One of the many challenges of being a military spouse is moving to a brand new area- and to add on to that a brand new area with kids! Moving to Fort Belvoir (right outside of DC) was very overwhelming for me because of how big the area is. This is not your “small town feel” type of place- I found there is always so much going on, and so many awesome places to explore when I would Google things to do. As a stay at home mom of two kids (3 and 1), getting out and exploring new parks became my way of adjusting to our new life at Fort Belvoir. Each week I made it a goal to explore one new place with my kids! We have been here for 3 years now and after lots of exploring here are my top 5 favorite parks near Fort Belvoir:
1. Chessie’s Big Backyard
Just 15 minutes from Fort Belvoir. This park has something for everyone! There are two AWESOME, newer, nautical themed playgrounds- one for little ones and one more for older kids. In the summertime they have the best splash pad in the area! There is also a cute walking trail in the woods behind the playground with musical instruments for kids to play along the way. AND the park has its own amphitheater that hosts events- we even got to see Blippi perform here.
2. Castle Park
This playground is the perfect location nestled right along the Potomac River on Fort Belvoir! It’s a small playground surrounded by lots of grass. There is an opening behind the playground that leads to the sandy hangout spot along the river. PERFECT park for a picnic.
3. Jones Point Park
This park has a great playground for younger kids! It is about 20 minutes from Fort Belvoir. There is a small, fenced in climbing structure with lots of swings and running space. One of the cooler parts of this park is the bridge next to it where kids can ride bikes or scooters under, have picnics or play basketball with the basketball hoops that are under it! There is also an amazing waterfront walking trail from here that leads straight to Old Town.
4. Huntley Meadows Park
Huntley Meadows Park is about 15 minutes from Fort Belvoir. If you are looking to get out in nature and see some wildlife animals in their natural habitat this is the perfect place! It is a long boardwalk trail that goes through wetlands- there are always people photographing the birds. Kids love pointing out all the frogs, ducks, beavers, dragonflies, and even snakes!
5. Pohick Bay Regional Park
Another 15 minute drive from Fort Belvoir. We love this beautiful, fenced in playground overlooking the Potomac River! This playground makes you feel like you are in the quiet, peaceful woods right by the water. This is a great place to come have a picnic as there are lots of spots along the river to hangout. There is also an awesome waterpark here that is open in the summer!
Meet Chelsea
I’m a military spouse and I run a social media account, Oh The Places Kids Go! (@ohtheplaceskidsgo) I share lots of information on kid friendly places to go to in the Northern VA area and beyond. Exploring new parks, playgrounds, museums, beaches, coffee spots, pretty much anywhere you can bring your kids has become a hobby of mine!
Moving to different parts of the world can be overwhelming, especially when you have kids. After moving to Fort Belvoir (20 min outside of DC), I was quickly overwhelmed at how much stuff there is to do here. After about a year of exploring around with my 3 and 1 year olds, I decided I wanted to share all my fun finds to other military families here so they could find things to do easily with their kids. Since then, I have shared over 250 places to go in the Northern VA area and I will continue to do that wherever we end up in the world.
