Seven Parks and Natural Areas to Visit This Summer

Pictured: Sprayground at Level Green Park

As temperatures rise and summer approaches, more people are heading outside to enjoy the weather. To help residents and visitors find places to explore, here are seven parks and natural areas that offer everything from quiet walks and lakeside views to bike trails and oceanfront play spaces.

1. Level Green Park

Level Green Park has recently undergone exciting renovations, emerging as the first park in Virginia Beach to feature a public sprayground and offering an updated outdoor experience for visitors of all ages. The park sits at 1520 Level Green Boulevard and now includes a wide range of features for the community to enjoy.

The new sprayground is open 9 a.m. to sunset during the summer season, with weekend-only operations in May and September. The water features automatically activate when temperatures reach 75 degrees or higher, ensuring ideal splash conditions.

The sprayground includes arching water sprayers, tall vertical water features that mist and splash, ground-level bubbling jets, sculptural aqua-colored play elements and an open splash zone.

Additional amenities include:

• Two full-sized basketball courts
• Paved walking trails
• Two fenced-in dog parks
• Picnic shelters
• A renovated playground

Looking ahead, residents can also look forward to the addition of a wildflower meadow, bringing native plants, seasonal color and enhanced natural scenery to the park.

Together, the recent upgrades and upcoming additions mark an exciting new chapter for Level Green Park, strengthening its role as a favorite neighborhood destination.

2. Bayville Farms Park

Directly next to Bayside Recreation Center, Bayville Farms Park offers a multitude of activities and amenities for residents and visitors to enjoy. The park’s open layout and mix of recreation areas make it a popular spot for spending time outdoors. 

One of the most popular activities available at the park is disc golf, a game in which players throw a flying disc from a specified “tee area” into an elevated metal basket. The park’s 18-hole disc golf course is made of wood and features two baskets per hole. The disc golf course is free to use and operates on a first-come, first-served basis.  

Bayville Farms Park also includes a skateboard park with quarter pipes, kicker ramps and a wave ramp for riders of different skill levels. 

Additional amenities include:

• A dog park 
• Shuffleboard courts 
• A shared-use path 
• Two lighted softball fields 
• A TRXs Suspension frame, or a metal workout station that lets multiple people use TRX straps at once for safe, simple strength training. 

With its wide range of activities and open space, Bayville Farms Park offers plenty of ways to stay active and enjoy time outside. 

3. Little Island Park

Little Island Park is a 122-acre beach park in Sandbridge, perfect for families, beachgoers and fishers who want to spend time by the water. Located at 3820 Sandpiper Road, the park offers plenty of open space for outdoor activities. 

Amenities include:

• Four picnic shelters with charcoal grills 
• Lighted tennis/pickleball courts  
• Playground with slides, a rope-climbing structure and games 
• A public-use automated external defibrillator (AED) 

The park is also home to the Little Island Fishing Pier. The 400-foot pier offers year-round access for fishing and sightseeing. 

Fishing Pier Hours and Fees

Hours 

• May 1-Oct. 31: 6 a.m.-9 p.m. 
• Nov. 1-April 15: 7 a.m. to posted closing time
• The fishing pier is closed April 16-30 for annual maintenance.​

Fees 

• Sightseeing: $1 resident / $2 non-resident 
• Fishing: $8 resident / $10 non-resident 
• Annual pier fishing pass: $100 resident / $125 non-resident 
• Children 9 and younger are free with a paying adult (cash only at the pier) 

Little Island Park also offers three beach wheelchairs, available on a first-come, first-served basis and checked out through the park office with a driver’s license or photo ID. Equipment such as basketballs, cornhole boards, frisbees and volleyball nets may also be checked out free of charge with a driver’s license or photo ID at the park office. 

With its wide shoreline, family-friendly amenities and year-round pier access, Little Island Park is a favorite spot for beach days and coastal views. 

4. Red Wing Park

Looking for somewhere to walk and explore? Red Wing Park is the perfect spot. Known for its beautiful gardens and the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, this 97-acre park sits right off General Booth Boulevard. 

One of its most popular features is the Miyazaki Japanese Garden, created in 1997 to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the sister-city relationship between Miyazaki, Japan, and Virginia Beach. The garden includes a gazebo, cherry trees, a pond with a red bridge and trails.  

Additional amenities include:

• Volleyball and handball/racquetball courts 
• Cornhole boards 
• A Bee City USA Pollinator Garden 
• Therapeutic cradle swing seats 

Whether you’re exploring the gardens, enjoying the trails or relaxing under the cherry trees, Red Wing Park offers a peaceful escape in the heart of Virginia Beach.

5. Stumpy Lake Natural Area 

The Stumpy Lake Natural Area offers peace and tranquility through its 278-acre lake and 1.65 miles of soft-surface trails. The natural area is located along the south-central City boundary with Chesapeake at 4797 Indian River Road.  

The area includes a canoe/kayak launch that is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and designed for non-motorized vehicles, along with one of Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation's kayak kiosks. The launch is located near the Stumpy Lake Golf Course entrance, just past the causeway from Indian River Road.  

Information on Boating and Fishing: 

• A Virginia Freshwater Fishing License is required for fishing from land or water 
• Fishing is prohibited from the golf course 
• Motorized vehicles and swimming are not allowed  
• Watercraft must be launched from the canoe/kayak launch 
• Stand-up paddleboarding is permitted 

Residents and visitors can also hike, walk or bike along the surrounding trails and take in views of the lake and bald cypress trees. 

Whether on the water or along the trails, Stumpy Lake offers a quiet place to experience the area’s natural landscape. 

6. Grommet Island Park

Grommet Island Park sits right along the oceanfront and is fully ADA-compliant, with wheelchair-accessible entrances, pathways and seating areas. Located at the intersection of the Boardwalk and 2nd Street, it offers easy access and a welcoming space for people of all abilities.  

Playground amenities include: 

• Poured-in-place surfacing 
• Raised sand tables for sandcastle building at an accessible height 
• A sensory board for children who are autistic or visually impaired 
• Sculptural features such as dolphins, a surfboard and a wave 
• Seating areas with an umbrella and a hand-operated sand scoop designed for wheelchair users 

Grommet Island Park also offers free beach wheelchairs April 1-Oct. 1. Wheelchairs can be checked out at the 2nd Street/Grommet Island Park Handicap Center, making it easier for visitors to enjoy the sand and shoreline. From November through April or if an attendant is unavailable, call 757-385-1100 to reserve a beach wheelchair.​

7. Marshview Park & Natural Areas

Marshview Park & Natural Areas offers a peaceful oasis for quiet walks, hiking days and time outdoors. Located at 131 Marshview Drive, the area includes 100 acres of wooded property along Lake Rudee, creating a calm, shaded environment for exploring nature. 

Amenities include: 

• A network of ADA-compliant asphalt trails 
• Soft multi-use trails 
• Three small play areas 
• A bike trail system 
• A dog park with four separate fenced areas 

Parking is available at Marshview Drive, Indian Road and Virginia Avenue.  

With its wooded paths and lakeside views, Marshview Park provides a quiet nature-focused setting for outdoor recreation.  

More to Explore

These seven parks and natural areas are just a small sample of what Virginia Beach has to offer. The city is home to over 200 parks and park facilities, encompassing over 7,000 acres, including community parks, metro parks, signature parks, natural areas, waterway access sites, multiuse trails, open space preservation areas, and park athletic facilities that provide even more opportunities to walk, play, paddle, picnic and enjoy the outdoors.

To find parks and natural areas near you, visit the VB ParkFinder website or download the app. For more information on City parks and natural areas, visit VirginiaBeach.gov/CityParks. 

• City Parks
• Parks & Recreation