Check out the updated ideas from our readers included below – Keep the great ideas coming for great summer fun!
Happy Summer, Everyone!
MORE IDEAS! (Updated 8/2/2011)
Kings Dominion is making it more affordable and fun to visit the park. Celebrate Pink Days through August 22, 2011. Online tickets are just $38.99 and $1.00 goes back to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Buy a floating Snoopy and you may win a car! Save up to $15 on admission during August and enjoy the “Fun & Only” at Kings Dominion Park.
Christmas in July at Short Pump Mall – visit with Santa and more Christmas characters, great discounts, holiday music and COOL fun!
FREE Tea on July 28 at McAlister’s – take the kids and enjoy lunch.
FREE Sports Seminar at VCU for kids on August 10, 2011 – but seating is limited. Click to register early.
Richmond Rocks! – Summer reading for kids and it’s FREE! Contact us.
REAL Cute Kids contest – free photos taken and a chance to win BIG prizes!
Couture Images Modeling – Click here to learn more. July 22 is the big day!
LiveSky Planetarium Presentation at Science Museum of VA – July 15!
Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg, VA – GREAT discounts! NEW SPECIALS for August, 2011 and some extending through November, 2011. Click here for information.
The initial suggestions in this article come compliments of Liza Forness. She’s found 10 FUN things for kids this summer. Our readers and staff have added to it and we will continue to do so throughout the summer.
Several people asked Liz to send links for some of the fun events she’s found for kids this summer. Here is what she provided and you’ll see that these are great fun events, so your kids won’t be saying “I’m bored” before summer ends! Click the links to learn more.
1. Free Bowling! Two games per day every day form Memorial Day through Labor Day. Shoe rental required (or provide your own – try Dick’s Sporting Goods for reasonable price.
2. Free movies – Tuesdays and Wednesdays at Bowtie on Boulevard – visit the website. Also
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
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 – [email protected]
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 – [email protected]
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)
We'd love your ideas, too Richmonders–please submit any/all free and low-cost ideas you have here for other parents to benefit from!
Stoney Point Mall–water play
Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens with membership
Blueberry Picking at Swift Creek Berry Farm
Wading at Pony Pasture
Half Pint Kids Club at Whole Foods
Library storytimes
Maymont (donation requested)
1: a great place o beat the heat qith little ones ia cartwheels and 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 Bryant 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
3: Maymont petting zoo
4: the nature exhibit at Three lakes park
5: I think it’s crump park that 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 its not just for redder of necks to enjoy.
7: the fountain at stony point, wear a bathing suit and let the kids go crazy in it
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, your noun to see one really up close
9: don’t discount the great library’s in Richmond and henrico, they have a lot of free programs and are a lot of fun
10: 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
By
Thanks, Chris, those are all great ideas! Appreciate it. I wish I had more time to do all of those. . .have a great summer :-)