Richmond For Kids
Richmond Virginia Kid Friendly Activites and Information
Saturday Mornings South of the James Market
4715 days
If it’s a Saturday morning in Richmond Virginia during the Spring, Summer and Fall, we are headed to the Farmer’s Market. Our favorite is called South of the James. It is located in Forest Hill Park and is always very busy. It is a great place to take the kids for some fresh air, breakfast and a little shopping.
Last week we headed out early to try and beat the crowds. After a brief coffee stop at the Crossroads stand we were ready to get down to business. I like to buy all of our weekly produce at the market to support our local farms, and one day I will explain the importance of this to the boys. For now, they like to come along and sample whatever is being offered. We happily tasted brownies, strawberries, pound cake and Grammy O’s sticky buns. Not exactly the breakfast of champions but it was all delicious and certainly helped us decide what to purchase. This day was also the first time that the boys had fresh strawberries and I was pleased that they enjoyed them so much. For a more substantial snack we headed over to the Cielito Lindo stand for breakfast burritos. These were mostly for mom and dad but we did share a few bites with the kids.
What I love about this market, aside from its proximity to our house, is the fact that it is so far back from the main road. It is safe for us to let the kids out of the stroller and not have to worry about anything more than foot traffic. And if you love animals like we do, there are always plenty of dogs to meet. Also, don’t forget to stop by the Farm to Family bus to see the bunny. Then head on over to the playground for a little more play time before you leave. In our family a good time is always had by all! You can find a complete list of vendors here: http://www.themarketumbrella.com/vendors_SDTC.html. Do you have a favorite local farmer’s market?
Children’s Museum of Richmond – Short Pump Grand Opening
0722 days
Children’s Museum of Richmond – Short Pump Grand Opening
To help celebrate this milestone on Saturday, June 5, 2010 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., CMoR is inviting museum guests to enjoy face painting, balloon giveaways and a variety of creative art projects.
Similar to the original location, CMoR – Short Pump will feature nine amazing exhibits focused on children’s literature classics like the Enchanted Castle, Pirates’ Cove, the Magic Bean Stalk Climber, Whale of a Tale Water Play and many more! This new location is great news for all central Virginia parents and caretakers.
The news release below covers more details about CMoR’s expansion plan, the Short Pump location and the festivities that will take place at BOTH locations on June 5!
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Children’s Museum of Richmond Announces
Grand Opening of Short Pump Location
Educational institution opens additional location to serve more children, make greater impact
May 27, 2010 – (Richmond, VA) – Aligned with its long-term growth strategy, the Children’s Museum of Richmond (CMoR) is pleased to announce the grand opening of its second location, the Children’s Museum of Richmond – Short Pump. On June 5, 2010, CMoR – Short Pump will open its doors to the public and join Whole Foods Market and several other well-known retailers in West Broad Village. The Children’s Museum of Richmond is the first children’s museum in the country to open a second location in order to serve a growing regional population and support future growth and stability for the organization.
“We’ve had another location on our radar for quite some time,” said Karen Coltrane, president and CEO. “When it comes to expanding, the Short Pump location made the most sense as it is ideally located in an ever- growing area and is more accessible to the western region of Richmond with close proximity to several major highways and thoroughfares.”
In the new 15,500 square foot space, the Children’s Museum of Richmond – Short Pump will offer the same distinct features the community has come to love over the years at the original location, the Children’s Museum of Richmond – Central. The Short Pump location will offer one of CMoR – Central’s most popular areas, the Art Studio, as well as other exhibits that encourage dramatic play, role playing and personal expression among children and their caretakers. These exhibits include the storybook-themed adventures that will take guests on a whimsical storybook experience themed around children’s literature classics like the Enchanted Castle, Pirates’ Cove, the Magic Bean Stalk Climber, Whale of a Tale Water Play and many more.
Each of these exhibits is designed to enhance the development of social skills, creative problem-solving and imaginative thinking.
New to the Children’s Museum of Richmond – Short Pump is Stay and Play, a service for museum members that allows parents and caregivers to drop off their children Monday through Friday at designated times so children can experience educational fun while parents and caregivers can enjoy their free time.
“At CMoR, our goal is to make learning a fun, creative and collaborative experience for children – and we’re delighted to open an additional facility to make that dream a reality for families across the region,” said Coltrane.
On Saturday, June 5, 2010 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. the Children’s Museum of Richmond will celebrate the grand opening of the second location at both the Short Pump and Central museums with special activities that are free of charge with museum admission. CMoR – Short Pump guest will enjoy face painting, balloon giveaways and a variety of creative art projects, while CMoR – Central will celebrate with two performances by a local children’s band – The Diggity Dudes (performances at 11am & 1pm), face painting and balloon giveaways.
General MUSEUM Information
The Children’s Museum of Richmond – Central is located at 2626 W. Broad St. in Richmond. Regular operating hours are Tuesday-Sunday from 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. The Children’s Museum-Central is also open to the public on Mondays from Memorial Day through Labor Day and on major school holidays.
The Children’s Museum of Richmond – Short Pump will be located at 2200 Old Brick Rd. in West Broad Village in Glen Allen. This location will be open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission is free for Children’s Museum members and children under one year of age. Admission for all others is $8. Annual family memberships start at $125 and may be used for admission at both locations. For more information, please call (804) 474-7000 or visit our web site at www.ChildrensMuseumofRichmond.org.
Humphrey Calder Community Center and Park
0723 days
Last week we met some friends at a park that was new to us. It is located in the city at the intersection of Kensington and Thompson, right next to a fire station. It seems like there is something for everyone at this park; soccer, basketball, volleyball and of course the playground itself. I was so excited to see that they have toddler swings. For some reason I have not found many parks near my house that have swings for toddlers. The boys wasted no time getting to the task at hand…exploring.
I love taking them to new places and watching them discover all that it has to offer. This playground has things for different ages and stages of development, which is great for families with lots of children. The bigger kids were climbing and going down the much bigger slides while the smaller kids were enjoying the see-saws, swings and much shorter slides. My guys are still pretty young so they did lots of watching at first and eventually wandered over to the swings. It is so nice to put them in swings that don’t need batteries or a doorway to hang from. They loved it! When they were finished with the swings we wandered over to watch some older kids. Before I knew it, one of my little guys was climbing the stairs to one of the slides for older kids. Not wanting to disappoint, I climbed up behind him and we went down together. 
I must say that the most exciting part of our visit to this playground was the train. Since the park is situated overlooking 195, there is a perfect view of the train tracks. As soon as the train was heard all of the kids there at the time ran over to the fence to watch. My two followed the pack not knowing what was going on, but wanting to be part of the crowd. I look forward to the day that I can sit on the bench and watch them play without having to follow so closely behind.
All in all it was a good time for us and a great playground to add to our list. I must also note that there are public restrooms on the premises, and although I did not go in personally, I was told that they should only be used for emergencies. Please visit this link for a little more information about the programs offered for children, teens and adults at the Humphrey Calder Community Center. http://www.richmondgov.com/parks/CommunityCenterHumphreyCalder.aspx
Core Kids Academy
0730 days
by bigoak
in For Richmond Kids
What to do when the energy level is just too much? A little gem of a place we’ve found for our kids is a neat, colorful nook nestled into the Quioccasin Station shopping center called Core Kids Academy.
Core is a small, female-owned gymnastics firm where Coach Cora Pedrazzi presides over all the bouncing, bounding, jumping, and leaping that goes on between her two trampolines and dozens of gymnastics props around the gym. Each one of my kids—now ages eight, five, and three—have taken group lessons there as well as had their birthday parties there in the past.
Although they may be lesser-known, they are small but mighty—classes are full but not overcrowded, and everybody knows your name. I like that.
It’s tough to keep all of my kiddos occupied when just one has a class, and one of the best things about Core is that they have a nice, spacious room where kids can go to draw, color, do homework, play DS, or just hang out and stay out of harm’s way while their sibling is in class. This room has saved us from trouble on more than one occasion!
Holly, Cora, and the whole Core team has really taken to each of our kids and worked hard to make it a fun experience for them; for that I’m truly appreciative. Although I don’t have a lick of gymnastics skill myself, I love watching these skills develop in each kiddo while their confidence grows.
I think that the people at Core—even moreso than the skill-building—has the most to do with that.
You can bet we’re heading there for camp this summer. See you there!
Kate Hall is the Founder/CEO of Richmondmom.com
