Robertson Millpond Preserve

You may remember back in 2022 when I shared my Annual Idea List. This is basically just a list of things I want to try or places I want to go, mostly local to our surrounding area in Raleigh. It consists of hikes, parks, etc. It's helpful when it comes to planning something (especially with kids) when I have a free day with not much going on, and I'm looking for something fun to do.

Last July, we had one such free Saturday and it worked out that we could go kayaking at Robertson Millpond Preserve. 

I had stumbled across this place on Google Maps one day and saw it had a ton of good reviews, so I was excited to check it out.

This ended up being one of my favorite days last year!

I had a dog training class with Sasha that ended at noon, so it worked out perfectly that Brian, Cam, and I could go out to lunch and go kayaking in the afternoon. I reserved the kayaks in advance through Tar River Life, which was very simple to figure out on the website page for Robertson Millpond.

We drove to Wendell (about 25 minutes from our home in Raleigh) and had a late lunch at Aubrey and Peedie's Grill, a little hole-in-the-wall joint with old-fashioned counter service. It was such a cute, feel-good spot that served hot dogs and hamburgers. It stayed crowded the whole time we were there, so clearly a favorite spot amongst the locals too.

After lunch, it was a short drive over to the Preserve. 

When we were headed there, I'll admit it was a bit questionable that this was going to be a good kayaking spot. We were driving down a country road and Brian was like "where the heck are we going?" and "are you sure there's kayaking near here?"  LOL! 

I wasn't sure what to expect, but once we arrived, it was set up in a way that there was no confusion. We saw the parking lot, the kayaks, and two guys hanging out on a picnic bench ready to give us instructions. Easy peasy.

The boating trail was secluded and swampy, but in a really neat way! It felt very safe to do with kids. It was shaded the whole way, so it was perfect for a hot, sunny day. The kayaking trail took us about an hour and you end at the same place you started.

It was such an unexpectedly neat place to visit right outside of Raleigh and we had such a fun time! :)