Enjoy a variety of recreational options at Pen Park!

Pen Park, Charlottesville's largest park, offers many choices for families! We absolutely love this park and visit after hiking the Blue Ridge Tunnel. We love adding it to any day trip to Charlottesville because not only can our children get their wiggles out before our drive home to Richmond, there's also a clubhouse/restaurant in the park, Meadowcreek Grill, where we can grab an affordable and yummy meal.

When you arrive at the park, you can park directly in front of the playground or drive back to the clubhouse. The parking lot is huge so that you will have no issues finding a spot; however, keep in mind that this is a very popular park, so you may want to plan to arrive early morning on a weekday or during nap times (afternoon) to avoid crowds.

The playground features an entire section of musical instruments, various climbing challenges, slides, and stepping stones for practicing those balancing skills! The surface is soft rubber, making this area wheelchair accessible and stroller friendly. While there are two play structures: one designed for older children and another for smaller children, I felt safe with my children (ages 3 and 7) rotating back and forth between the two. In addition, there are swings and a tunnel to climb through, which both my children loved.

Beside the playground is an open area, where we love to fly kites and kick soccer balls back and forth. This is also a great area for picnics, so pack a blanket to take advantage of this space. From this area, the mountain views are absolutely breathtaking. Should you prefer, there are also picnic tables in the large picnic pavilion. Because this is typically a stop for us on the way home, we haven't yet had ample time to try the nature trails or the golf course, but we are looking forward to exploring those soon!