School is about to start but that doesn’t mean you can’t squeeze in another quick getaway to score some parental points with your kiddos. Especially if said getaway includes activities built just for them. Get moving and make those end-of-summer memories!
A Place to Pet the Animals
The Virginia Safari Park in Natural Bridge is not a zoo. It’s a safari experience that you can drive through in your own vehicle or from a tractor-drawn wagon. Meet the animals and feed them grain purchased at the arrival gate. Save some for the Village Walk-Thru which includes an aviary, giraffe feeding station, tiger and cheetah observatories, penguin pool, petting area, and more.
View this post on Instagram
Massanutten Country Corner in Luray is a gift shop, rock shop, farm market, garden shop, and petting area all in one. Score beautiful plants and local wares for yourself while the kids pet the goats and cluck around with the chickens. Feed is available inside the farm market. Don’t forget to visit the rock shop and DO ask to see the glow-in-the-dark room!
View this post on Instagram
Hold on tight for a guided horseback ride at Fort Valley Stables in Fort Valley. Children as young as six can ride for an hour while ages seven and older do well for about 90 minutes. It’s a great memory-making opportunity for families. Plus, you can camp on-site as well.
Star B Stables in Staunton also offers rides for ages six and older.
View this post on Instagram
Okay, so they aren’t alive and weren’t cuddly and cute, but who doesn’t love a dinosaur? Dinosaur Land in White Post features nearly 60 life-size iterations and is the quintessential “roadside attraction” of the Shenandoah Valley. It dates to the 1960s and remains one of the quirkiest attractions people still love to visit.
An artist who has contributed to the collection of dinosaurs at Dinosaur Land is Mark Cline, and he has his own dinosaur attraction in the southern Shenandoah Valley. Dinosaur Kingdom II is something of a “what if” scenario. “What if” dinosaurs were alive during the Civil War and were used as “weapons of mass destruction against the South”? Peruse this park for totally unexpected scenes and maybe even face off with a water gun-toting Bigfoot.
View this post on Instagram
A Place to Cool Off and Learn Something New
Caverns are the greatest of summer’s air conditioning, amiright? A solid and predictable 50-something degrees, it’s an awesome way to beat the heat. They’re amazing, too. Jaw-dropping for kids and adults alike. Some even have extra experiences, like …
- Luray Caverns, Luray – Sluice for gems, get lost in the one-acre garden maze, or conquer the ropes course as a family.
- Grand Caverns, Grottoes – Take a spelunking tour (for ages 12 and up) or sluice their mine
- Shenandoah Caverns, Quicksburg – They, too, have a gemstone sluice, as well as a playground. Don’t sleep on American Celebration on Parade and their 20+ enormous parade floats. It’s only open through Labor Day!
View this post on Instagram
A Museum Just for Kids
The Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum in Winchester has four floors of interactive fun, plus the rooftop! Your family can easily spend the day, so settle in for a great time. Summer hours are Wednesday through Sunday.
In the heart of downtown Harrisonburg is the Explore More Discovery Museum. They can try occupations – the heart of pretend play. Will they play doctor with a life-size version of “Operation,” become an evening news anchor, a scientist, a mechanic, an artist, or maybe a dentist? There are many interactive ways to explore and grow inside this fantastic museum.
A Nostalgic Night at the Movies
Drive-ins are a thing of the past, but they aren’t extinct (unlike the dinosaurs). It’s prime drive-in season, so take your camp chairs or quilt to enjoy this blast from the past with your kiddos.
- Hull’s Drive-In, Lexington
- The Family Drive-In, Stephens City
View this post on Instagram
Let us see your amazing end-of-summer fun with your family! Tag us on Instagram (@VisitShenandoahValley).
Header courtesy of Luray Caverns.