Parks in Norfolk VA
Norfolk is full of beautiful parks that provide community recreation for families. As a coastal city, some of the parks provide beach access. With two big outdoor festival venues and over seventy neighborhood parks, Norfolk is an excellent place to raise a family and enjoy natural beauty. Much of this scenery can be enjoyed in your car. For maximum pleasure, consider combining nature and technology by getting a new car with the latest environmental innovations by visiting Cavalier Mazda at 1552 S. Military Highway in Chesapeake. Your dream car and the following parks in and around Norfolk will give you the best of both worlds.
Beach Parks
The three public beaches in Norfolk are Community Beach Park, Ocean View Beach Park and Sarah Constant Beach Park. Each of these beaches is maintained by the Department of Recreation, Parks and Open Space. Other scenic ocean views just south of Virginia Beach include False Cape State Park, Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, MacKay Island National Wildlife Refuse and Currituck National Wildlife Refuge. You'll find even more scenic landscapes near the shorelines of Chesapeake Bay.
Festival Parks
The main outdoor venues in Norfolk for big community events are Town Point Park and Ocean View Beach Park. Town Point covers seven acres and is located in the downtown area along the Elizabeth River, featuring a waterfront stadium for cultural events. It also provides free wi-fi, making it a great place to mix business and pleasure. Ocean View Park is a slightly smaller park covering 6.5 acres and features a beach, boardwalk and open space. Unlike Town Point, Ocean View events are completely public as the venue is not rented for private events.
Community Parks
Norfolk has six community parks that offer facilities for athletic activities. They are also used for large events with plenty of parking to accommodate the crowds that come from a wider geographic region. These six parks that each cover at least ten acres are:
- Barraud Park
- Lafayette Park
- Lakewood Park
- Northside Park
- Poplar Hall Park
- Tarrallton Park
Neighborhood Parks
Smaller neighborhood parks typically cover less than ten acres. Many of the more active parks include soccer and baseball fields, tennis courts, fitness facilities and playgrounds for children. Passive parks, on the other hand, are not set up for sporting events and rely more on natural beauty. Unlike festival and community parks, these smaller active and passive parks tend to attract smaller crowds from within the immediate areas. Here are some of the active neighborhood parks:
- 38th Street Playground
- Bluestone Playground
- Fergis Reid Tennis Courts
- Greenway Court Park
- Hermitage Museum Playground
- Hyde Park Playground
- North Shore Road Playground
- Pretty Lake Playground
- Princess Anne Park
- Westover Memorial Park
Dog Parks
It's always fun to take your dog for a walk in the park, especially if the property is customized for such activity. Norfolk is the home of about a dozen dog parks that are typically unfenced. The closest dog park near the ocean is on Maple Avenue near I-64 and Ocean View. Within rules, dogs may run free without a leash. These parks include:
- Berkley Dog Park
- Brambleton Dog Park
- Cambridge Crescent Dog Park
- Colonial Green Way Dog Park
- Dune Street Dog Park
- Gleneagle Dog Park
- Hague Dog Park
- Stockley Garden Dog Park
- Winona Dog Park
- Lafayette Dog Park
- Tait Terrace Dog Park
Other Recreation
There are many other places that offer outdoor recreation and nice scenery, found at golf courses, schools, city centers and open spaces. Two exceptionally nice places that attract regional patrons include Norfolk Botanical Garden and Virginia Zoological Park, which are both owned by the City of Norfolk.