Checkered Flag fans are some of the luckiest in VA! There are tons of summer fun options right at your fingertips. In doing some personal research for things to do with my little school age "creatures" I found a cool resource for fun things to do.
Cool Places for Grade Schoolers
Williamsburg - Jamestown Settlement is the story of America's first permanent English colony. See the replicas of the three ships that sailed from England to Virginia in 1607. Other highlights include the colonists' fort and a Powhatan village.
Chantilly - Sure, you can pick fresh produce and fruit all on your own at Ticonderoga Farms, but the real fun is in the bamboo maze, hayrides, hillside slides, log cabins and hay forts, Noah's Ark, the wishing well, animal petting area, and swinging bridge. It's a day of fun and then some!
Massanutten - Kids can take to the air at Massanutten Resort with pint-sized zip line and canopy tours. Since they'll want to do it over and over again, tickets are very reasonably priced - 3 trips for $12 or 6 for $18. Kids 5 to 12. Don't worry Mom, they have adult tours, too!
Hampton - At the Virginia Air & Space Center, children can experience flight controls and wing walking, ride in a World War II bomber and become an air traffic controller. This is such a cool place, plan to spend the entire day!
Mount Vernon - Take the grand tour of Mount Vernon, George Washington's Estate and Gardens by way of the Kids' Adventure Map, a sleuth's tool to solve nine puzzles. Younger grade schoolers (up to age 8) will enjoy Hands-on History! It's a room dedicated to creative play with 18th century clothing and more.
Natural Bridge - Beneath The Natural Bridge is the Monacan Indian Village depicting Native American woodland culture with real Native Americans explaining their way of life and demonstrating how they lived 300 years ago.
Danville - Encourage your child to explore at the Danville Science Center. See the Butterfly Station, and look for cocoons, mix nectar and map a Monarch's migration. The awesome Outdoor Sound exhibit is another popular attraction!
Roanoke - Mill Mountain Zoo is home to 74 species of mammals, birds and reptiles, including Snow Leopards, Red Pandas, Japanese Macaque, and Andean Condor. Ride the ZooChoo train, too!
Charlottesville - The Virginia Discovery Museum offers plenty of hands-on experience for children ages 1-13. One of the most popular permanent exhibits is See the Bees alive in their hive! A new exhibit is Camping in the Blue Ridge, a hands-on exhibit that explains what camping is all about.
Roanoke - The Science Museum of Western Virginia features a 45-station Science Arcade, all hands-on fun! Children also love the Illusions Gallery, where things aren't all as they appear. The Hopkins Planetarium and MegaDome Theater are part of the total package of this kid-friendly fun place, too.
Ridgeway - Feel the love at Infinity Acres Alpaca Farm & Petting Ranch! Discover the joy and come talk to some of the most adorable animals on earth: goats, alpacas, llamas, horses, ducks, chickens, potbelly pig, miniature donkey, blacksheep, rabbits and more.
Newport News - The Virginia Living Museum is the place to go if you're wild about wildlife. See the combination native wildlife park, science museum, aquarium, botanical preserve and planetarium!
Newport News - The Mariners' Museum features more than 500 years of seafaring adventure! Kids love the cool figureheads and miniature ship models, and they can watch the conservation of real artifacts from the Civil War's ironclad USS Monitor, brought to the surface from its watery grave in the Atlantic Ocean.
Luray - The Luray Zoo displays the largest collection of cold-blooded reptiles in Virginia as well as other wild and wooly creatures. See the lifesize dinosaur replicas, too!
Staunton - The Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton features life on five different farms -- German, Scots-Irish, English, American, and the newest - West African. Kids love watching the farm animals and the farmers doing their chores, and this visit is a great integration with their school curriculum.
Williamsburg - Rent a costume and blend into 18th century Colonial Williamsburg, then check out Revolutionary City®, a place for children to interact with various characters in an informal, intimate setting.
Roanoke - Splash Valley Water Park has 20,000 square feet of amazing fun for children of all ages. Take the plunge on one of two 32-foot water slides, float along a river current, and splash around in a spray area. Bring your little brother and your big sister - lots for the whole family!
Buchanan Glow-A-Rama is an 18 Hole INDOOR BLACKLIGHT MINI-GOLF - with Blacklight Game Room and Blacklight Dance 'N Party Room. Worth the trip, this full amusement center is like no other.
Virginia Beach - Capt. Jack's Pirate Ship Adventures - Ahoy there, me hearties! Jump aboard the Lost Pearl and set sail for adventures on the high seas in search of treasure! Capt. Jack's Pirate Ship Adventures offers an oceanfront adventure cruise aboard a 65 foot US Coast Guard inspected ship. There is face painting, a pirate lesson, games, singing, dancing and lots of other fun. We often see dolphins and other wildlife along the way. At the end of our adventure, we track down Blackbeard and defeat him in a water cannon battle and reclaim our treasure. The children get to share in the treasure as a reward for their participation.
Source: [Virginia.org]
The Hampton Roads area and just beyond are a wealth of adventures for the family. Although the items listed are for grade schoolers, many of the items are fun for the older ones in your hoard as well.
Good luck in keeping the natives from being restless this summer. Stay logged in to checkeredflag.com for all the most up to date news and events around Hampton Roads and beyond.