Cedarock Park and Historic Farm, Burlington

Cedarock is a huge park in Burlington, 45 minutes west of Durham. Here you can get back to nature! Park in the lot by the playground. Kids will enjoy the fun climbies and stand-up bouncy at the large playground. Then you can walk the perimeter of the pretty pond! Some people fish in the pond. 

Next, drive or walk (there is no sidewalk) to the historic farm. Here you can read on the plaques about the history of the farm, check out the home built in 1835, stripey cabins, antique farm equipment, water well, and the outhouse where there are "soft"corn husks to wipe with! Best of all, say hi to the donkey, goats, and sheep. When we were there, there were two baby goats! The poor mama goat was extremely hungry and seemed to have run out of grass on her side of the fence, so we fed her some long grass from our side. If you can bring some carrots or apples for the animals I'm sure they'll be very happy. The donkey looked a little sad that we had nothing to offer.
The Garrett Farm survived the Civil War, and in its day it had horses, pigs, cows, and sheep. Garrett grew wheat, corn, potatoes, and oats. I'm so glad it is preserved for us to enjoy today!
Other things you can do at this park are: frisbee golf and plenty of long hikes, including one to a waterfall over Old Mill Dam. See the Old Mill Dam on the map- it's a short walk from the playground parking lot- you take the Curtis Mill Trail, keep left at the fork, then take the Rock Creek Trail to get to the waterfall.
There is also an equestrian center with six miles of dedicated equestrian trails. You can also rent single-person kayaks and canoes for two hours ($8 and $10) at the visitor center from spring to fall, to paddle on Rock Creek, a shallow and easy spot to learn.
Sixteen minutes drive north, check out the beautiful and fun Children's Museum of Alamance County.

Directions

Cedarock Park is located at 4242 R Dean Coleman Rd, Burlington, NC 27215. It is 45 minutes west of Durham or 30 minutes east of Greensboro.
Entrance is free and there is plenty of parking.
The equestrian center is open every day of the year except Christmas Day.

Click on map for interactive view