Outdoors
Portsmouth offers the best of all worlds…urban amenities, beautiful golf courses, and natural settings where you can explore local plants, waterways, and wildlife.
Spend a Day on the Fairway
Bide-a-Wee Golf Course is an eighteen hole, par 72 course with a total length of 6940 yards and a slope of 130. A Curtis Strange signature course, Bide-a-Wee was totally renovated and reopened in 1999. It features bent grass greens, narrow and challenging fairways lined with majestic pines, and a number of picturesque lakes and ponds throughout the course.
If you don’t have time for 18-holes, try the Executive 9-hole course and driving range located at The Links at City Park. The Links are also an AFGL Certified FootGolf Course for those interested in this new take on ‘golf’.
Bide-A-Wee
Golf like a pro on this Curtis Strange signature course, originally conceived in the 1950s by Chandler Harper.
The Links at City Park
Enjoy this 9-hole course and lighted driving range that runs along the Western Branch of the Elizabeth River.
Portsmouth City Park
Landscaped gardens, tennis courts, and picnic areas.
Adjacent to the 9-hole Executive Golf Course, City Park offers an AFGL certified FootGolf Course. The park has more to offer than golf, including waterfront picnic shelters, a skate park, tennis courts, fishing piers, boat launch and retrieval ramps with trailer parking, and a beautiful setting for walking, jogging, or just watching the river go by. While Portsmouth is known for its pocket parks throughout the city, City Park is definitely the crown jewel.
Golf Along the River
Try out the 9-hole executive length golf course, or discover a new way to golf with FootGolf.
Fishing Piers & Boat
Launches
Launch your boat from the 3-pier boat ramp and launch area, or go fishing directly from the pier.
Play All Day
Spend the day playing tennis on the fenced-in courts or on the state of the art playground and picnic areas.
Ride the Pokey
Smokey II
Hop in and tour around the grounds of City Park on this 24-seat miniature gasoline train.
Try Your “Hand” at Foot Golf
Not the best golfer but love the game? This combination of soccer and golf is for you!
Paradise Creek Nature Park
Restored Wetlands, Public Art & Walking Trails.
Experience first-hand the revitalization of urban nature in this 40 acre, waterfront park. An initiative of the Elizabeth River Project, Paradise Creek has over 2 miles of trails that incorporate nature to teach people of all ages the beauty and necessity of nature and art. Bring your own vessel to use our public handicap accessible kayak launch and get a close-up view of the nature around you.
Walk along
Art-Filled Trails
Sign up for
Events & Workshops
Climb around the
River Playground
Hoffler Creek Nature Preserve
142-acre land preserve in the Hoffler Creek watershed.
Previously used as farmland, this last parcel of the Hoffler Creek watershed has been preserved throughout the years to house over 200 species of birds, including the Bald Eagle. Rent or bring your own kayak to paddle through the tidal waters, or walk over 3 miles of trails to experience four separate habitats in one hike! With decks overlooking the lake, creek, and salt marsh, and bird blinds throughout the Preserve, there are plenty of locations to take in all of the beautiful views.
Explore the water with
Kayak Rentals & Tours
Hike along the
3+ Miles of Trails
View the
200+ Bird Species
20+ Parks to Enjoy
Visit the pocket parks throughout Portsmouth.
Pocket parks, or small parks that are accessible to the general public, are scattered throughout Portsmouth’s various neighborhoods. Whether it is Red Lion Square in Olde Towne or George Washington Park in Cradock, each offer a green, open space for adults to soak in and for children to have the freedom to run and play in the outdoors.
Looking for more outdoors fun?
Portsmouth Splash Park
Located in Columbia Park, the Portsmouth Splash Park has 12 varieties of colorful sprinklers and fountains that spray water upwards out onto the splash pad’s rain deck. This interactive aquatic venue offers family fun for everyone, bringing unique water play to the Portsmouth community.
For Gamers and Explorers
Walk along the Portsmouth Seawall or through the Olde Towne neighborhood and uncover Pokemon Go, Wizards Unite and other augmented reality games. If you’re looking to explore history or art while you exercise, the Path to History Self-Guided Walking Tour or the Public Art Scavenger Hunt are both informative and entertaining activities for the whole family.