, “Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War” that will be on display until May 26 that I hope to check out.  To see our previous post about Oak View County Park, visit here.  For more information about programs and visiting Oak View County Park, visit the Wake County website.

Thumbs up: rotating exhibits, Farmer’s Corner, visiting with the goats

Thumbs down: lots of geese (and geese poop) near the pond (don’t feed the geese!)

 

Shelley Lake Playground

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img_2656With our weekly trips (if not more frequent) to Shelley Lake for Stroller Strides classes, I finally took pictures of the playground area.  Shelley Park is conveniently located in central North Raleigh at 1400 W Millbrook Rd.  There are two entrances on Millbrook Road – one large parking lot near the Sertoma Arts Center/playground and the other just down the street with a smaller parking lot for jumping right on the walking trail around Shelley Lake.  To reach the playground, park in the Sertoma Arts Center parking lot and walk down the paved trail where you’ll see the playground on the right.

The playground area is rather large with separate jungle gyms for ages 2-5 and 5-12 that are covered with wood chips.  The tot playground has several slides, a few climbing structures, and nearby teeter totters in the sandy area.  The youth playground has a climbing wall, steeper slides, a suspension bridge, an enclosed slide, and several climbing structures.  There are also four tot swings and four regular swings in the large sandy areas.

Other than the playground the park has picnic tables, basketball courts, a walking/running trail around the lake, and an arts center with lots of programs for people of all ages.  Ashley took a Mini Monet art class when she was about 18 months old and had a great time – while there wasn’t a lot of painting, it was a great introductory class to colors, shapes, sensory objects and following directions!

As most parks indicate, please lock and hide all valuables or take them with you – I have a friend whose car was broken into at this park.

Thumbs up: tons of picnic tables, suspension bridge on large jungle gym, shady, variety of slides

Thumbs down: not much for non-walking kids to play on, frequent trash around basketball courts (c’mon folks, throw your trash away in the nearby trashcans)

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Buffaloe Rd Aquatic Center

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img_3259A few months ago we headed to the Buffaloe Road Aquatic Center for a birthday party of one of Ashley’s friends.  I’ve been wanting to take Ashley here all winter and couldn’t wait to take her and celebrate with friends.  Having not been in an indoor pool much this winter, I knew Ashley would act like a maniac and she did not disappoint!

The aquatic center is located near the back of the Buffaloe Road Athletic Park at 5908 Buffaloe Rd in northeast Raleigh.  There was plenty of parking on this cold January day with several oversized spots for large buses.  After arriving in the lobby area, we went to the new changing rooms, which had plenty of space for getting littles one changed.  The family bathrooms (two of them!) were also very spacious with showers and oversized benches, perfect for keeping bags and clothes from getting wet.  Lockers are located outside the changing room areas on the pool deck.

The pool contains several different areas with something for everyone: zero-depth entry tot area with slide, water buckets and sprayers; open play area with water basketball; lazy river with water vortex; three-story water slide (height req = 42 in); lap swimming/water volleyball area.  For a 22 month old, Ashley’s favorite places to play were on the tot slide, walking along the bench in the open play area, and playing with the water basketball (even though she was way too short to make the basket).  Being a maniac on outdoor playground slides, she easily transitioned her “no fear” mentality to the water tot slide and even screamed to try the big slide.  The big slide does not allow children to ride with parents and all riders must be at least 42 inches high.  Feeling the need to experience the big slide, I rode it and was surprised at how fast I went.  I realized how it justified the height requirement and was secretly glad Ashley couldn’t ride it yet.

After some water play time, all the kids gathered in the party room area to celebrate Kennedy’s 3rd birthday.  The private party area has several tables, chairs, and a sink for use.  As you can see in the pictures, all the kids had a great time scarfing down the cupcakes.

Thumbs up: unique water play areas, tot area, lazy river

Thumbs down: trying to reason with your 22 month old why she can’t go down the big slide 🙁

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Garner Groundhog Day 2013 @ White Deer Park

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img_2612A few months ago we ventured south to Garner, NC to take in our first Groundhog Day celebration!  And, what a unique celebration it was!  I don’t think I’d ever seen so many different and unusual things to do at one town park at the same time.  We did everything from visit with rescued birds, pet reptiles and amphibians, play on the natural playground, watch local mascots compete in a dance competition, and cheer on the release of rehabilitated hawks.  Due to a hungry and restless child and husband we left before Mortimer the Groundhog made his prediction about the spring weather.  Based on the actual weather from the past several weeks, we all know the winter weather stuck around far too long this year!

White Deer Park is located at 2400 Aversboro Rd in Garner.  This park features a nature center, playground, pavilions, large open field, and paved walking trails.  Visit the Town of Garner website for more information about this park.

Thumbs up: unique community event, variety of animals on display, family-friendly event, natural playground area, dancing mascots (best part)

Thumbs down: lack of food/drink vendors

Here are some pictures from our adventures that morning at White Deer Park:

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Cedar Hills Park & Fun News

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img_3087A few months ago Ashley and I explored Cedar Hills Park, just a fews minutes from our new neighborhood.  Cedar Hills is located in North Raleigh at 5600 Sweetbriar St , which is the main entrance to access the playground, tennis courts, basketball courts and pavilion.  There are also entrances at Rosehaven Dr and from Spring Forest Rd but those provide easier access to the softball fields.  The frisbee golf course is accessible from all entrances, with hole #18 located near the main entrance.

After following the park signs from Millbrook Rd, we arrived at the Rosehaven Dr entrance, unsure how to get to the playgrounds.  The lack of signs made it difficult to figure out where we should go, so we got back in the car, broke out the iPhone and eventually arrived at the Sweetbriar entrance to play on the playground.

img_3091The playground has a wood chip base with a small sandbox play area.  There are two playgrounds – one for tots and one for the older kids.  Cedar Hills also has plenty of swings for everyone – four tot swings and four big kid swings.  There are a few benches along the perimeter of the playground.  Adjacent to the playground are the tennis courts, complete with a backboard for single play.  The basketball courts are also nearby.  The park sits amongst a dense forest, which is a great backdrop for the 18-hole frisbee golf course.  Each time we’ve visited this park, the playground has been rather empty while the frisbee golf has been pretty busy.

We’ll have many reasons to visit this park for years to come especially since we’ll be welcoming baby #2 this summer!  I had my 20 week check-up today and baby Montgomery is happy and healthy and looking forward to surprising his or herself on or around July 14th!  Bring on the hot and humid North Carolina summer!

Thumbs up: playground area, shady spots, tennis courts, swings

Thumbs down: lack of signs to other park features

 

 

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NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island

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img_1973Another part of our Nags Head vacation involved a rainy day trip to the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island.  The aquarium is about 10-15 minutes from south Nags Head and is located near Dare Co airport on the northern side of Roanoke Island at 374 Airport Rd. Manteo, NC 27954.  Everyone joined us on this fun adventure, which proved to be a great time, even for the over 1-year old crew.  Being that it was a Sunday and after Labor Day, the crowds were small and we were able to walk briskly through the museum in about an hour.  The NC aquariums are a division of the  North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources and with admission fees of $8 for adults and free for kids under 2, it was a great deal for a rainy day event.

We started off checking out the inhabitants of the freshwater creeks and rivers, which included various fish, otters, alligators, and turtles.  Ashley was completely in awe of all these animals.  We then headed into the saltwater exhibits where the variety of animals exploded!  We saw dozens of fish, horseshoe crabs, stingrays (which you can touch), sea turtles (complete with an entire rescue exhibit), an octopus, sea urchins and so much more! One of the coolest exhibits was the stingray tank where you can lean over and feel the ray’s backs as they scoot around.

img_1992After the saltwater exhibits, we visited the 285,000 gallon, 81 degree Deep Ocean tank!  This fish tank is home to several different species of fish and sharks, including sand tiger sharks, sandbar sharks, nurse sharks and more!  We happened to arrive at the perfect time when a diver was swimming with the sharks and answering questions from the audience.  In addition to this program, there are several other interesting programs the aquarium offers.

After the Deep Ocean exhibit, we hit up the museum store to buy some fun souvenirs and then headed outside to explore the fossil hunt exhibit and take some fun pics on the sea turtle statues.  The aquarium overlooks the Croatan Sound, which would make a great picnic spot on a nice day.  There is also a small vendor on-site with food and drink options.  However, we headed back into Manteo to admire the docked boats and then to enjoy delicious beers and lunch at Full Moon Cafe & Brewery.  The food and atmosphere were the perfect combination for this first vacation day!

For photos of downtown Manteo near the water, check out my old post on Roanoke Island.

Thumbs up: variety of fish and animals at aquarium, diving with the sharks program, beautiful views of sound, lunch/beers at Full Moon Cafe & Brewery

Thumbs down: nothing to report

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Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

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img_2050So, last September (yes, I’m super slack) we headed on our annual trip to Nags Head with family and friends.  This trip was super special because my aunt, who used to live in Charlottesville and now lives in CA, made a trip back east to spend the week with us.  Being that she used to be the one taking us on adventures to the beach when we were young it was nice to experience it with her again.

Since an 18 month old has a “beach” attention span of two entire hours, we realized we needed some other daytime activities to keep her occupied.  And, being that the last time I visited Hatteras was in 1989 when my family vacationed there before being evacuated due to Hurricane Hugo, it seemed a good time to explore the area again.

Driving south on NC 12 with the telephone poles and beach immediately to the east and marsh to the west brought back old memories of taking that trip with my family in our Dodge Caravan.  Luckily, Hatteras is only about 45 minutes from Nags Head, not the grueling six hours I remember when coming from VA.

After passing through all the small towns and coming into Hatteras we headed to the Cape Hatteras National Light Station and then the seashore nearby.  With this area once being nicknamed the “Graveyard of the Atlantic” it’s easy to imagine the importance of lighthouses for ships in the 1800s and 1900s.  The first Cape Hatteras lighthouse was constructed in 1803, but due to poor design and ineffectiveness a new lighthouse with the current black and white paint pattern was built in 1870.  The history of the lighthouse is vast, but since then it’s been a victim of sand erosion (compare being 1500ft from the shoreline in 1893 to just 70ft from the shoreline in 1980) and despite best efforts to “control” the erosion, the lighthouse was moved inland about 1500ft from the ocean in 1999.

img_2065The lighthouse is operated by the National Park Service and open to the public for walking tours during the summer months so for only $7 I climbed the 240+ spiral staircase steps while Bill and Ashley scoped out the grounds and toured the light keeper’s quarters.  As you can imagine, the stairway in the lighthouse is very narrow and rather steep, making two-way traffic crowded.  At each “floor” there is a landing pad to rest with windows providing great views.  But, the real views are when you get to the top of the lighthouse and skirt along the balcony.  The railing is about 4ft high, allowing for great picture taking and breath-taking views for miles, which reminded me of views from the top of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.  The park ranger at the top was helpful in answering questions and pointing out the old location of the lighthouse.

After leaving the lighthouse, we headed over to the beach access nearby to let Ashley out to play in the water.  The beach around Hatteras is much quieter and seemed to have much softer sand than at Nags Head.  In general, the area is fit for folks looking for a quieter beach trip.  On this particular day we thoroughly enjoyed the calmness of the beach and watching the shore fishing (especially the friendly guy who brought over his latest catch for Ashley to touch)!  In all, the Cape Hatteras trip was a perfect half-day trip and provided fun memories for our little growing family!

Thumbs up: Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, beautiful views, beach, quietness, peaceful drive through small towns

Thumbs down: Burger Burger in Hatteras was less than desirable for lunch

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Green Road Park

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img_3195This week we took advantage of the gorgeous Monday weather and headed over to Green Road Park before meeting a friend for lunch.  Green Road is a large, open park with very nice amenities.  It is located at 4201 Green Road between Wake Forest Rd and Capital Blvd.  It has a large community center, two baseball fields, six sand volleyball courts, two basketball courts, four tennis courts with a backboard for individual play, a pavilion, and a large playground area with nearby restrooms.  We didn’t have a chance to visit the community center, but the City of Raleigh website notes it has two multi-purpose rooms, two gyms (air conditioned and non-air conditioned), dance room, fitness room, and bathrooms.

The playground area is designed for kids ages 5-12.  Sometimes the little ones are still able to play on the age 5-12 playgrounds, but this one was quite challenging for Ashley.  The slides are rather steep and the tunnel up  to the slides is also steep, making it a perfect climbing structure for the older kids.  The playground also has a variety of monkey bars, rock climbing walls, two swings and a small sandy area.  Adjacent to the playground is a large, shady spot with several picnic tables, which would be a great spot for a lunch with the little ones!

Don’t forget to get involved with the park system planning in Raleigh!  On Thursday, January 10 from 6:30pm-8:30pm at Green Rd Community Center there is a a meeting to discuss park needs and priorities.

Thumbs up: picnic spots, great condition of tennis courts, baseball spectator seating has nice wooden benches and brick walkways, convenient pathways to all the park amenities

Thumbs down: seeing a police officer question an older gentleman at the playground (kinda strange situation)

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