Rock Creek Park, located in the north end of Washington, D.C. near the Walter Reed Medical Center,offers many different activities and hosts different events suitable for everyone. For the outdoors person, they have a nature center and planetarium, a horse stable for horseback riding, tennis courts, an outdoor amphitheater, many walking, hiking, and biking trails, a golf course, and even a boat center where you can rent kayaks, canoes, and other watercraft. For the history buff, there’s the historic Peirce Mill, Battery Kemble with two 100 lb. Parrott rifles are displayed, the Battleground National Cemetery, Civil War Earthworks, several Forts to visit, and the Memorial for Francis Scott Key, who of course, wrote the “Star-Spangled Banner”.

The park is only three miles east of Cathedral Commons, which makes it an easy commute for a fun, all-day outing any time of the year. Visiting Rock Creek Park is free and they’re open year-round during daylight hours and closes at dusk. The various sites, however, have different working hours. You can visit many times and still find new things to do!