Maymount Adventure in Richmond Virginia

  Richmond is a few hours away from me so when the kids and I travel there we take advantage of the sights unique to the area.  One of my favorite places to visit although this only makes my second visit is Maymont.

  Maymont is a large estate that includes gardens, a mansion and winding trails showcasing a variety of animals.  You cross bridges, walk past streams and waterfalls and even climb stairs as you stroll the 100 acres.

There are several garden arrangements. The Japanese garden was our favorite. 

 I spy with my little eye a waterfall! It was so unexpected that it was really neat to see.

On the trail we saw the regal Bald Eagle!

American Bison were visible from the trail!

A barn showcases the transportation of the past.

The kids got a kick out of the other kids!

Maymont is definitely a must see in Richmond, VA.  In addition to all of this, they also offer activities and several special events for an additional fee throughout the year.

Party Time

        (Photo credit to VLM Facebook page) *


  This past weekend a local museum celebrated a milestone.  The Virginia Living Museum turned the big 5-0!  To complete the party though you need to invite people so they invited the whole community to celebrate!  The admission was pocket change!

  My kids

to get out on a Sunday and we were excited to see a new exhibit!

  This museum is a great visual story of a variety of species that call Virginia home.  Animals ranging from birds to four legged creatures, swimmers to crawlers, scales or fur covered.  You are able to touch critters, see animals in their habitat view the stars and learn along the way!  There's a store to purchase your souvenirs, a planetarium and a outside trail to get plenty of air as you meet more animals outside.

Little ones got to take a peek at what lives in the water.  I'm not sure if they will ever swim again.

The fox was on the move.  Animals that move are so much better for kids to observe versus the sleeping  less actives ones.

Whose paw print is that?  My son had fun touching the prints of animals.  His hand was bigger then some and smaller then some.  Birds have different feet then the fox.  Always having fun and learning while doing it.

The eagles watched us while we watched them.  I love seeing these beautiful majestic birds.

Of course the main event for us was the dinosaurs!  This exhibit was under construction the last time we were here.

The children were able to get a closer look at a couple toddler dinosaurs.  These were strictly look and touch but don't ride.

It takes a lot of patience to dig in a sand box and not play.

There were big and small dinosaurs or maybe it was mom's and babies but I'm not really sure how you tell.

My daughter giving you a size comparison of a leg.

My son giving you a size comparison of a foot print.

Maybe that's not a good enough comparison.  After all I think my kids are pretty short.

Overall we had a fun time celebrating  a great museum on our Sunday afternoon.  Even if we missed the cake!  Don't tell the kids.

*Lol, when I left the statue boy didn't have the banner or hat anymore.


Find our morning about the museum here.


#Nablopomo

Not quite Wordless Wednesday

  You know one place that we go that doesn't get old is the zoo.  We do have a membership there which does help and encourage us to go but it's always different.  The animals may not change.  Most of the time.  Sometimes the zoo likes to change it up and relocate them to a different part of the zoo but usually everything is the same.

  However after having gone several times and days you get the opportunity to experience different things!  Sometimes the animals are more active in the morning, you might catch a zookeeper feeding the animals, interacting with the animals, or even seeing an animal in motion.  We rarely catch our tiger walking around.  He is usually in the farthest corner and slightly difficult to see but one day he was pacing back and forth growling.  That was neat to witness.  I would love to hear more noises from animals!  What kind of noise does a giraffe make or a kangaroo?

  I want to share with you some of the animals we have at our zoo!

The Bald Eagle sitting proud in his area.  I like this exhibit as there are no bars or windows.  Your view of this bird is clean and clear.

  These little fellas are fun to watch!  They are also a nice sight to see after you have finished with the small reptiles and nocturnal sections.

One day we went to story hour for the children and they read a book about armadillos and even had a real one there for the kids to see.  Needless to say my daughter loves to see them when she goes because she had such a up close encounter with them.

Ahh, the red panda.  This is one exhibit we always see if nothing else.  We have two areas with them.  One area is so neat as it has branches above your head where sometimes your lucky enough to catch them walking on.  The other area is spacious with a lot of things for them to go up, down and through.

  These two monkeys cracked me up this day.  It was as if they were siblings and one wanted to get down but the other just wouldn't move.  They were like this for awhile. I don't know who held out longer

The zoo has a few turtles in the lion area.  I have never seen a sign declaring them as residents so I think they are free loaders.  

The zoo is also home to a small blooming garden.  It is spring so it was nice to see after months of brown and barely green.

Last month we got to see the baby tigers.  The zoo always has something going on.  Unfortunately we are saying good bye to our elephants soon as they are being transferred to another zoo.

Hopefully this move will bring us another exciting animal to learn and view.

  Our membership provides us with many opportunities: discounts on meals and drinks as well as children's camps. We receive a newsletter and also receive invites and discounts to special events.

Check out your local zoo for a great family experience.

My local zoo is the virginiazoo!

State Park Challenge Park #5

  If you have been keeping up you know my family and I have been on a mission sponsored by virginia state-parks to visit 5 parks.  We started out late but we were able to visit 5 within a couple weeks before the deadline of June 30th.  It was a great journey and as I received a confirmation email yesterday I just decided to write my last summary of our 5th park!  Along with the state park pass I will be receiving I also get pins for the 1st and 5th visits.  Of course with my newly earned pass I will not give up. I will keep exploring other parks just not at the speed I was to visit these first 5. Virginia has 36 parks! 5 down and having been to one before and not included in this mission leaves 30 more to go!! How exciting!

  I am pleased to tell you about our 5th state park visit.  It was to Chippokes Plantation State Park in Surry, VA.  A few short miles from the virginia ferry-jamestown.  So you can make it an adventure. This park doesn't surprise me as it is its own unique park like all the others.  Pool, camping and trails

 were there.  These trails were nice as for the most part they were hard, flat  and covered by blacktop.  Great for strollers or wheelchairs.  In addition to great water views

a working farm and animals.

  The trail takes you past these views and a forestry exhibit on the way to the mansion.  I was met by a lovely lady on the driveway who guided my family (my two little ones) to the drinking fountain and a nice seat on the covered porch as it was high 90's that day.  After a replenish and rest period we were given a great tour by a very educated curator she provided me with a lot of information on the contents and history of the mansion.

How many rugs does one house need, you will see?  What are those step stools for in the bedrooms?  How do you clean your boots before you enter the home?  The house was so beautifully put together.  The last owner the Mrs's of the Stewart family took great pride in decorating the home.  Tours are offered on specific days and times so call ahead.  Near the house is also a gift shop that houses a variety of handcrafted items made by the friends of the Chippokes that donate proceeds back to the park programs. 

  One concept I found here was that in addition to renting GPS units for geocaches.  They also have MP3 rentals and park packs.  The MP3 rental allows you a personal tour while the park packs are also free and include binoculars, field guides and more for several themes to include: wildlife, history and fossils to name a few.  I thought this was a great concept to help incorporate a little more learning of your surroundings.  Adults and children both could benefit from these packs. 

As I finish my last park it just wouldn't be right if I didn't share with you the critter of the trip. Look closely!  I took a picture from the path with my children ahead of me and told to stay there a second.  Ironically the first thing we saw when we entered the trail was a black one.  Lucky us that we saw two. This fella here for some reason was so dead still I was surveying the grounds at all times and there was a car in front of us so I was looking at walking around them. I am glad we walked right by them without going all the way around!! Must have been my sixth sense kicking in!!

Check out your local parks! You never know what you will see. It's a great way to spend time with your family.  Explore and learn together.

Thank you Virginia State Parks for this great challenge and getting this family off their bums, out the house getting fresh air and exercise!  Keep up the great work.

http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/find-a-park.shtml

If you missed the last 4 parks here they are:

state-park-challenge.1

state-park-challenge-park-2

state-park-challenge-park-3

state-park-challenge-park-4