Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Smarty Day Trip Series: Dan Nicholas Park
By Katie M
For all you Smarties who have friends in Charlotte, Dan Nicholas Park is the perfect place to meet for a picnic and day-out with the kids. Located right off I85 in Salisbury, it's an easy drive from anywhere in the Triad (about 30 minutes from WS or HP, and about 50 minutes from GSO), and it's also a great pit stop on your way back home from the Queen City.
Now as I write this post, I have to be honest and say it's been a few years since I've been to DNP, but I do remember our experience as being great! I think my daughter was about 2 years old when we went. On the flip side, Rachel H admits it's been a while since she's been there too, but she doesn't remember it being such a great outting - she thinks her son may have been too young. Regardless, we both have heard GREAT comments about DNP as recently as yesterday - plus we learned it's changed quite a bit since we've been - so I thought I'd share as much information I can about this park.
In a nutshell, this park has just about everything a kid would go nuts for: enormous playgrounds, a mini zoo, a carousel, a petting barn, a nature center, a mini train station, a gem mine, mini golf, paddle boats - plus two new attractions I did not get to experience when I was there: a water park and an aquarium! I remember my daughter just loving the train ride, carousel and mini-zoo. And when we were done with those attractions, we spent hours playing at the playgrounds.
The park does not charge a fee to visit, and just about every attraction is either free or under $2, except the gem mine which has bucket prices that range from $7 - $42.
Dan Nicholas Park also has 17 covered shelters with picnic tables and grills. But according to its web site, there is a charge for shelter and picnic tables on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and holidays. So if you do want to picnic with the kids, plan it during the week.
One thing I just recently learned is that the park has a huge lake and campground that surrounds the lake. There are six family cabins available to rent, along with 70camp sites you can reserve for tent camping. The lake offers fishing and duck feedings. You can get more details by calling its campground office at 704.216.7808.
Dan Nicholas Park is open from 8 am to 8 pm April - June, and from 8 am to 9 pm July - August.
Smarty mom friend, Barbie P, just emailed me about her experience at DNP the other weekend. Here's what she had to say:
"My play group thought it was great! We rode the carousel and the train. Everything was clean and the staff was very friendly and helpful. There are plenty of picnic areas and we even enjoyed the very small “zoo” they have on site. We were not too impressed with the “petting zoo” as there was nothing really for us to pet, but we still enjoyed seeing the barn animals. We did not play putt-putt since our kids are too young, but the play ground was fantastic! There’s something for all ages and our kids had a ball running from one piece of equipment to the next."
So, I highly encourage you check out this relatively unknown park that has so much to offer, and YOU decide if it's a great outting or not! I know that after writing this post, I'm ready to go back soon!
If you've been recently, please share any Smarty Tips, comments, or stories below!
3 comments:
OK, so I admit that I truly need to give this park another shot. I think my son was just too young when we went and there was not much for him to do aside from riding the train. I think the playground alone looks awesome, not to mention all the other cool things they have added! Thanks for the write-up, Katie!
This is a short drive from my house in High Point, so we go every so often just for a change of scenery. My kids enjoy the putt-putt and it is not very expensive to play. They also enjoy the lake.
C.B.
My son is 21 months old. We took him to DNP two weeks ago and he cried his eyes out after 4 hours of fun! This is our second trip there and we will continue to go back. It is a nice, inexpensive all day outing.
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