Favorite Parks - Greensboro Area

By By Rachel H and Guest Bloggers Emily H & Stephanie D

This is the first of our three-part series on Smarty Picks for favorite parks in the Triad! Today we have the favorite choices for Greensboro and the surrounding areas. It was difficult to narrow down, but these are our top ten choices. If you have a favorite to add, please do so! We hope that these choices will introduce you to new places to take your little ones. If you are in other areas of the Triad, we hope these lists can help you plan out some day trips to visit other areas! Click on the name of the park to find directions and additional information.

In no specific order:

1. The Bog Gardens
The Bog Garden is located behind Friendly Center and is like a nature preserve. It is just gorgeous! There is an elevated walkway that takes you through the grounds. There is no playground here, but it is perfect for a walk with your little one in the stroller. It is easy to keep kids contained who are walking beside you, too, because they can’t really veer off the trail. Smarty Tip: A mom friend let us know that park officials are now requesting that visitors not feed the geese and ducks.

2. Arboretum/Lindley Park
The arboretum is perfect for a bike ride since it has paved trails to follow, especially nice for those just learning since it is a relatively flat path. It is also a great spot for family portraits. If you are interested in plants and flowers, you will find all varieties labeled throughout the park, along with a map of where they are located. This area is a prime spot for bird watchers, too. A playground located in Lindley Park provides a fun stop along your walk. There is also a basketball court for shooting hoops. If baseball is your sport, you can take in a game most summer evenings and weekends at the ball fields just off Wendover Ave.

3. Bur-Mill Park
This park has everything your family could want! Picnic shelters, porches, a pool, a wildlife education center, golf course, tennis courts, and hiking trails are just a few of the fun things you will find here. They do have a playground and bathrooms, too! Can’t say enough about this fun place for an outing!

4. Guilford County National Military Park
Don’t let the name throw ya! As well as a visitor’s center with a live action theater and animated battle map program, this park has Battlefield Walking Trail, a 2.5 mile stretch that is wonderful for parents with strollers and/or dogs. For all you bikers out there, it is perfect for getting a ride in as well. The 28 monuments and statues are fascinating for adults and kids alike, especially for little folks with big imaginations! You can even give your older children a history lesson while getting some fresh air and exercise. There is a comfort station with nice bathrooms and water fountains at Tour Stop 6, and a couple historical facts worth a mention: Two signors of the Declaration of Independence are buried here, and Andrew Jackson lived on or near the grounds and practiced law at Guilford Courthouse.

5. Center City Park
Located in the heart of downtown Greensboro, this is a great place to meet friends for a picnic lunch, especially if they happen to work downtown. There are beautiful fountains and a stage where local groups often perform for the public. You will often see kids of all ages engaged in a game of catch or soccer in the ample grassy areas. Just watch out for those patrons trying to catch a quick nap on a sunny day! Good to know: There are bathrooms on site.

6. Hamilton Lakes Park
This is a private park that is great for a walk or jog with the kids. It is a huge favorite for bird-watchers. A playground is located at the northern end of the trail. Smarty Tip: There are no bathrooms here.

7. Johnson Park
This playground area is located behind Irving Park and Latham Park neighborhoods on Briarcliff Rd., which can be accessed from Wendover Ave. or Sunset Dr. If coming down Sunset, follow the golf course. Briarcliff Rd. is across from the small pond. Stay to the left, and Johnson Park will be ahead on your left. This park has it all – great playground equipment, a huge grass area for picnics and running, a concrete slab with basketball goals that works great for ride-on toys, and picnic tables. It is a perfect park if you have kids of different ages, because you can easily keep an eye on all of them while they are at different areas of the park. Smarty Tip: No bathrooms.

8. Bicentennial Gardens
These beautiful gardens are located right across Hobbs Rd. from the Bog Gardens. There is a multitude of shrubbery, trees, ground cover, greenery, and flowering plants. Also included on the grounds are a Wedding Gazebo, man-made stream, and a sensory garden to provide visitors with an interactive landscape experience. Worth a mention are the large grassy areas where kids can run off some of their boundless energy while moms take a break from pushing the stroller! Another bonus is that there are bathrooms on the premises!

9. Price Park
Since this park is next to the Kathleen Clay Library, it is a great way to spend your afternoon after you check out some new books! There are beautiful trails here, some paved, some rock. After your walk, it is great to share a picnic lunch under a shade tree near the library.

10. Triad Park
I have a feeling this one will pop up on our list for all three favorite parks blogs since it is in the middle of the Triad. It is located in Kernersville and is an easy drive from Greensboro, Winston or High Point. The pictures online really do not do this park justice! There are three playgrounds, rock climbing walls, tennis courts, picnic shelters, softball fields, sand volleyball, horseshoe pits, paved trails for biking and walking, soccer field, vendor area, very clean bathrooms, and a fishing pond! Smarty Tip: If you are meeting friends here, be sure to specify which playground! This park is huge and there are many options of places to meet. Our favorite one is to turn right after you enter and go all the way to the end of the road. Playground is on the left.

What did you think of this list? Are there other parks you'd like to mention? Can you add any Smarty Tips for visiting Greensboro-area parks?

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Posted by Triad Smarty Pants at 5:00 AM