Mint Springs Valley Park

An Albemarle County park tucked into a valley at the foot of the Blue Ridge, built around two small lakes with wooded ridges rising on three sides.

One lake has a sand beach with lifeguards in summer, the other is fished for bass and bluegill; picnic shelters, grills and a shaded playground fill the flat ground between them. A network of trails climbs from the valley floor into the hills for anyone who wants more than a stroll.

Unpretentious and mostly local — the kind of place where you swim, grill and leave. Open from 7 a.m. to dusk; swimming is seasonal and carries a small fee, everything else is free.