Watkins Regional Park in Maryland is one that’s perfect everyone. My husband and I used to go to the park mainly for the lights in the park around the holidays, but now with kids we’ve discovered so much more. If you want to easily keep your children entertained and not spend a lot of money, it’s the right spot for family fun activities in Maryland. There’s a Farm, playground, Miniature Golf, Carousel, Train Ride, Nature center, Camp Sites, plus more.
Free Activities
Playgrounds
If you’d like to go the, no spending money on activity route, we can start with the free activities. There’s this amazing playground that you must see in person. The Wizard of Oz themed Playground. You literally look like you’re following the yellow brick road, over the rainbow, and into the Land of Oz! The park features multiple slides, swings, climbing structures, and lots of things for pretend play. Some pretend play structures include a tractor and a house. There are two huge red shoe structures that mimics Dorothy’s shoe from The Wizard of Oz movie. In those structures are two slides in the middle of it. 
My toddler loved that slide along with climbing up and down all the other structures. One play structure looked like a barn with a chicken coop. The way everything is set up with all the colors allows a child’s imagination to go wild. My 11-month-old got to sit in the little slinky structures (that’s what I called it), and she loved that it felt like a little ride for her. There are also big musical instruments for the children to play with. There are benches to sit and take a break if you need it. Also, alongside the playground are bathrooms to the right for your convenience. There’s another playground, the Horserace playground, that’s another option for you to take your little one. If you keep driving past the Wizard of Oz playground and turn right, you’ll find it. Next to the playground, there’s a huge parking lot.
Old Maryland Farm
Across the street you’ll see the sign for the Old Maryland Farm. You’ll follow the sign and walk around the Miniature golf course to the Farm. To walk around and view the animals and plants is totally free. 
My daughter loved seeing the huge pig and horse. Just follow the trail around and enjoy reading about and seeing the animals. You’re not allowed to pet the animals, but seeing it is just enough. 
You can also host a birthday party or field trip there. They are opened on Tuesdays – Saturdays from 10am – 5pm, Sundays from 10am – 4pm, and closed Mondays. Times are subject to change. They can be reached for questions at (301) 218 – 6770.
Watkins Nature Center
The nature center is also a perfect place to visit with your family. This is another Free option. Families can enjoy animal displays (including Reptiles, Amphibians, Birds of Prey, and insects), ponds, a feeding area for Songbirds, outdoor nest box exhibit, composting area, and a Butterfly/ Hummingbird garden. It’s a great place to host a birthday party or field trip. 
There are some programs offered for a small fee if you wanted to spend some money. Besides the parties and field trips, the programs include campfires, hikes, puppet shows, crafts, animal shows, and day camps. The center is opened on Tuesdays – Saturdays from 10am – 5pm and Sundays from 12pm – 4pm. Check out their birthday party packages here. You can reach the center for questions at (301) 218 – 6702.
Fun Paid Options
Mini Golf, Train, and Chesapeake Carousel
Before or after heading to the trail for the Old Maryland Farm, you can enjoy miniature Golfing, a fun train ride, and the carousel all in one area. There’s also benches and seating if you’d like to take a lunch break for your convenience. For Mini Golf, it’s $5.00 per person per round for residents and $6.50 for non-residents. For the train or carousel, it’s $2.00 per individual resident and $2.50 per non-resident. If you’re in a group of 10 or more people, it’s $1.75 per resident and $2.25 per non-resident. You can also rent skates for $2.00 per resident or $2.50 per non-resident. Resident pricing is for those who reside in Prince George’s County and Montgomery County. Hours and availability vary depending on the time of year. 
These events are normally not available on Mondays. It’s normally opened from Fridays to Sundays only in Spring, from 12pm – 5pm. In the Summer, they’re open from Tuesdays to Saturdays from 11am – 7pm and Sundays from 12pm – 5pm. In the Fall, they are only open on weekends. Saturday from 11am – 7pm and Sundays from 12pm – 5pm. Of Course, these times and days are subject to change. There’s also Family Fun days at Watkins Regional Park. It’s from 5pm – 7pm. On certain days you can pay one price to do mini golf, the train, and carousel with your family. $5.00 Per resident and $7.00 per non-resident. You would have to call in advance to find out dates, (301) 218 – 6757.
Camping
Watkins regional park offers great camp sites for you and your family as well. Tents are available for rent if you don’t have your own to bring. There are 30 individual campsites offered. These sites are for no more than 6 people with a max of 2 adults. There are also 3 group sites available if you have more than 6 people. You can reserve a site on a first come first served basis. Reservations must be done online and canceled at least 48 hours prior to the reservation date. Camping is offered from March – November. Costs is $10.00 for Senior County resident and $13.00 if non-County. $12.00 for Bi-County residents and $20.00 for non-County residents. You can reserve a campsite here.
Other Options
The park offers some great trails if you’d like to go walking by yourself or with others. There are tables to sit at to eat around the park along with great places to picnic. There are Tennis courts as well as Indoor air conditioned Tennis Bubbles that you can utilize for a fee.
I highly recommend this park for a visit. It’s definitely one of the top parks in Maryland.
Park address:
Watkins Regional Park
301 Watkins Park Drive
Upper Marlboro, MD 20774
