Riverbend Park Visitor's Center is a smaller center with a small gift shop that sells snacks, drinks, ice cream, live bait for fishing, and other gift and outdoor items. It has bathrooms and a small outdoor seating area with a decent river view. The staff is very helpful. The adjacent park features more than 400 acres of forest, meadows, and ponds with spectacular river views, beautiful wildflowers, birds, and a magnificent display of bluebells in the spring. Its trails are good, easy, and pretty flat, suitable for older folks, and include a portion of the Potomac Heritage Trail. This trail provides nice access going north or south to Great Falls, which can be hiked to in about 40 minutes. The park has lots of picnic tables, riverside picnic areas, and a boat launch. Paddlers enjoy exploring islands in the Potomac River, while families and serious anglers fish from the shady riverbank. There is free parking available most of the time, but the area can get very full. The separate nature center can be rented by calling the park.
