The Joy Troupe NOVA Family Guide
Northern Virginia Family Fun
Thank you for stopping by our Fairfax County Playground listing! Local moms have submitted their favorites, so if you don’t see one you know is great, please send it to us!
My kids loved this so much that they didn’t want to go home even though they were hungry for dinner. My littlest had to be carried to the parking lot, shouting “WANT THE PARK!” the whole way. (Of course, he’s two, so whether that’s an endorsement or just trouble with transitions is debatable. But he had a REALLY good time!)
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The Danbury Forest Tot Lot is maintained by the Danbury Forest neighborhood association. This mostly enclosed playground is partly shaded and is located at one of the entrances to the …
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The Lake Accotink Park playground is located near the carousel and the marina. There are restrooms and ample parking. The playground surface is mulch. It is not fully enclosed, but it is far enough from the road that you should be able to catch a runner before they hit the street, and the picnic areas (including reservable areas for parties) are adjacent to the playground.
There is also a good, sandy beach for you kiddo who loves to dig, and the park trail goes right by the playground if you want to plan your hike so you can take a break for some play.
Read MoreVernon Heights Park(8269 Central Ave, Alexandria, VA) This tiny park is located at the entrance to our neighborhood. While small and quaint, the park boasts a kiddie playground and lots …
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There is a “tamer” area of the park meant just for little ones, and the entire sprayground is Zero Depth for lots of non-swimming water fun. The sprayground is enclosed …
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Mount Vernon Manor Park is located at 8600 Falkstone Ln Alexandria, VA 22309.There are several entrances into the park, none of which appear to pose a traffic hazard. The park …
Read MoreThe playground is mostly enclosed. There is an opening to enter and leave the park, which doesn’t have a gate. It is the only egress point, so you will probably only have trouble covering it if you have two runners. (Twin toddlers to one caregiver might be tough here.)
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If it weren’t for the lack of restroom facilities of any kind, this would be my new favorite place. Conveniently located near Kings Highway and not far from Lee District park, this is 14 acres of woodsy, attractive park land. The playground is adorable, and my toddler loved it because, in addition to the high slides and the climbers for bigger kids, it had some low steps and a small slide that were just right for him. There are a couple of high-ish dropoffs you’ll want to watch if you do this park with a toddler, but they are easy to guard from the ground and there are no tight corners to navigate if you want to supervise from the top.
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This small, neighborhood playground has street parking and is far from the road, but not enclosed. There are no restrooms. Plenty of room to run and enough climbing equipment to entertain kids for a bit. There are some moderately high (but not unreasonable) drop-offs. Playground surface is mulch and the play area is not shaded.
Read MoreLevelle Dupell Park 6812 Newington Road, Lorton, VA 22079 The name of this park depends on where you look. On the Fairfax county website, it’s called Levelle Dupell Park. If …
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Hidden Pond Nature Center offers the best of both indoor and outdoor fun. Inside the nature center, you’ll find animals, puzzles, books, insects, and staff who are enthusiastic about answering …
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The playground is themed with woodland details, and the equipment is both challenging and fun. There are some fairly uncommon climbing toys that were new to my kid. (As you may have noticed, he gets to go to a lot of playgrounds, so that’s saying something.) There are four benches for parent seating, the parking is ample and fairly close, and the restrooms are not far off. We were there on a weekday afternoon. Aside from a few sort-of busy periods, we had the place to ourselves. If you get bored on the playground, there is the covered observation deck by the restrooms (I’m told you can spot eagles from that vantage point) and, of course, throwing rocks in the river from the beach to extend your fun.
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