Our family has lived in Alexandria for nearly 10 years now, and in that decade, I have driven past the entrance to Huntley Meadows park probably hundreds of times without ever having gone to see it myself. Because the entrance, off Lockheed Boulevard in Hybla Valley, is somewhat unassuming, I just thought the park would be maybe a soccer field and a parking lot at the end of what amounts to a driveway.
I couldn't have been more wrong in my assumptions.
My daughter's Daisy Scout Troop had their year end party at Huntley Meadows, and what I saw there was a revelation for me. While there IS a parking lot at the end of a long driveway, beyond that are more than 1400 acres of wetlands, woodland trails, an observation tower, and amazing wildlife, as well as a nature center whose staff were incredibly patient with a very excited group of 6 and 7 year olds.
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Now I'm wondering what else I've missed about our own backyard. I know I need to go check out River Farm in the summertime, as I have been in the winter; what's your favorite local spot?
