Save up to $15 on Kings Dominion Admission – More Great Deals for Summer Fun Here

3. $1 movies! – Also Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but different movies from Bowtie. FYI – the schedule for Va Center and Short Pump are identical. Check it out.

4. Not free, but worth checking out – Cobblestones Splash Zone. Be sure to print out your $2 off coupons!

5. Flying Squirrels “Squirrel Tails Kids Club” – with free membership, kids get free tickets to Sunday home games.

6. More free Flying Squirrel Tickets! Every “A” on your child’s 3rd and 4th quarter report cards can be redeemed for a free home game ticket. Take the report card with you to the office to get your tickets. Free tickets are only good for the child. Note that they will not allow you to get 4 tickets to the same game for four “A”s to cover the whole family. Still, not a bad deal.

7. Free Donuts! Krispy Kreme will give you a free donut for every “A” on your child’s report card (up to a half dozen).

8. Vacation Bible School (VBS) –  (here are a few of the well-known in the area)

• 6/27 – 7/1  First Baptist (Monument & Boulevard) 9 am – noon. Call 358-5458 with questions.
• 7/11 – 7/15 Stony Point Reformed Presbyterian (on Buford near Forest Hill Ave )  9 am – noon. Call  272-8111.
• 7/18 – 7/22  Cathedral (by the Landmark Theater)  8 am (check for exact start time) – noon
• 7/18/- 7/22  Ginter Park Baptist (Laburnum & Brook)  6:30 pm – 8:30 pm (can you say “Dinner Date”?)
• 8/8 – 8/12  St Thomas Episcopal  (Hawthorne Ave across from LGRA)  9 am  – noon

CMor and Science Museum of Virginia have plenty for kids all summer.

9. Science Museum of Virginia! Annual membership for 2 adults and all children in the household under 18 – $99 less than the cost of 3 visits for a family of 4. Discounts on camps, discounted IMax tickets, reciprocal benefits at lots of other museums throughout the country.And of course, right next door is the Children’s Museum of Richmond with plenty of kids activities, summer camps, and special events (CMoR also located in Short Pump).

10. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) – Annual Membership for 2 adults and children under 18 within the household – $75. Discounts on classes, programs and camps; free admission to special exhibits; free parking; discount at the museum shop; reciprocal museum benefits.

More ideas from some of our readers:

Chris Hollomon – chris@chrishollomon.com

1. A great place to beat the heat with little ones is Cartwheels & Coffee in Carytown, an indoor play area, that recently expanded, very cheap to play and great coffee, run by Area 10 Faith Community, but not churchy

2. Frisbee golf at Bryan Park or the east end… You don’t have to have all the fancy stuff to have a good time playing most any good sized frisbee will do just fine.  Locations at Dorey Park and Dunncroft/Castle Point Park also.

3. Maymont Petting Zoo (donation suggested)

4. The Nature Exhibit at Three Lakes Park

5. Crump Park has the trains, but there also a real caboose in Byrd Park for kids to play with.

6. Bass Pro Shop has activities for kids all the time and a large aquarium in the middle.

7. The fountain at Stony Point Fashion Park, wear a bathing suit and let the kids go crazy in it. Also, check out the live music Thursday – Sunday afternoons.

8. Downtown Ashland – grab some ice cream and a hot dog and wait for a train to pass. They seem to come about every 30minutes or so.

9. Don’t discount the great libraries! Chesterfield, Henrico, Heritage (serves New Kent and Charles City), Pamunkey Regional (serves Goochland, Hanover, King & Queen and King William) and Richmond, they have a lot of free programs and are a lot of fun.

10. Richmond SPCA – if you can pry your kids away, and mange to walk out without a puppy, the Richmond SPCA is a great place to look at dogs, pet them, and watch cats play

Mary Sheriff – silverbellsncockleshells@gmail.com

1. Stony Point Fashion Park – water play

2. Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens with membership – Children’s Garden and WaterPlay

3. Blueberry Picking at Swift Creek Berry Farm. (A favorite of my family – peach picking at  Chiles Peach Orchard and Carter Mountain Orchard. We make a day of it and have lunch in Charlottesville. ~Kate S.)

4. Wading at Pony Pasture

5. Half Pint Kids Club at Whole Foods

6. Library storytimes – Chesterfield, Henrico, Heritage (serves New Kent and Charles City), Pamunkey Regional (serves Goochland, Hanover, King & Queen and King William) and Richmond

7. Maymont (donation requested)