Cool Spring Preserve — Attraction in Charles Town

What a great place to visit. It is not big but we ( myself, husband and 2 kids) loved it. They have a nature playground which the kids loved and played on for a while. It's very easy to find, the directions take you right to it. The parking lot was pretty empty, there were only 2 other cars there and that was on a Sunday afternoon. The nature center itself is closed due to Covid. There are a few trails here. We took Linda's Loop which is 1.2miles long. If you walk this loop you'll pass some other trails/shortcuts. The loop is beautiful, you walk by a creek, see wildflowers, trees. Great place to see birds and if you are lucky some other wildlife. There are some spots where you can take a break and sit down on a bench. The wildflower trail takes you to a beautiful gazebo. There is a portable potty by the nature center. I wouldn't say this area is wheelchair accessible, the building itself might be but the rest of the area is mostly grass and hilly. If you are in the area check out this place. It's not super big but definitely...

We visited for turtle time, my kids of all ages loved it! The outside parts are also super cool, we did a trail and was able to borrow binoculars and a bag from them which made it extra fun!

I wanted to come on here though to say how special needs friendly it is ♥️ we visited 4/3/24 and there was a older women in particular working that spent some extra time with my autistic ((very talkative)) son, giving him attention he desired and helping him with all his questions. I never felt anyone was annoyed with him and that’s a rare find! He loves to talk and ask question and it can be overwhelming for some. It was his birthday and he wanted to come see the turtles, glad we picked this gem to visit. It made his day awesome. Will definitely be back and recommending a visit to similar families with kids...

Disappointed. My husband and I are in the area for a month or so, and we decided to give this preserve a look (after seeing all of the positive reviews).

If you have family members who are autistic or have sensory issues, I DO NOT recommend this trail. The nearby motor park drowned out any and all nature sounds and ruined any potential peace and enjoyment that could have been had at this park. I was in meltdown mode by the time we got half way through Linda's Loop. I shouldn't have to bring noise-canceling headphones on a hiking trail.

Maybe I was just distracted by all of the noise, but I was also disappointed to see the amount of nonnatives/invasives on the trails and would have liked to see more...