This was really fun we attended a private event for my daughters school and it was informative and interactive. My kid really enjoyed herself and learned a bit about nature. It was scary, especially with covid-19 everywhere - but with masks and common sense - we had fun. I would make a return trip!

Bring your hiking boots because their is a refreshing creek youll enjoy splashing water and having fun. My 10 & 12 year old boys loved this place. We skipped rocks and made water dams until it was time for lunch.

This is such a fun area to walk around and be in nature. Every so often there are little stations with animal footprints that you can try to identify. I went on a Saturday afternoon and there were not too many people. Most wore masks and stayed socially distanced. Great to see such a fun nature park.

Hidden Oaks Nature Center has beautiful trails, a fun playground and an educational nature center that should be your go to place with your little children. There is so much to explore and learn! Make this your new family outing location no matter the season; spring, summer, fall or winter for there is always something new to discover in nature!

I love this place. Neat rocks in the creek, and some paths have wooden sidewalks on them.

Came here on mothers dayfor a quiet family walk with a 2-year old. Even though the nature center was closed there was plenty for us to do. The trails were well marked and well-maintained.It definitely was not very crowded and there is a lot of variety in the terrain. Some of the paths are paved, some are dirt, others have planks. We were able to walk down to the stream. Especially enjoyed the fun facts that were peppered throughout the and looking at the animal tracks along the way.We spent about an hour at the park and look forward to coming back with everything is open again.

I am hesitant to fish to openly about Hidden Oaks for fear of it becoming overwhelmingly crowded but it truly is amazing. The outdoor discovery area and trails are well maintained and great for a large age range. Its a great spot to physically distance outside and, when things are different, the nature center is informative and staffed by a caring team.

Nice park. They are environmentally aware with native plants, rain garden, pavers that allows rain water through.This morning was cool and quiet so we had delightful walk with our dog.

Its a great place for kids and adults, alike for short hiks, nature, wildlife, learning and postings throughout. Highly recommend a trip there.

The center is pretty small, but its also extra awesome. Really cool place for small kids. Ill lets these amazing pictures explain.

I photographed the most gorgeous wedding there this May and the location was just breathtaking! If you are looking to get married in Southern California, this is definitely the place to be.

The new butterfly themed park is really well done! Lots of slides and climbing activities for a wide age range of kids.

Love the trails!!! My family had a great time

Jack-o-lantern Mushroom.Very poisonous

The staff is always helpful and knowledgeable. They make sure all your questions are answered. In this visit, they took in the juvenile black snake that found its way out of the cold and into my warm living room. My kitties were sorry to lose what they regarded as their toy, but Hidden Oaks was happy I brought him to them!

Paths could be better maintained, but overall a fun experience. You have to walk a little to the play grounds and they are not super stroller friendly if you have littles. But inside the center, there is fun for all young ages.

Nice kid oriented nature center. We went for a Dr. Suess program given by a ranger there. She did a great job at keeping the preschoolers attention with stories, crafts, live animals and even cupcakes. Nice trails outside also. Small parking lot but they say there is a larger one a short distance away

Very natural park. Its very relaxing !!! Enjoyed nature

Great trail for young kids. Nice playground.

What a cool hidden gem in Northern Virginia! My son and I love hiking and we just discovered this place! There is so much nature and facts to learn about wildlife!

Peaceful especially when there less people. Gives feel of wild forest.it would have been more awsome if it covers more area.

This park is a sanctuary to enjoy nature and be with friends.

Very cute place for young kids. The nature trail around the center is an easy hike. My three year olds had no issues. Easy terrain, shorts distance. The outdoor play area is a great place for toddlers to get in some outdoor nature play. The staff was also super friendly and eager to help.

Hidden Oaks is one of the best nature centers in the area. Inside they have animals for viewing, including turtles, toads, and snakes plus a larger than average play area with toys and dress up costumes. They also offer a variety of classes and camps, which have been well done when weve attended their events. Outside of the building they have a beautiful natural play area that usually includes a sand box, a branch teepee, various stumps and rocks, and a small area that sometimes has a small amount of water to play in. In between the play area and the building, they have a small frog pond which, depending on the time of year, can have frogs or tadpoles for viewing. In addition to all this, they offer a more standard playground equipment area down one of the paths as well as basketball courts. Only five minutes down another path, they have a lovely stream area that is perfect for young kids to play at the edge of and splash around in.The only downside of this nature center is that it can be very popular and sometimes the inside is crowded and / or the parking lot is full. There is additional parking available at the a Packard Center but it can be tricky to figure out at first. If you need to park over there, it is a short walk through the woods to get back to the nature center.

Very cool small park and center. They have some habitat enclosures inside, and the animals were very active. Out side looks like it has some info trails (snow on the ground today). This is a great place for small kids to come.

Very nice park they are remodeling the play ground for the kids.

Lots of fun and interesting activities for preschoolers on a rainy day. They have dress up, puzzles, blocks, stuffed animals. They have live turtles, snakes, lizards. They have a microscope and tons of bugs set in epoxy for the kids to play with a look at. On a nice day there are trails, play areas, gardens. The kids loved it.

This is a great place for younger kids. They have lots of activities and different stations to do different things in the nature center. There are plenty of trails and areas in the park to learn about nature and animals.

Small park but really nice

Lot of rain the day i was there. Great location.

Great for kids and easy loop trail.

Trails are nice and shady lol bumpy but overall its a nice pick for sunny day with long shady trees over the trail.. swings are there too

Cant wait to see it open after the pandemic.

I think that this is a very lovely park. It is clean, has ample parking, and clean restrooms. There are different activities to enjoy and there is an outdoor theatre. I enjoyed a wonderful concert the other evening. What I was disappointed about is that there werent any tennis practice walls. But overall I would recommend this park and I plan on attending more free concerts.

Amazing place for kids..

Excellent venue for smaller children. In the winter time, it is an excellent place to bring the kids to burn a little extra energy, especially if theyre excited by animals and nature in general. There are plenty of toy dinosaurs to play with, as well as some to dress up in. There are quite a few turtles in tanks, a few snakes and a couple of other small creatures to look at. Recommend the parking lot that is a 5 minute walk away by nature trail. Even in winter its nice to just get the kids walking outside if even for a short time.

There are lots activities for children. A great place for learning and hands-on discovery. If you take children on the trails you must watch them carefully or near the wooded side of playground there is a lot of poison ivy everywhere even on the edges of the trails.

Trails and indoor play area great

Love this quiet oasis in urban area

Great programs for children, very well run. With knowledgible staff

It was pretty good but that there was leavs i trippeped all over the place

We love it, they have animals and fun toys there, a beautiful trail and a playground. Its very convenient for our little explorers.

Nature enrichment with playground and small hikes.

Perfect for kids birthdays and adventures with kids. Highly recommended

Very nice nature center. Several live frogs and snakes to look at. Other interactive exhibits with animal fur, sounds, bones. There are also costumes and toys for the kids to try.

Nice nature center and trails in Annandale

Great hands on learning for my 4 grands ages 11/2 to 6

Good Place for kids and walk

Fun and very interactive for kids. A nice people place full of heart

Good field trip destination for the 4-6 set. Not so great for older than that, regardless of starting origami are grades k-4. There is a lack of structure. Great for a single child or a couple children. Staff was friendly and knowledgeable.

Fantastic nature center. Terrific for the local community.

Nice center, has restrooms and very kid friendly

This is a great place for kids at any age. The staff is super friendly, lots of animals to see. Great for birthday parties but book early because the get booked very quickly.

A wonderful place for all kids any age!!!! Perfect from summer to winter

Amazing! Staff knowledgeable and engaging. Very interactive and great fun!

Walking in the woods you feel like you left the city behind.

Excellent

Beautiful!! Interesting and accessible.

Great staff. Indoor nature center has a wonderful array of activities for kids.

I love this place! Peaceful activity place for kids! Hangout with nature!

My daughter loved this place

Very nice. Quiet and natural

My dogs love this park

Lots of fun.

This is our favorite nature center in the area. Lots of live animals in tanks (frogs, snakes, turtles, etc), learning exhibits, things to touch, and so many toys! The trails around the center could have been marked better but the area is pretty and we still had a good time. Enjoyed a picnic lunch at a shady table outside.

Nice place to show the wild live to the kids. Very detailed and organized and a very friendly place. If u have kids this is the one place to go in Annandale. Recommended.

Nice nature center with many interesting live displays

Excellent birthday party location with hands on animal fun

Really neat little spot! Nice area to take a walk in as well!

The Hidden Oaks Nature Center has lots to see and do - they have live turtles, frogs and snakes, plus a surprising variety of games, puzzles, costumes, and learning tools for younger children. The naturalists and volunteers are knowledgeable and dedicated. There is a wooded well-marked, relatively flat trail perfect for beginning hikers that circles the building. My only gripe is the lack of parking - if you cant find a spot in the small circular parking lot in front of the Nature Center, you can drive back out to Hummer St., make a right and then a right, and park in the secondary park lot (which requires about a quarter mile forest hike to get back to the Center.)

Great hidden gem. Inside is full of imagination toys. Outside is a cool little wild play area and several marked nature trails. They often have programs focusing on dinosaurs.

Very cute place. We had my son 4th birthday party there and everyone had a wonderful time. We chose the dinosaurs theme and it was just perfect. A guide gave a little presentation about dinosaurs and showed the children a real toad and a turtle (because dinosaurs do not exist anymore!), then we went for a little walk it the nature . When we came back to the Center, they did a little craft and we had cake. They decorated the room for us, but we obviously had a to bring the food, cake, plates, two table clothes, etc. The party was from 10 to 11:45 am, which is just perfect for toddlers and young children. The Center itself is well preserved and has fun things with the children. Everybody was very pleased with our birthday party. I would definitely do a birthday party there again.

Awesome place for a birthday! The staff was great and the kids loved it. Highly recommend.

Took 2 kids under 5 here and they loved it.

Nice place to visit

Indoors section is small but great for little ones. Live turtles, snakes and toads!

As with all the Nature Centers, this place is lots of fun for the kids. Dinosaurcanp in the summertime. During Easter they do a dinosaur egg hunt. Boy scout merit badges and other boy/cub/girl scout activities.

Great place great people

A great place for the kids. A nice little activity center, trails and programs.

Awesome place for small kids to come and connect with nature. Well definitely be coming back.

Great campfire and discussion about stars and space.

I have attended both Girl and Cub scout events here and every program was incredibly well done. They were organized, efficient, and managed to keep the kids attention - even the 7 year old boys. Weve enjoyed earning badges, learning new skills, campfires with smores, and meeting animals wed never seen before. I enthusiastically recommend this for families looking for healthy, safe, and fun activities with the kids.

Good place for your heeling.

Great for young children

Go inside there are fun activities for kids

Kids love it. So many frogs!

Fun for kids. Free. Easy to manage multiple children there. Worth return visits.

Great place for children to learn about nature with interactive demonstrations.

Great place to take the kids, good for a walk and they even have a playground.

Just found out about this park recently, is a hidden gem, and plenty of pokestops.

Nice and quite place

Great place for kids of all ages

Nature center with play area for toddlers, out in the forest are trails, playground with swing and tennis/basketball court

Great place

Nice but relatively small park...No real excitement for me or my GSD!!

Good nature center. Also has a softball field, basketball court, tennis court, and picnic area with double larger grill and shelter. Nature trails are good too.

Nice play/learning area for kids, great trails for a short hike, and a playground and ball fields for exercise. Pavilion too for cookouts.

Nice center and trail

Great place to take younger kiddos. Fun activities inside, nice nature walk on the grounds and playground nearby.

A wonderful place for children!