Just off Airport Boulevard near Raleigh-Durham International, there is a fabulous wilderness park with playgrounds, boating, and an awesome wildlife observation tower. You can rent boats or bring your own canoes and kayaks to launch off of the accessible and public boat launch for an amazing day on the lake, where you can view heron and all sorts of fish up close. There is a lovely open play area in a field near the lake, great for frisbee and other sports. A sand Volleyball court is also located near the boat launch. 
The thing that makes Crabtree Park memorable for us, though, is the 4-story observation tower overlooking the lake. The kids love running up the stairs to the top and gazing out to watch birds or planes fly by. I hope you and your family get a chance to spend a sunny day there soon!
With Love,
Turtle Dove
Know Before You Go: There are restrooms at the tower, the manager building, and the public boat ramp area. There is no food available, but water fountains are located at the tower.
Each of the 2 playgrounds are shaded and near the lake and picnic shelters.
There is a cool old historic home site if you take the trail from the open playspace. It has some great interpretation about growing tobacco.
Certain trails are closed from time to time. Check the website and look for signs to stay off of unsafe trails. Parts of the greenway are under construction as of May 1, 2018.
Fishing at the park is catch and release.
This place is great if you have a little aircraft enthusiast or for anyone who wants to see a few planes take off and land up close. A little jungle gym and a mini mock runway make great additions, but the real draw is the observation deck overlooking the small aircraft hangars and the western runway near the control tower. My children love leaning against the deck rails watching planes come in, especially when we are waiting for someone traveling or waving goodbye as someone heads out. (They wave goodbye to every plane for good measure). They also love running the little runway, pretending to race the big planes. Hope you get to check it out next time you’re dropping someone off for a flight or just for fun on a clear day!
With Love, Turtle Dove 