Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens lotus ponds

Photo: bobistraveling · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
🌷 Garden · Washington
1.5 hours · Free · No reservation needed
- 🚗About 35 min driveFrom Rockville · Parking: Free lot, fills on July lotus-festival weekends
- 🍼Stroller-friendlyFlat surfaces — bring the stroller
- 🌳Little shadeGreat on sunny days · Handles heat
- ⏱️Typical visit: 1.5 hoursBest seasons: Summer
The only site in the National Park system devoted to aquatic plants: in July dozens of ponds fill with lotus and water lilies bigger than a toddler's face, and the gravel paths between them and the boardwalk out into the Anacostia marsh are alive with frogs, turtles, and dragonflies. A 2-year-old can squat at the edge of a pond for half an hour.
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Location
Washington, Washington, DC
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