Photography by Don Sweeney / FCPA
Clemyjontri Park
Big time fun for pint-size kids
Toddlers and school-age children alike are bound to have the time of their lives at Clemyjontri Park. When it comes to the title of best playground in NoVA, Clemyjontri takes the crown, offering plenty in the way of old-fashioned and educational fun. The park is located in the Great Falls corridor, and its play areas are spread over 2 acres. Play areas are divided into four main zones: The Rainbow Room, focused on colors and pictures; Schoolhouse and Maze, with educational games; Moovin’ and Groovin’, which focuses on balance and has an entertaining transportation theme; and Fitness and Fun, the park’s largest play area with lots of standard playground equipment and jungle gym structures. Clemyjontri proudly boasts a wheelchair-accessible swing, known as the Liberty Swing, that allows children in wheelchairs to enjoy the feeling of swinging without having to transfer out of their chairs. In fact, the park prides itself on being handicap accessible, thanks to a series of ramps that interconnect throughout the play areas. Younger children will enjoy the carousel and the soon-to-be-debuted Resource Railroad Train, opening this summer.
Hours: 7 a.m.-dusk
Fee: None
Size: 2 acres
Great for: Carousel, train (open summer 2015), playgrounds
Other activities/amenities: Restrooms
Know before you go: The park gets very busy, even in winter. Visitors arriving during off-peak hours (before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m.) will have an easier time finding a parking spot near the park. There’s additional parking across the street at Langley Fork Park.
Where: 6317 Georgetown Pike, McLean; 703-388-2807
Courtesy of Arlington County Department of Parks and Recreation Alternative
Rocky Run Park
Rocky Run Park is a runner-up for the title of NoVA’s best playground park. Located in the heart of the Courthouse/Clarendon neighborhood, the park recently underwent a $3 million renovation. It is separated into a baby section, with swings and other miniature, baby-appropriate features, and a big kids section, with its vast spiderweb climbing feature and one of the longest slides outside a water park. Finding a parking spot is easy enough on weekends but is tricky during the week. Parking is metered on weekdays.
Where: 1109 N. Barton St., Arlington; 703-228-6525
Other activities/amenities: Playground, two full-size basketball courts, picnic pavilion, bathrooms
Hours: 7 a.m.-dusk
Size: 2 acres
Northern Virginia’s Best Urban Parks
(July 2015)