The observation park at RDU is a fun place to see planes take off and land. However it is not as good as it used to be for several reasons.Over time the view has decreased due to buildings and also trees obscuring the view The placards in the front rail need to be updated. Some of the types of planes featured are no longer relevant The playground is pathetic and needs refurbishing.There are dead periods of planes taking off and landing so it is best to check schedules.I still like it but it's just not as good as it could be. The observation deck is nice though with seating and there are restrooms.

As a planespotter, I was really excited to check this out while on a business trip. The place is nice with a platform with benches and a roof for shade/cover for rain. A big chunk of the view is obscured by a large building so taking videos of takeoffs isn't great. Photos can be done while the plane is between a light post and a large building. The park has the most minuscule playground. I don't have kids but I can't imagine it will entertain a kid for long. It is a decent place to go if you are even remotely interested in airplanes and it is a unique opportunity since many airports don't want to build or closed their decks post 9/11.

I brought my 2 kids here, 3 y.o. and 8 m.o. There is a sandbox and small climbing equipment, but nothing else. It did not keep my kids occupied as long as I had hoped. Unfortunately the observation deck faces a runway not in use, so you can't see planes land or takeoff. The active runways are blocked by trees and buildings, so the planes are already in the air before you can see them from the park. In spite of that, there is a nice sunny grassy area to enjoy a pretty day and let the kids run. We enjoyed that.

This is a fun and free use of an hour or so. There are diagrams of different plane bodies making it fun to see who can properly identify the planes. There are bathrooms and picnic tables at the observation area. Fun rain or shine!

We brought our 3 year old grandson to this observation park so that he could see airplanes up close. He did enjoy seeing the planes from the grassy area and the deck area. The playground is a disappointment, I am not sure who designed this area but there is only one piece of equipment to climb on made of metal and is for older children. This should be made clear on the site that this is not a park/play area for all ages and could be dangerous for young children. There is an open grassy area and a replica of a run way that bikes or skateboard could be used for riding on. Also a sandy area around the metal climbing equipment could be used if you knew to bring some toys that are sand appropriate, trucks, shovels, etc. if you are interested in seeing planes up close this is a good place to do this, free, places to sit , great place to watch sunset, but with the many greenways, parks , playgrounds in the triangle don't mistake this for one of those.