Druid Hill Park

When explored the conservatory and botanical gardens. Absolutely stunning. Amazing architecture. Well designed and maintained greenhouses. $5 suggested donation. Amazing photograph opportunities.

Druid Hill Park is a massive and historic green space that feels like it has a lot of potential, but a visit here can be a mixed bag. On one hand, you have the gorgeous Rawlings Conservatory and the Maryland Zoo, both of which are major highlights. The park's sheer size is impressive, with plenty of room for walking, jogging, and exploring. The historic architecture and rolling hills are beautiful and offer a much-needed escape from the urban environment. However, the park's immense size also seems to be its biggest challenge. Some areas feel well-maintained and cared for, while others show signs of neglect. The paths and amenities can feel a bit dated and could use some serious updates. It’s not always the easiest to navigate, and some parts can feel a little unkempt. The large Druid Lake area is a nice feature, but the surrounding roads can be busy and make it feel less like a peaceful oasis. Overall, it's a park with a lot to offer and a rich history, but it's not without its flaws. It’s a great place to visit for the specific attractions like the zoo or conservatory, but as a whole, it’s an average park experience that could be so much more with better maintenance and a more cohesive feel.

Beautiful views, can’t wait til they complete the park. Great walking paths and different options for activities

This is a beautiful place to go walking, biking running and just playing around. Our family loves it! It’s also an excellent place for photo taking. There is a playground nearby. It is very scenic.

Spring it the most beautiful time to walk jog around the park or Druid Hill Lake Drive. The upgrades are available, pool, tennis, and a new walk path. The police have a station there and it is clean. The water is beautiful to watch. Enjoy the videos and pictures.

Love the size great park for the community to use good day for the Caribbean festival thanks

Good trails to walk, run or just enjoy the good weather .

Spacious park with many neat books and crannies to explore. There are many things to do including playing the unique/well-designed Frisbee golf courses, going to the zoo and/or visiting the conservatory.

Kinda tricky to get to the tower but after 3 attempts I finally found a way. It's a great view of the city from where the tower sits. You sure should visit if you're in the area.

This park is huge! I've always seen it listed as a popular venue for concerts and other events in the city. I finally visited this past weekend just to walk around and enjoy the warm weather. I would have never imagined there's so much in here! Saw signs for the zoo so I'll have to come back for that. Walked by the huge outdoor pool (it's not open yet) but I'm sure in the summer, that place is packed! There are plenty areas to park. I scooped out nice places for a mini photoshoot! The park is clean and obviously, well maintained. I can appreciate that. It was very refreshing! I can see myself coming here again!

Great park, great place for a date picnic, let the kids have a fun time at the park for cheap, just to get away from the city for a few days. I highly recommend been living in this area for a few years, and I usually come here for long walks to think about my life and what I have accomplished and what I have. Highly recommend come to Dru Hill Park if you're in Baltimore or if you're not in Baltimore you want to see a nice park.

This is a nice park to take a stroll through, there's lots of statues and cool things to look at! The Jones Falls trail goes through the park, and that can take you a bit further to a cool little waterfall of sorts. Also saw that there is a very nice aquatic center in the park with water slides, there wasn't any water since it's winter, but I bet it's great in the summer Just a heads up, there is quite a bit of construction going on around the lack so some of the views and trails are currently obstructed

Druid Hill park is a pretty huge park. You can do a lot of bicycling or jog and walk. Nice place to bring your furry animals. My favorite place to just chill and relax under a tree and take in some social distancing time during Covid19. We also found that this is a good spot to have a nice picnic or possibly grill. They have several porta potties and a public restroom which is not the cleanest but still a way to relieve yourself if needed. There is constant parking nearby. Also the entrance to the zoo. Is very close nearby. So if you're looking for a huge park to see with a lot of druids nearby this would be the park for you. Why not give it a stroll on a nice beautiful day and intake all the sunshine that you can.

Lovely! A very large park with so much greenery and interesting sights all around like the zoo, a botanical garden/conservatory, a lake, etc. If you are here for a run, here are some tips: - I was able to complete 4 mile around the perimeter of the park plus about 2 more miles going around the lake and some (a route I found online). Most people park/start at the tennis courts. Follow around the lake and then eventually when you end up in the park, there will be path marked with footsteps which will be part of the Jones Falls Trails (I didn't know where I was going so I just trusted the footsteps when I found them). Just keep following that until you make your way back to the start and then make a loop around the lake to have a total of about 6 miles! - Paved mostly but there are some non-paved smaller trails if you wanted - True to its name, it is in generally hilly with the addition of some steep hills to top it off. I ran a 10K race here once and it's not the place to get a personal best. This is a well maintained park. The only drawback is that there is still construction going on, but I imagine it's to make the park even better than it already is!

This is such a beautiful park. Recently had a photoshoot here and there was plenty of room to social distance and have a great time. The area where all the flowers and trees are is well groomed. Its such a well taken care of park. It was lovely seeing so many people out and having a picnic, biking, walking or just simply being. The area around the lake was closed off due to construction but hey there is so much to look at. I was told the project (construction) is suppose to be completed in 2022. All in all the few times I have been to this part, pre-covid until now its been a great experience each time. Come on and check it out!! *Some history from wikipedia* The land was originally part of "Auchentorlie", the estate of Dr George Buchanan (1696-1750), one of the seven commissioners responsible for the 1729 establishment of Baltimore Town, which was laid out by the commissioners the following year. Buchanan's country estate northwest of the town, and on the west bank and overlooking the Jones Falls stream running south to "The Basin" (today's Inner Harbor) of the Northwest Branch of the Patapsco River and future Port of Baltimore, included 579 of the 745 acres (3.01 km2) that comprise Druid Hill Park today. Renamed "Druid Hill" by Col. Nicholas Rogers, who married Eleanor Buchanan, it was purchased in 1860 by the City of Baltimore from family descendant Lloyd Rogers with municipal funds raised by the revenue derived from a one-cent park tax on the nickel horsecar fares, put through by 19th Mayor Thomas Swann, (1809-1883; served 1856-1860) - (later 33rd Governor of Maryland - served 1866-1869).[4] After its purchase, Druid Hill Park was inaugurated by Swann on October 19, 1860. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Local residents often refer to the park as "Dru Hill" Park, a "Baltimorese" (local dialect) corruption of its given name, itself the inspiration for the name of the popular local R&B group Dru Hill.

I visited for AFRAM; just one of the many times that I have taken advantage of this large City park. There is a trail to run or walk, as I saw several city dwellers doing on this not too hot summer eve. Along our trek to the venue, we found many park benches. There was parking along the roads, and some grassy lots. Bring your dogs and blankets for a nice outing. Or you may just prefer to rest upon the grass as I witnessed a few festival goers doing, too.

My husband and I explored Druid Hill Park for an hour or so this past weekend. The park is the third oldest established park in the US and Baltimore's fist large municipal park. The park has some running/walking trails, athletic fields, picnic tables/pavilions, and a disc golf course. The park also contains the Baltimore Zoo and the Howard P. Rawlings Conservatory and Botanic Gardens. The park is under a lot of construction; the walk around the lake is closed as part of that construction so you have to leave the park and re-enter it past the construction. However, it's a large park, and there's still plenty to do despite the construction. There weren't sidewalks along every stretch of road, so we ended up walking in the street a bit (especially in the north part of the park near Woodberry). I can see myself spending time here - especially running or walking along the reservoir/lake (even though you can't complete the loop right now due to the construction). But once the construction is complete, this could be a really wonderful park for walking, hiking, running, biking, exploring...!

I ran a 5k around this park and found it quite stunning. Quite honestly, I wanted to specifically run the Pro Football Hall of Fame 5k because it was in Druid Hill and due to the fact that my musical taste has not evolved from the late 1990s, and I wanted to stop by and pay tribute to Jazz, Woody, Nokio, and Sisqo. Now, I know this park had a reputation back in the day and it has really cleaned their act up. However, knowing this, the first thing I saw when I parked and got out of the car, was the cutest old lady (70-80ish) walking her Yorkie in house coat with a 2x4 with nails in it. Being that it was 6 am and dark, there were no home renovations around and the lady and her dog both looked like they had seen some things in their lifetime, I decided to wait in the car for other runners to arrive. When daylight broke and the park was filled with sunshine, I discovered it was beautiful. The park has a disc golf course, a gorgeous reservoir to run around,boat lake, pool, a zoo, a trail that runs through a nice watershed area (http://www.baltogreenmap.org/pdf/JonesFallsGreenMap_Side1.pdf), and a botanical garden (http://www.rawlingsconservatory.org/). It has a lot of sites for an urban park. You can find everything the park has to offer right here: http://www.opengreenmap.org/greenmap/druid-hill-park. Also to let you in on a little secret, the best views of Baltimore and the park can be had by the Moorish Tower in the park. Great photo spot. And they have a farmers market here on Wednesday! Now let's get back to safety issues and the park. After meeting the squirrels of Druid Hill Park, I now understand why that lady had the 2x4. I watched one squirrel take a cookie off the runners table and stare at me while it ate it. No amount of rabies vaccine made me want to grab a cookie after that. Another one took a sandwich and then ate it while watching everyone on top of a recycle bin. These squirrels are savage. I want to come back for a full moon hike (http://www.druidhillpark.org/full-moon-hike.html) but I am kinda scared of the squirrels. So if you're in Baltimore on a beautiful day, I recommend a quick run/jog walk around the Reservoir Loop or even looking into the tours hosted by the Friends of Druid Hill Park: http://www.druidhillpark.org/. Go ahead and Enter the Dru.

Druid Hill Park is awesome, and it's crazy how much work they have been doing on it over the last few months. I can't wait to see how things look when it's finally all redone. Think it will be an even more popular location than it already is. I recently spent the weekend here while attending AFRAM 2019 and was shocked by just how big it is, and how much of that area actually counts as the park. They were able to completely transform the large space and it made me think of all the other events that could be happening here in the future.

A respectable inner city park, Druid Hill houses a zoo and a conservatory, both of which are paid. It's free, though, to park here and wander around the greenery, and it's close to a couple of stops on both above ground and below ground trains. On my most recent stop, they were doing work around the lake, but in general the aesthetics aren't bad, and it's a welcome change of pace from the rest of the city.

Mane beautiful parks, Druid Hill Park is definitely one of the better parks. You have lots of parking spaces. Even on busy days there is usually easy parking. There are many things to do here. From a long walk by the water, to some ball games, I find this park a perfect place for a whole day of fun. Farmer market where you can purchase organic groceries. Support the vendors who are local, and are not a big Monopoly. Just some people trying to make living from what they make. I enjoyed, wishing the best for all the farmers.

This is a nice long track park that surrounds a large reservoir. It is gorgeous in the change of seasons because the trees yield beautiful cherry blossoms or gold leaves. There is small park like gym equipment for those who want to practice their high jumps or do some push ups- Who will love it? 1. LONG TRAIL: If you're someone who wants a nice long track to bike, run, or walk the dog, this trail is super long. I love that it has hidden gems of sculptures and carvings around the park for you to take a look or use as a landmark along your run. Great for kids, elderly, couples, and I love that ANYONE will love it. 2. Statues and art: There is a large wizened man's face carved beautifully where cars are parked. There are also nice historical monument like statues around. 3. Nature lover: If you're a bird watcher, one can see many bird species such as the red winged black bird that makes a lovely flash of red and black as it flashes by you around the reservoir. Plus you're right by the other arboretums and gardens of Johns Hopkins to continue your nature exploration

My family rented a pavilion for our first annual family reunion. The pavilion was a little hard to find because it was back past the pool. Thankfully the family had put up balloons to direct us. The area was nice and clean and we even had a port a pot. Unsure if that was rented or came with the rental of the pavilion. It was a nice area. It felt secluded but, in a good way. It was plenty of room for us. The kids also had plenty of room to play. We even had room to have a volley ball net set up. Our first family annual reunion was a true success. I look forward to our 2nd one.

Beautiful and enjoyable! When they say "hill" they mean "HILL" just fyi; but you can do it!!!! Peyton out!

I came here on Saturday morning for 9am water aerobics at the pool and had the most fun time. The pool is beautiful. There is a smaller pool for swimming laps and a huge pool that starts off with a shallow beach entry and gets gradually deeper. The water was very clean. There were tons of available beach chairs around the pool area. The water aerobics class was $3 and was an absolute blast. The instructor, Michael, was very energetic and it was an unexpectedly good workout. Lots of jumping and moving. I kind of expected it to be for an older crowd, but there were folks of all ages and abilities. The class ended with everyone getting in a circle, holding pool noodles, and doing stretches which may sound hokey but was actually quite heartwarming and sweet (and prevented everyone from drifting away). I can't wait to become a regular of this class and experience more of what Druid Hill park has to offer! Pool schedule: http://bcrp.baltimorecity.gov/recreation/aquatics/swim-schedule

It's so peaceful here. Druid Hill Park has so much to offer. The view of the Reservoir and I83 while you walk is simply amazing. I LOVE walking on the trails which is much better than going to the gym. I love the events they have during the Spring, Summer, and Fall mornings. Farmers Market on Wednesdays at 5:00 is simply amazing as well. Druid Hill is one of the best things here in Baltimore

Love this park! You gotta take the trail around the reservoir, it leads to a gorgeous overlook of the city, on the far end where the white tower stands. There are tennis courts, basketball courts, public swimming pool open in the summer, and all kinds of festivals! On Sunday afternoon/evenings there is a drum circle at one of the pagodas that's been happening there for more than 20 years! Go dance, drum, listen, enjoy! On Wednesdays in the summer there is a farmer's market in front of the conservatory from 3pm to 7pm. Be sure to check out this hidden gem soon! It's about to go under major construction and changes. Due to homeland security - they are putting the drinking water (our reservoir) into tanks buried under ground. But they promise we will have a small lake that we will actually be able to boat in instead of the fenced reservoir we could only view. Time will tell...

I remember when Druid Hill Park was known as a death trap because it was a favorite hangout for gang members and druggies. Now? It's still a death trap because of the cyclists. Picture this: I'm enjoying a nice, quiet stroll through the orange, yellow, and gold canopies when all of sudden I hear someone yelling at me to get out of the way. Before I even have time to step aside, a biker whizzes by just inches from me and gives me a dirty look. 10 minutes later, two more bikers practically run me over yet they're the ones cursing at me for being in their way. Seriously? I should have really gotten in their way by kicking their bikes over! Why would you not slow down when you see there are people ahead of you?? The paths that meander through the park are very curvy so I can understand why cyclists would have a lot of fun riding the curves. However, the paths are also very narrow. I think there should be separate bike paths so the bikes can stay away from the joggers and walkers. Another option would be signs asking bikers to yield to pedestrians. Aside from the cyclists, Druid Hill Park have come a long way in the last 20 years. You don't have to go into the zoo to see some pretty cool wildlife; we spotted two deer on our walk. This is a great place for picnics and long walks. And even bike-riding.

Love the park. I just wish there wasn't a huge fence separating you and the view of the lake. Really ruins the experience of being by a lake.

We came here randomly on a Thursday night for a walk. This is such a great park in Baltimore to have for longer runs. The sunset is great. They even had a random last Thursday live music concert that was a pleasant surprise.

Absolutely beautiful! We saw the statues of Druids! You can walk around the water! The zoo closes early on Saturday so make sure you get there before 5! Lots of people trying to roller skate! There is even a bike trail. Very beautiful

Druid Hill Park is a great location if you want to walk around the lake etc, or exercise. I bike quite a bit so i do come here more often, its beautiful and its a nice spot to get some exercise in, or taking in the scene...

We had a really nice walk around the lake and we love the farmers market they have there on Wednesdays!

Great for Picnics, tennis, basketball, roller blading. Swimming pool options not the best but it's large.

Great park with tons of free parking. I mostly use it for running around the lake, but the wide, car-sized lanes makes it so you could ride laps on your bike as well. Within the park is the Howard Peter Rawlings Conservatory & Botanical Gardens (definitely should check out) and the Maryland Zoo. There are plenty of tennis courts, basketball courts, picnic tables and pavilions, walking trails, and more. Keep your eye out for the large carved wood-spirits all over the park!

Home of the Maryland Zoo and some really nice activity areas. The zoo rocks, you get much closer to the animals then at most zoo's. They do all kinds of fun events for the holidays. There are picnic areas; watch out for Yogi and Boo-Boo. The Jones Falls Trail goes Through the park, and there are tennis courts, and things to gaze upon (statues and such). There is even a few places that offer good views. There are gardens and way too much other stuff for me to list. But, There is a really cool disc golf course that is challenging enough for advanced players but still beginner friendly. There are a few really cool holes here that are just fun to play. Disc golf is like traditional ball golf; you start on a tee pad and navigate the fairway to complete the hole. The difference is that in disc golf you use a Frisbee. If you have never tried disc golf get off your couch and give it a try...fun for everyone

Druid Hill park is a great place to go to if you are in the area. The park is huge with plenty of parking and picnic areas. There are different trails that you can check out in the park. There is also a big lake in the middle of the park with a trail along it so if you want to run/bike/walk along the lake you can do so. On the trails inside the park, you can find cool tree sculptures along some if the trails. There are always some kind of activities inside the park so you will always run into some kind of events. This park is perfect for everyone! There are trash cans throughout the park to keep the oark clean. There is a big tower right by the lake along one of the trail that offers a great view over the highways and parts of the city. There are also different "gym stations" along the trails so if you want to do some pull ups or bench press, you can moat certainly do so! I think that is a great idea as well :) Overall, I think Druid Hill Park is an awesome place that will take you away from the stress/hassle of city life, definitely a hidden charm of Baltimore.

This is an awesome park with an awesome disc golf course. Come down, there's some disc golf discs for sale

Definitely go in the spring when the trees are blossoming! It is an extremely peaceful and beautiful area. Great for walks around the lake and picnics on the grass. Also, there are many people working out so you can go get encouraged to run around and stop at the specific work out zones.

Druid has a somewhat mixed track record and it's not in the greatest neighborhood, but I've been coming to it for years now and have never had a problem. The trails are great to run on and offer a great segway from the Penn Station area of downtown to Woodberry & Hampden. The disc golf course is also awesome - 18 great holes and typically a great crowd. As an aside, you also have tons of tennis courts, open fields, a great lake, and the MD Zoo.

Passed by the park a few times over the years but never stopped to enjoy the many possibilities of outdoor enjoyment. Today we were here to volunteer and run in the Celtic Solstice 5 mile run sponsored by the Falls Road Running in conjunction with the Baltimore Parks Service. Cold day to be running with friends, but the cool air and excitement of getting out and enjoying the parks winter colors was nipping at our heals. Well maybe it was the need to get warm by running. I plan to come back to Druid Hill Park for a few more winter runs and maybe if we can get some snow....bust out the snowshoes. I still haven't seen the statue of Braveheart?

Similar to another review, I remember YEARS ago when this park was crap. My parents would not allow me to go to the park since it was known to be a haven for all types of vices. And into my adulthood, I simply shied away from this park. Well fast forward to this 2013, I am pleasantly surprised at the progression of Druid Hill Park. My friend decided to have a cookout here and did not obtain a permit. We eventually found a lone table and started out cookout. It was so nice seeing the updated playgrounds and cut grass for the children to run around. It was beautiful clear day, the areas were mostly clean, and the reservoir was sparkling. My only gripe...although we found a lone table, it was near a tree and there were a CRAP load of leaves under the bench with other bottles. I can wait to come back and have a nice picnic by the water.

So, I really miss living near parks. I prefer to have a decent size one right outside my apartment, with water, trees, and places to walk my dog and be alone. I need to be outside, vibing out, sitting under a tree, at least 3x a week to be perfectly happy. Druid Hill's pretty nice, but I don't live nearby (nearby means walking distance to me). Went here on a September afternoon with 3 others and enjoyed my time here. The trees are heavy and provide some respite from the concrete, and Baltimore's hilly terrain always makes being outside more interesting than a flat city. Reminds me so much of Cincinnati, really. I like its size and that there is so much to check out--will need to return several times to find all that it offers.

Only 4 stars because I don't live right next to it anymore. This is one of the nicest parks around and certainly one that you can get lost in. The MD zoo is in the middle, the Jones Falls Trail runs right through the park, there are multiple tennis courts on the east side as well as an awesome disc golf course hidden within. From the edge of the reservoir you can get some of the best views of the city. Various statues and monuments to gaze at. Tons of biking and jogging trails and host to many a community picnic and party. Feel free to make as many Dru-Hill references as you want when you are there.

Amazing park in Baltimore, home to the Maryland Zoo, the Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory and Botanic Gardens of Baltimore, a fantastic 18 hole disc golf course, and amazing Cherry Blossoms in the spring. Convenient to downtown Baltimore, right on the subway, and free. The R&B group Dru' HIll takes their name from this park!

Fun park to excersise nd take the dog for a walk. A beatiful resivoir nd friendly people everywhere nice park in md

Came here to run a 5K race and absolutely loved it. Never knew such a huge park with a little lake in the middle exists in Baltimore. Would definitely be back!

What a gorgeous park! (with the Maryland Zoo included, too, no less) It has so many trails so its perfect for bikes, walks and there are playgrounds, too if you have kids. On one side is a gorgeous lake and a pool, too! Definitely coming here again :)

Im a fan of this park, has the best disk golf course in the city. wish they had a better trail through the woods but that about it. other wise i would say the park has it all for a city party, not to bad & would deftly recommend going there.