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| Hidden Treasure: Sandy Bottom Nature Park | |||||||||
| Sandy Bottom Nature Park can be enjoyed by all nature lovers and people who are not too fond of the environment. This park is located on Big Bethel Road in Hampton. The park is open year-round, and the Nature Center is closed on Mondays. There are plenty of activities for people of all ages to learn and have fun. Some activities include camping, hiking, biking, nature trails, fishing, swimming, boating, kayaking, and canoeing. | |||||||||
| Sandy Bottom is a hidden treasure because most of the local public do not realize it is even there. This is from personal experience. I had no clue that this place even existed. This that means that people who visit our area from out of town probably wouldn?t know that it is there. Many more people should spread the word about this park, so that it would be more publicly known. | |||||||||
| In the interpretive building, which is sort of the home base for all the activities, there are a large variety of wildlife exhibits. They have a little pond which is the home to a few little turtles. They have snakes, birds, mice and an owl. The attendant was very knowledgeable about all the animals in the building. The most interesting one, to me, was the owl. I had never seen one before. It was small, and it had big eyes. I noticed that it seemed to never blink and I lost a staring contest with it. | |||||||||
| Some educational programs are offered at Sandy Bottom. These are great for learning how to take care of the environment and survival skills. Sandy Bottom hosts a lot of field trips for young children during the school year. "All schools located within the City of Hampton are not charged for these programs" ("Sandy Bottom"). �The children come to learn and to view wildlife with a hands-on perspective. The rangers at the park are helpful and fun to work with. | |||||||||
| The park has a conference room and a classroom that can both be reserved. The fees for renting are as follows: Classroom Rental = $25/hour, Conference room rental: Weekdays (Tuesday through 5:00pm Friday) = $100 for 3 hours Weekends = $400 for 5 hours. There is also a $100 security deposit, mailed back to you 4-6 weeks after the event. "You may also pay $30 for each additional hour, if available, up until midnight" ("Sandy Bottom"). |
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| The park consists of 456-acres of land. It includes two beautiful lakes, wooded trails for walking or running, wetland areas, picnic areas, a playground for children, tent cabins and a nature center. | |||||||||
| Fishing is allowed, with a permit, from the large pier, or from a boat. Fishers can rent boats for the following prices: 10' Jon Boat at $3 per hour for 2 people and a 14' Jon Boat at $4 per hour for 4 people. Fishers are allowed to keep anything they catch unless it is a Largemouth Bass that measures 14" or larger. | |||||||||
| Paddle boating and canoeing are my favorite activities of the park. Not only are they both relaxing, but they are fun and a good source of exercise. I remember when I first went canoeing; I was terrified that I was going to fall in the water. The boat was wobbly, and my partner and I had the hardest time trying to figure out how to roe without going in circles. After we finally figured out, we raced our friends to the end of the lake. Some of our friends ended up getting stuck on the edge of the lake in a muddy area, and we came to their rescue. It was a lot of fun. During our time in the water, we canoed over to a deck and got out of our boats and just sat and talked. We could see some of the fish that were swimming up near the deck. Some fish were big and some were small. You can get up close and personal with some of the fish and wildlife in their natural habits. Soon, our hour was up and we went to rent for another hour. Paddle boats and canoes both rent out for $4 per hour. | |||||||||
| Admission and parking for the park is free. There is a gift shop so that you will remember you experience. Overall, Sandy Bottom Nature Park is one of the rare times you can have educational fun. It is safe to say that you cannot do everything in one visit. It leaves nature lovers, and non-nature lovers, wanting to come back for more. | |||||||||
| Works Cited | |||||||||
| Sandy Bottom Nature Park." City of Hampton, Virginia. 12 Jul 2006 <http://www.hampton.va.us/sandybottom/index.html> |
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