Adults and children can come dressed in their Halloween best for an evening full of family fun at the Children’s Museum of Richmond – Central! Enjoy trick-or-treating in our Spooky Village, play fun games like pin the nose on the Jack-O-Lantern, paint pumpkins in The Backyard and so much more!
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You can really get some speed on this baby.
An impromptu family day off and desire to stick close to home in Glen Allen made this the perfect venue; finding $2/off coupons in ValPak ($2/off coupons also on the Cobblestones Park website) sweetened the deal. Our family-of-five grabbed towels, donned our swimsuits and headed five minutes up Staples Mill Road and here’s what we found:
An enormous pool. And I mean, enormous. Apparently it’s one of the largest on the east coast, and at 38,000 feet, I’d believe it. We loved the fact that it’s pretty shallow and even our six-year-old could touch in most places, and there aren’t many obstacles so we could see the kids everywhere.
Being a weekday, it wasn’t too crowded which was another bonus. This meant short lines and more waterslide fun on the two slick waterslides–one super-high fast one heading straight down and one more-tame twisty slide.
We spent several hours there, between swimming, sliding and jumping on the rhino and other floating animals that give kiddos a chance to get a jump into the water. There are also a bunch of smaller slides meant for little ones, but I noted that our six, eight, and eleven year olds weren’t embarrassed to take several turns on those, too.
I had no idea that they allow coolers which is brilliant because the one drawback we noted was that the snack bar area, even though it was plastered with “No Smoking” signs did smell strongly of smoke, so I wouldn’t have wanted to order lunch there.
We rate this park a solid “good” in terms of value and overall experience.
We ducked out for lunch then headed back–it’s open until 5:30pm so it was nice to have a hand-stamp and some flexibility to return at our leisure. The kids couldn’t seem to get enough of it, and while we were out we snagged our beach chairs as we saw that folks had brought theirs, and were able to get a little reading time in while the kids played (this was, admittedly to also catch our breath to keep up with them.)
After checking out Cobblestone’s Yelp reviews later tonight it appears the restrooms are pretty unclean, but we had left for lunch and hadn’t needed to use them while we were there. So I can’t comment there. Also note that they don’t sell tickets after 4:00pm each day.
Our eight year-old won the award for the most stairs climbed/slides accomplished. He was a machine!
There are season passes available, and if we hadn’t discovered this so late in the summer we would consider buying them (they’re actually half-price now).
For a waterpark experience without the drive to Kings Dominion and to save a bit by bringing in a cooler, it was a day well worth it at fifty dollars for our family. Hope you get to check it out and squeeze some fun out of these last hot and hazy Richmond summer days.
*Note: we received nothing from Cobblestone Park in exchange for this post, we just thought it was a little gem folks may want to know more about.
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Photo Source: http://falllinefest.com/
Richmond is known for festivals – and now a new one is joining the line-up!
Fall Line Fest will be a multi-day music, art, and food festival in downtown Richmond. It will feature high profile, diverse national and local artists playing multiple venues within Richmond’s downtown Arts District. Richmonders and visitors will enjoy dozens of galleries within the Arts District while participating in this one-of-a-kind festival.
And of course – there will be FOOD! Some of the area’s best and nationally recognized restaurants are located within this part of downtown Richmond. In addition, there will be a large array of great food trucks and local chefs cooking it up!
For more information, email info@falllinefest.com. You can also consider sponsorship opportunities for the event too. Visit this link to see the website and keep up with the event planning.
Watch for more details to come!
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**Editor’s Note: Jumpology isn’t an advertiser. We just wanted you to know about ‘em in this Real Richmond Review!
Trampolines wall to wall ? Grown-ups get to do it too? They have designated a special time slot for our special needs children? I AM IN!
Well unless you’re living under a rock, surely you’ve heard of Jumpology. It’s all the rage right now and I see why. I feel why too.
I loaded up the kids and spent an hour at Jumpology. I jumped around like a complete idiot and I had more fun than I should have. So trampolines are awesome..duh, but these things are better quality because you really bounce on them. I’m not gonna lie to you, it uses every muscle in your body without you even knowing. It’s like the sneakiest exercise ever. You think you’re just goofing off only to find out you did some strength training and cardio. I knew I was winded and sweaty but I was having so much fun I didn’t realize I was actually exercising.
I wasn’t the only one exhausted after that trip either. My kids were like little limp dishrags too and what parent doesn’t love that?
So here are my official notes on Jumpology:
The staff loves what they do and it shows. They are engaging and personable and during a time when customer service seems to be lost, I place a lot of value on this. I always like to ask employees how they’re treated, because frankly if you aren’t treating them well, I don’t want to give you my money. I chose Michael as my employee to pick on. He was great! He showed us jumping techniques and said he loved his job enthusiastically and that he was treated well . . .SCORE.
He didn’t waste any time telling us different activities and cool things to do there and he was delightful. The others staff members even
obliged me when I shouted “do it again” after doing a cool trick. Gavin, the manager was also great about showing us where to go, what to do, and how to not get in trouble. (It’s trampolines people, you gotta follow the rules).
Looks like the only type of person who might not really dig it there would be seniors, although I think a field trip to observe would be equally as fun. Who doesn’t love smiles and laughter?
•There is Club Gravity for 15yr olds and older with lasers every Friday and Saturday from 9-11pm.
•KidJump for the little guys ages 6 and under M-F 9am-noon AND accompanying adults jump FREE.
•Family Night every Monday from 6pm-9pm. The whole family gets in for $35 (AWESOME)
•Theme Night Thursdays with 80’s, hip hop, pajamas and more from 6-9pm. Check out the themes on their facebook page.
•Bounce Boards this is only $5/hr.
•Trampoline Dodgeball which is in a cage and if I have to tell you how much fun this is, then you’re a fuddy duddy and move on down the road.
•JumpFit which is an exercise routine with an intense crossfit workout. Check the website for deets on this one.
AND . . .
•Birthday parties!! You can bring your own food, get a hostess and more. Check out all the options.
I stronly encourage a week day visit for your first time. We turned Tuesday into a total party and tt’s not as crowded and you can really figure it out and be ready for a weekend trip or summer time trip. This will continue to be a hot spot for families over the summer. Also, if you are an adult, I would be very afraid of the foam pit.
It is amazingly fun to dive into it with reckless abandonment but GOOD LUCK getting out of it. Holy cow, I thought I was gonna have to live out the remainder of my life in there.
So to sum it up for you: It’s so much fun that it’s ridiculous, it’s clean, the staff is present everywhere, fun and courteous and it’s something new and fun to do with the entire family. Michael said the toddlers love it even though they can’t get any air.
Go back to college Michael and keep your part-time job at Jumpology! I think I hear VCU calling you right now 
Hours:
Monday-Thursday 9am-9pm 1 hour flight – $12
Friday & Saturday- 9am-11pm 2 hour flight – $20
Sunday Closed
JUMPOLOGY
10087 Brook Road (Virginia Center Commons)
Glen Allen, VA 23059
804-625-4290
info@jumpology.us
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Once again this year, Richmond families will be enjoy the fantastic Richmond Kids’ Expo!
The 10th Annual Richmond Kids’ Expo is the largest yearly event held in Central Virginia. It is especially designed to provide parents with a fun trade show atmosphere, while their kids enjoy an awesome day of fun and entertainment at the Richmond Raceway Complex (indoors). Parents can shop, and learn about products and services offered at each of the exhibitor’s booths and spend the day with their children in a safe indoor environment. You can click here to get a discount coupon emailed directly to your inbox for this event.
First 100 Families get goodie bags!
http://www.richmondkidsexpo.com
First 650 kids get Mini Mooos!
• Great Products to See & Buy! • Live Entertainment • Contests • Prizes • Games • Fun Giveaways • Learn Child Safety • Summer Camp Info • Gymnastics • Dance Wear • Photography • College Planning • Beauty Products • Kitchen Products • Sand Art • Moon Bounce Fun • Dancing • Child ID • Adopt a Friend – SPCA • Fitness Games• Diaper Dash • Moonwalks • Petting Zoo • Arts/Crafts • Martial Arts Demos • Tumbling • Financial Planning • Home Improvements • and much more!
Event Hours:
Saturday, February 23, 2013
10am – 4pm
Richmond Raceway Complex
INDOORS
Admission:
Adults: $6.00
Kids 2-12: $3.00
under 2: FREE
All children must be accompanied by an adult.
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Madeline’s Christmas is coming soon!
You can enjoy this holiday adventure at Virginia Repertory Theatre from November 30 – December 30, 2012 at Willow Lawn. It’s all part of the Children’s Theatre of Virginia Season of shows and fun.
This is surely a holiday treat for the whole family. In this festive holiday musical, Miss Clavel and all the other little girls catch the flu… but not Madeline. With the help of a magical rug salesman and a dose of holiday cheer, Madeline finds a way to nurse her friends back to health and get them to their families in time for Christmas. Including such charming songs as “Achoo!,” “Abracadabra,” and “Bonne Annee,” this holiday treat will have the whole family singing on the way home.
Joyeux Noël!
Win a Family Pack of 4 Tickets
And now, you can win a family 4-pack of tickets to the November 30 performance of Madeline’s Christmas right here on Richmondmom.com. Make sure you can attend on this date before entering our contest.
It’s easy to enter:
- Click here to enter our contest.
- Enter no later than 10:00 a.m. on Friday, November 23.
- We’ll announce our winner on November 23.
You can also click here to purchase your tickets and view the show times and dates.
Mark your calendars now for this fun event for kids and adults. And be sure to enter our contest to win 4 tickets to the November 30 show.
Virginia Repertory Theatre is an advertiser on Richmondmom.com
A few weeks ago, our family ventured out with the kids to do something “very Richmond.” We went to a Richmond Kickers soccer game! We had been meaning to go for a while. Our daughter has been participating in their classes through her daycare since she was 3 years old and has loved every moment.
My whole feeling of the experience was – Why haven’t we done this sooner? Richmond City Stadium, where they play home games, is right at the intersection of I-64 and 195S/The downtown expressway. It’s super easy to get to and only about 20 minutes from where we live in North Chesterfield.
Parking was free and very convenient. Tickets were reasonably priced – and would have been cheaper if we had gotten there earlier. That night, they were having a fun event where a lot of Richmond’s most popular food trucks held a “food truck court” where you could grab dinner or snacks. (The fresh lemonade and salted chocolate gourmet ice pops were to die for.)
The game started at 7:00 PM. Even in August, the heat was not unbearable that evening. The sky was beautiful. It was a lovely night to enjoy an up-close-and-personal spirited game of soccer. These guys are no joke. I haven’t watched a lot of soccer, but every bit of the game struck me as the real deal.
It was super kid friendly. Our kids are 2 and 4 and it held their attention most of the time. They play 45-minute halves so the game has a predictable end (which is nice for planning a ‘leave’ time and subsequent bed time!). My daughter was so excited seeing her “Coach Stanley” out on the field playing in the game! Off the field, there were bounce houses and activities set up for the kids.
What surprised me was how empty the stands were. There are stands on both sides of the stadium, yet only one side was about 1/3 full. On one hand, the space meant the kids had room to roam, and could walk all the way down to the field level to see and even talk to the players up close! But how sad, that we have such a great activity right here in our back yard and so few people came out see and enjoy it! Well, we did just go to one game so perhaps there’s usually more people there. Or maybe everybody else is like we were – putting it off.
My advice? Don’t wait. The Kickers season is almost over – their last home game (from what I can tell on their schedule) is this Saturday August 11, at 7 PM, when they take on the Harrisburg City Islanders!
Note: This is not a paid review. I just loved our experience going to the game! Also, check out their website for information about all of the other Richmond Kickers offerings such as Little Kicks and camps.
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Photos courtesy www.henricus.org
When driving along 95 South and coming up Route 1 in Chester do you get the sense that you are just a few miles from an English settlement? I’m guessing not, but you guessed wrong.
On May 7th, the groundbreaking for the reproduction of the 17th century 1611 church was an amazing lesson in history, appreciation for two powerhouse counties Chesterfield and Henrico as well as a tribute to the Honorary Henricus Historical Park architect Thomas K. McLaughlin Jr.
His efforts to see that this project was designed ensuring that it was as historically accurate as possible while complying with the American Disabilities Act was no easy feat. Fortunately his passing earlier this year only pushed efforts to see his vision completed.
Several speakers connected to the project educated us on the efforts to make such a church possible, such as Charles Lewis Grant, the Executive Director and John Daniel Pagano, the Historical Interpretation Supervisor. The fact that we have the site of the second permanent English settlement in the new world this close, is and should be celebrated as the source of education that it has become for over 250 children per day.
I’m not one to go to historical places on purpose (yes a genetic defect indeed) but this place wasn’t some dusty museum full of yawn-inducing replicas, but the real thing. Real people were wearing the super fashion-conscious attire of their time and doing activities that are pretty uncommon these days, such as women making clothing.
Photos courtesy www.henricus.org
I especially liked the burning of tobacco and fuses. Much of the discussion of the groundbreaking was the pronunciation of Henricus which I found a little funny. It’s a derivative of Henry so it stands to reason that it would be Henrycus and Henryco, sub the “I” but how will I ever stop calling it Hen-RI-co??? It shan’t happen.
The most fascinating thing about Henricus Park is the amount of activities that go on there regularly. Hands-on visual proof that early settlers didn’t have iphones actually seems to get the point across because over 20,000 students participate in an educational program each year. I find it amazing that such a place exists in our back yard. An actual living history museum complete with structures, costumes, reenactments and now it will be complete with the building that represented both religion and government 400 years ago.
Yes people, there wasn’t a separation of church and state, but a happy scary union. I learned yesterday that skipping church could get your meal privileges revoked for an entire week: his might help you get those kids dressed and out the door quicker on Sundays.
You should take a look at upcoming events at Henricus Park and keep an eye on the amazing Henricus 1611 church to be finished by the fall and open for activities such as weddings and community events.
This is a great place for a family outing with ongoing camps throughout the summer and activities each month. Who says history can’t be fun?
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The gang on a trek at Virginia Fishing Adventures
Ever wish your kids would get off the DS, Playstation and Wii and just get outside?!
VA Outside gets it and wants to help Richmond parents this summer. This sister company of VA Fishing Adventures(Read the story about my son’s awesome fishing camp adventure here.) has branched out and has a goal of getting kids outside having a blast this summer.
Mountain biking summer camps are becoming increasingly popular as kids learn the safe, fun way to conquer the wilderness in a camp setting supervised by adults. Check out the YouTube video below to see some Richmond campers in action.
Owner Tee Clarkson is a teacher, sportsmen and fun-loving guy who, along with his team, helps Richmond kids build the skills and confidence in outdoor sports that will also help them in life.
Here are a few helpful links to see all they have to offer:
VA Outside Adventure Camps-Northern VA
VA Outside onsite enrichment programs at Richmond-area schools
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