Fredericksburg’s Best: Parks Edition

The leaves may be turning red and gold but there are still a few nice weekends left to take a leisurely walk through our local parks and let the kiddos run wild on the playground! Luckily for you, we’ve done the hard work of picking out the most fun playgrounds, most unique recreation areas and overall best parks in the area! Our picks were chosen because of their unique amenities, awesome playground equipment, convenient bathrooms and adjacent sports fields! These aren’t ranked but if you want to go test out how cool each of these parks are, be our guest and report back!

1. Curtis Memorial Park in Stafford is perfect for your more adventurous excursions! It’s a beautiful wooded park with the usual nature trails, picnic shelters, baseball diamond, playground, volleyball and tennis courts, but it’s also got a SKATE PARK!! as well as an Olympic-size swimming pool and wading pool with water umbrella for children. Check out the 91-acre fishing lake and 18-hole public golf course while you’re there!

2. Kenmore Park is in the heart of downtown Fredericksburg, on the corner of Kenmore Ave and Mary Ball Street. There’s something for the whole family here with 8 tennis courts, a tennis practice wall, basketball court, soccer field, children’s play equipment, and a toddler play area. It’s also within walking distance to the City Dog Park and the Canal Path, which is a shady, paved path perfect for strollers!
3. Old Mill Park is another awesome downtown Fredericksburg park, right on Caroline Street! If you’re looking for scenic views of the Rappahannock while you play on the soccer field, Old Mill Park is for you! It has convenient restrooms, playground equipment, and picnic shelters for when you’ve had enough exercise. You might notice a few old buildings near the park—the “Old Mill District” still contains a few structures related to the area’s once prominent mill industry, like the old Myers and Brulle’s Germania Flour Mill. There are QR codes along this trail with links to informational pages, if you’re interested in the history of the area!
4. Alum Spring Park is Fredericksburg’s best-kept secret located at the end of Greenbrier Drive! It is wooded so it stays cool even on the hottest days, has a fitness trail, a renovated picnic shelter, picnic tables, restrooms, grills, play equipment, and walking paths. These amenities are awesome but the park itself is actually really historic! Not only was the “alum spring water” supposed to have curative powers that almost turned Fredericksburg into a health resort, but the area was use
   d as a hospital during the Revolution and eventually a gristmill and a sawmill!   Find out more about the colorful history of Alum Spring Park!
5. Loriella Park is in Spotsylvania, just off Leavells Rd. This park takes advantage of its wide open spaces by featuring one of the area’s finest disc golf courses! Disc golf is easy to play and a cheap way to while away an afternoon! Loriella Park also has a public pool, baseball diamond, 2.9 miles of wooded trails, a shaded playground with infant swings, lighted tennis courts, a covered picnic area located next to the playground and restrooms.
6. Patriot Park is a massive park located right behind the Ron Rosner YMCA, in Spotsylvania. It has baseball diamonds, basketball courts, a 3.1 mile fitness trail, multi-purpose fields, a large enclosed playground with infant swings and a covered picnic area with restrooms. Not only does Patriot Park have all the usual bells and whistles, it also has a giant amphitheater where concerts are held during the summer!
7. Dixon Park is the City’s newest park, just a few minutes from the heart of downtown.  With 1.5 miles of walking trails, a big pool that’s super popular in the summer, playground equipment, multiple sports fields, restrooms and nature preserve areas, there’s plenty of room to roam! Make sure to snap a pic with the cool sculpture at the entrance—one of the many sculptures that just popped up all around Fredericksburg, thanks to the Fredericksburg Arts Commission’s new Public Sculpture project!
   

   The artist, David Boyajian, and “Dancing Milkweed IV”

Let us know if you have a favorite park that should be added to this list and what makes it so special!