# E. Carroll Joyner Park > Place to go for families in the Raleigh–Cary area (NC). Times are Eastern Time. - When: Open daily dawn to dusk. - Where: E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Rd, Wake Forest, NC 27587 - Ages: All ages - Price: No admission fee listed - Schedule: Open daily dawn to dusk. - Organizer: Town of Wake Forest Parks, Recreation & Cultural Resources - Official page: https://www.wakeforestnc.gov/parks-recreation-cultural-resources/parks-facilities/e-carroll-joyner-park - Last checked: Sat, Oct 24 Source: Grassy Knees is a directory of real family events, places and programs for kids across major U.S. metro areas, where every listing is researched from the organizer’s own page and shows the date we last checked it. https://grassyknees.com covers 42 metro areas as of Oct 24, 2026, with more added regularly. About: https://grassyknees.com/about Freshness: listings are re-checked on a daily research run (latest check 2026-10-24), and new events are added as organizers post them. Sell-outs, weather cancellations and time changes show up on the live page first: https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/e-carroll-joyner-park--listing-055ab19a667472d3c5fae2dd ## About Wake Forest's largest park: 117 acres on a former farm donated by Dr. E. Carroll Joyner, opened in 2009. Families can walk three miles of paved trails through a pecan grove and past restored farm buildings and a 2,000-foot stone ribbon wall, explore the Walker Garden and Performance Garden, fish, and spread out on the 1,000-seat lawn amphitheater. Charcoal grills are provided (personal grills are not allowed), dogs must be leashed, and the Joyner Park Community Center on site hosts town classes. Each April the trails carry a StoryWalk picture book. ## Similar picks in Raleigh - [Nocturnal Animals at Crowder County Park](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/nocturnal-animals-at-crowder-county-park--listing-a35a0140d91a97c7cae45577) — Thu, Oct 29 · 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM · Crowder County Park, Apex · All ages · Free · checked Oct 24. An evening nature program at Crowder County Park in Apex about what comes alive after dark. A park naturalist explains what local critters do when the sun goes down, then the… - [Bird Watching at Dix Park](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/bird-watching-at-dix-park--listing-e0cd7a7f2965d3ed17a9a348) — Sat, Oct 31 (+1 more date) · 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM · Stone Houses Visitor Center, Dix Park · Free · checked Oct 24. A free monthly birding walk at Dorothea Dix Park led by instructor Bella Insignares. Participants learn to identify the park's resident and migrating birds by sight and by ear… - [Creepy Critter Month at Lake Crabtree](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/creepy-critter-month-at-lake-crabtree--listing-71d4de729c639eac1c7bcab3) — Oct 24 – Oct 31 · Lake Crabtree County Park, Morrisville · All ages · Free · checked Oct 24. Lake Crabtree County Park celebrates Halloween with a month of creepy-critter fun. Through Oct 31, families can follow the self-guided Creepy Crawly scavenger hunt along the… - [Lake Johnson Park](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/lake-johnson-park--listing-0861c5f3cb853b0721d5436a) — Park open daily; facility hours vary (see the park page and park alerts). · Lake Johnson Park — Waterfront Center · All ages · checked Oct 24. A 500-acre metro park and nature preserve around a 150-acre lake in southwest Raleigh. Families can walk or bike the paved greenway loops (East Loop 2.8 miles, West Loop 2.1… - [Ann and Jim Goodnight Museum Park at the NC Museum of Art](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/ann-and-jim-goodnight-museum-park-at-the-nc-museum-of-art--listing-526918abe87a8062d5de4f9c) — Park open daily including holidays, dawn to dusk. Galleries, store and café… · North Carolina Museum of Art — Museum Park · All ages · Free · checked Oct 24. A 164-acre park around the North Carolina Museum of Art with 4.7 miles of paved and natural-surface trails, a terraced pond, gardens and large outdoor artworks that kids love to… - [Bass Lake Park](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/activities/bass-lake-park--listing-58f84548a81a703721c113e5) — Park open 8 am–sunset year-round. Boat rentals seasonal. · Bass Lake Park, Holly Springs · All ages · checked Oct 24. A nature park in Holly Springs around Bass Lake, home to many native plants and animals that families can spot along the park trails and the connecting greenway. The Visitor… ## More for families - [This weekend in Raleigh](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/this-weekend) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/raleigh/this-weekend.md) - [Things to do with kids in Raleigh](https://grassyknees.com/raleigh) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/raleigh.md)