5 Parks to Visit this Month

(Playground at Braemar Park pictured above)

Want to test your ninja warrior skills, see some unique wildlife from a beautiful boardwalk, or check out some of our new and improved playgrounds? Grab your coat, get outside and have some fun at these parks! Here are five parks we think you should visit this month. 

Locust Shade Park
At Locust Shade Park, no matter the time of year, you can be a ninja warrior, go mountain biking, fishing, or just enjoy the scenery at this beautiful park.

Bank fishing is available at our 8-acre pond at Locust Shade Park all year, weather permitting. Here you can enjoy fishing from the tree-lined banks of this secluded pond and will find native largemouth bass and bluegill. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries stocks channel catfish in the spring and trout between November and April. 

Want to hit the trails? The mountain bike trail at Locust Shade has been a popular one since it opened in 2021. Or try out our Warrior Challenge Course that lets visitors of all ages test their strength and endurance all while having a blast traversing the many obstacles along the way. The course features obstacles similar to those on the American Ninja Warrior television show including floating boards, sway & ninja steps, U-turn ramp, two-lane sprinting track and a warped wall.

Birchdale Community Center Playground
In case you missed it, the playground at Birchdale Community Center got a makeover last year! The new playground officially opened in last spring and features a large play structure for older children as well as a small tot play area for the little ones. Two new ADA accessible picnic shelters were also added, one located right next to the playground for convenience.

Birchdale also has basketball courts and a skate park. To learn more about its features, click here.

Braemar Park
Braemar Park also saw improvements in 2024 including a new paved parking lot, brand new playground, freshly paved and painted basketball courts and tennis courts, as well as the conversion of one tennis court to two pickleball courts. New fencing around the tennis, basketball and pickleball courts was also installed along with the construction of a new trail connecting the existing facilities.

Fairmont Park 
Last October, in partnership with KABOOM! and Amazon Web Services (AWS) InCommunities we celebrated the completion of a new kid-designed playspace at Fairmont Park. 224 volunteers came together to build the new playspace in Manassas which features a geo arch climber, wing glide slide, verticlimber, new park benches surrounding the park, and so much more. You have to see it to appreciate it!

Neabsco Regional Park 
Neabsco Park has so much to offer with plentiful nature encompassing 300 acres along with recreational and historic amenities. These amenities include Rippon Lodge Historic Site, Rippon Landing, the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, Julie J. Metz Neabsco Creek Wetlands Preserve and the popular Neabsco Creek Boardwalk, which sees thousands of visitors each year. Many come to the Boardwalk to bird watch or take in the other wildlife they can spot there such as beavers, muskrats, bald eagles or snapping turtles to name a few. Others come to simply enjoy nature and the beautiful scenery, take a walk or attend a special event or program.

The park also offers several outdoor workout stations, a playground and a pavilion with a grill, available on a first come, first served basis. For more information, click here.

Before heading out to any of our parks, events or programs be sure to download our new PWC RecMapper App. Using the app, you can find parks, playgrounds, pavilions, fitness and recreation centers, pools and more. The app allows you to view amenities by map or list; filter and search what’s important to you; or get directions, map out your route, and so much more! Click here from your mobile device to download the app today.