Pender & Coward

No matter how old your kids are, there is an adventure awaiting them at Chesapeake's Fun Forest. This award-winning children's playground attraction sits on three acres of City Park and offers a little something for everyone. The older children's area features a dragon, a three-way underground telephone and a shaky bridge. There's a science and learning area that teaches math and science with such fun exhibits as whisper dishes, mirrors and a planet walk. The toddlers will enjoy the chance to steer a plane, a truck or a swing. Plus, there's a stunning aquatic area and even a Fossil Dig that features a dinosaur buried under sand, and if the kids find actual fossils, they are theirs to keep.

A single tree offers a great place to relax and commune with nature. But at the Chesapeake Arboretum, there are so many trees that your senses will be overwhelmed–but in a good way! This 47-acre garden features a staggering number of trees and also does an admirable job of championing the importance of environmental awareness through various exhibits and attractions. The Chesapeake Arboretum originally opened its doors in 1996 and has been welcoming hundreds of visitors on a regular basis ever since.