Greenbrier State Park

[notrelatedtoted]

Howdy:

I'm thinking of heading up to Greenbrier this weekend and I'm thinking of bringing the family along so as to minimize any domestic unrest. Assuming that there are no longer life guards on duty, would my kids still be able to splash around in the lake if it's warm enough? They're pretty little, so they don't go out more than waist-deep anyhow. "Splash" is the operative word....I'm not sure the playground and hiking would keep them entertained long enough for me to get a good ride in.

Thanks in advance for any info.

[Johnny Bravo]

I think they might still have lifeguards on duty, but I'm not 100% positive of it. I was there a few days ago and I thought I saw some there, but I didn't specifically look for them. Regardless, the beach/lake area has 2 sectioned off areas for swimming which I don't think are all that deep. There's a surprising ammount of beach area there too which is made of real sand so if they like playing in the sand too that should keep them occupied. I may go up there today or tomorrow to ride since it's so close so I can take some quick pics of the swimming areas if you'd like. As a matter of fact I may have a pic or two on my laptop that might show the area, but I'll have to go look so I'll post 'em if I have 'em.

If Greenbrier isn't enough to keep them busy then about a mile or two down the mountain toward Hagerstown (going west on Rt. 40) there is a place called Family Recreation Park or something like that. It has go-karts, miniature golf, and all kinds of other fun things like that. I don't know what their hours are as I haven't been there in years, but I'm pretty sure they're still open (i.e. haven't closed for the winter). Hope this helps some....

[Johnny Bravo]

Ok, I found a pic here on the laptop that shows the beach/swimming area at the lake. It was taken from the opposite shore so it's not super detailed, but you can get an idea of where the swimming areas are. There are roped off areas there that denote the swimming areas, but they're not very visible in the pics. If I make it up there today or tomorrow I'll try to take some better pics from the beach itself. Hope this helps some...


Edit: Ugh, I can't get the attachment to work for some reason...I'll keep working at it though...

[notrelatedtoted]

I think they might still have lifeguards on duty, but I'm not 100% positive of it. I was there a few days ago and I thought I saw some there, but I didn't specifically look for them. Regardless, the beach/lake area has 2 sectioned off areas for swimming which I don't think are all that deep. There's a surprising ammount of beach area there too which is made of real sand so if they like playing in the sand too that should keep them occupied. I may go up there today or tomorrow to ride since it's so close so I can take some quick pics of the swimming areas if you'd like. As a matter of fact I may have a pic or two on my laptop that might show the area, but I'll have to go look so I'll post 'em if I have 'em.

If Greenbrier isn't enough to keep them busy then about a mile or two down the mountain toward Hagerstown (going west on Rt. 40) there is a place called Family Recreation Park or something like that. It has go-karts, miniature golf, and all kinds of other fun things like that. I don't know what their hours are as I haven't been there in years, but I'm pretty sure they're still open (i.e. haven't closed for the winter). Hope this helps some....

If they can dig in the sand and splash around in the water, that will keep them occupied all day. And in the event of trouble, they'll be up for a trip to the slide and swings.

We've been there once before, but never in the "off season." Also curious as to what the crowds are like now. On weekends, that beach area gets really crowded, and some people aren't too sensitive to the innocence of children. (Picture a woman smoking a cigarette, talking on her cell phone with a whole lot of colorful metaphors, only stopping to yell at her kid to pull up his shorts and stop peeing in the lake. :eek: ) Ahhh. The great outdoors. :rolleyes:

[Johnny Bravo]

If they can dig in the sand and splash around in the water, that will keep them occupied all day. And in the event of trouble, they'll be up for a trip to the slide and swings.

We've been there once before, but never in the "off season." Also curious as to what the crowds are like now. On weekends, that beach area gets really crowded, and some people aren't too sensitive to the innocence of children. (Picture a woman smoking a cigarette, talking on her cell phone with a whole lot of colorful metaphors, only stopping to yell at her kid to pull up his shorts and stop peeing in the lake. :eek: ) Ahhh. The great outdoors. :rolleyes:


Oh yeah, that's good ol' Washington County for ya! Easy access from WV and PA so ya get all kinds around here. :D Honestly, I haven't gone there on a weekend in a while since as you mentioned it gets rather busy there, but during the week it's practically empty. Heck, I think this year I've only encountered maybe 4 people on the trails while out riding there and only 1 was a mtb'er. Since it's "off season" the price is cheap now too at only $3 per car whereas "in-season" it's $3 per person. I can't imagine it'll be too busy there this weekend now that school is back in here and it's getting cooler. So, to me, it's perfect as you get to really take in the sights & sounds (or lack thereof) of the park without all of the crowds. Anyway, I'll keep fiddling around with this pic to see if I can get it posted today before you head up this way.