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)

Halifax Park

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I thought our park visits would cease to exist this winter, but we’ve been so lucky with all the cool, sun-filled days that we’ve been able to keep exploring.  Yesterday we visited Halifax Park near Peace College and Seaboard Station.  It’s located at 1015 Halifax St, just north of Peace St and close to the Raleigh Housing Authority.

Halifax Park is a neighborhood park that has a small playground area, large multipurpose field, outdoor basketball courts, and a community center.  The community center has a weight room, gym, and a few meeting rooms.  The playground has a sandy surface with a few swings and a large jungle gym suitable for children 5yrs+.  The playground and the outdoor basketball courts are in need of some TLC, which is planned to begin later this year.  The large multi-purpose field is fenced and has soccer goals, lacrosse goals, bleachers, and a back stop.

Lucky for us, we visited the park before construction begins later this year on improvements to the community center and playground.  The Raleigh Parks & Rec department will work with the Raleigh Housing Authority and nearby citizens to ensure the recreational needs of the community are met. According to the City of Raleigh’s Planning and Development website, this project is currently in the design stage with construction beginning this year and completing next summer. The improvements to this park are being funded through the approval of the 2007 Bond Referendum.

We’re excited to check back on the status of Halifax Park as it makes its transformation.  Lucky for the residents in the area, Mordecai Mini Park is close by.

Thumbs up: large multi-purpose field, upcoming improvements, shady picnic spots, close proximity to many neighborhoods (Capitol Park, Pilot Mill, Mordecai)

Thumbs down: small playground area limited to mostly older children, old community center

Pullen Aquatic Center

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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.

Looking for a place in the Creative District to swim laps, practice your diving skills, or splash with the kiddies in the wintertime?

Visit the indoor facilities at Pullen Aquatic Center. The center is located at 410 Ashe Ave, just North of the newly renovated Pullen Park.

There is a large 50 meter x 25 meter Olympic-size swimming pool, a warm-water teaching pool, overhead balcony for spectators, nearby bleachers, diving boards, and large locker room areas.  The large swimming pool area has about a dozen lap lanes set up with varying availability.  In addition to lap swimming, you can also sign up for water exercises, the swim league, swimming lessons, and more.

The warm-water teaching pool is perfect for taking the kiddies in during the cold winter months.  The shallow area has a gentle incline that eventually reaches to 4ft deep on the far side.  We visited on a popular Friday morning when the warm-water pool opens at 9am for public use.  Rafts aren’t allowed in the pools, but they do have life vests available.

Even though the locker room area and pool deck are showing their age, this is still a great place to play in the wintertime.  Whether swimming for exercise or play, you’ll enjoy your time at Pullen Aquatic Center.  Be sure to check the prices and hours before making your next visit.

Thumbs up: warm-water pool, number of lap lanes available, convenient pool hours

Thumbs down: aging of the locker room area and pool deck

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

Greystone Recreation Center

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With the weather being rainy on the 10th day of Raleigh Parks Christmas, we headed to an indoor park (yes, that’s correct) in North Raleigh.  We visited Greystone Recreation Center at 7713 Leadmine Rd in the Greystone Village Shopping Center.

Greystone Rec Center has a unique indoor playground area with several different climbing structures that are all intertwined. There’s a giant rope spider web, holes suspended by rope to climb through, nature rocks, and spinners.  The back wall has been turned into a great climbing wall.  The playground area sits atop the spongy surface, which is mostly green in color except for the blue “river” that runs through the playground.

This indoor playground is mostly designed for kids ages 5-12 years old, but there were plenty of kids ages 2 and up enjoying the playground too.  I was clearly the one with the youngest baby and the staff didn’t say anything to me about her age.  We mostly hung out near one of the corners by the rock wall, cruised along the rock wall, crawled on the ground, and tried to stay out of the way of the older kids.  Ashley was also pretty entertained by the paintings on the wall too.  The playground hours are 9-11am and 12:30-5pm Mon-Fri and 9-noon on Saturday.

This indoor park also has several benches along the wall, vending machines, and nice restrooms.  Greystone Rec Center also has several programs for people of all ages going on throughout the year.  Here are a few coming up:

  • Jan 10-Feb 2: Mom and Tots Leap into Learning (ages 20-24months, Tues/Thurs, 9:15-10am, $35)
  • Jan 12-26: Dance-Twinkle Toes I (ages 2-3yrs, Thurs, 11:20-12:15, $40)
  • Jan 12-26: Tumbling Tinies (ages 9-24months, Thurs, 9:30-10:15am, $40)
  • Jan 12-Feb 2: Math Madness (ages 3-5yrs, Thurs, 2-3pm, $40)
  • Jan-Apr: Mahjongg Open Play (adults, Mon, 2-4pm, FREE)
  • Jan-Apr: Bingo (adults, 1st & 3rd Tues, 2-3pm, $1)
  • Jan-Apr: Senior Fitness (Mon/Fri, 10-10:45am, $15/month)

Thumbs up: unique indoor play area, rock wall, community center programs

Thumbs down: indoor playground is small and gets easily crowded on popular days, unattractive shopping center setting

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

Mordecai Mini Park

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On the Eighth Day of Raleigh Parks Christmas we visited Mordecai Mini Park in the Mordecai neighborhood. I absolutely love this neighborhood with the architecture of the homes, great walkability, and proximity to Seaboard Station, but I digress!

Mordecai Mini Park is located at 1122 N. Blount St just west of Person St and close to Peace College.  Parking is only available on the street and sidewalks are available for walking from the nearby neighborhoods.

Some of the best features of this park are that it’s completely fenced in with gated entrances and kids of all ages can play at this park.  The tot playground area has tot swings, sidewalk games, benches, and several climbing structures.  Just up the hill from the tot area is the older kid playground area with more swings and a large jungle gym with slides and climbing structures.

Scattered throughout the park are large bird houses and benches.  A nice feature to this park is the deck with picnic tables in between the different playground areas.  It allows parents to keep an eye on their kids regardless of where they are inside the park.  In talking with a mom at the park today, she mentioned this is a very popular park after work in the warmer months.  At any given day you’re bound to find it full with neighborhood kids and their parents.

Thumbs up: neighborhood park, fenced-in area, walkability, multiple age playgrounds

Thumbs down: nothing to report