family friendly things to do in hampton roads, virginia
First things first, if you are looking for FREE things to do in Hampton Roads with kids, you've got to check out this blog post! This post will contain fun things to do in Hampton Roads with kids, but they might cost a little money.
I think our little area of Virginia is pretty dang great. I love finding new adventures to take my kids on and to suggest to my clients. We love being busy and we especially love being outside, even on the hot days!
Fun things to do for kids!
1.) The Chrysler Museum of Art in downtown Norfolk. This is an amazing, somewhat hidden gem in Norfolk. This art museum boasts a beautiful and dynamic collection, kid friendly exhibits (plus art scavenger hunts!), a cafe, a glass blowing gallery, and guess what? It's free. Donations are always appreciated though. This is without a doubt one of our favorite places to visit in all of Hampton Roads (side note: If you are in downtown Norfolk, let's say after you've visited the Chrysler Museum and you want a refreshing treat? You've got to stop across the street from the museum and grab a delicious Dole Whip at the Ghent Grab n Go! It's the best Dole Whip I've ever had outside of Disney! They carry really unique grocery items and gourmet foods too. Try the red velvet muffin, you won't be sorry! 230 West Olney Road, Norfolk, Virginia.)
2.) The Virginia Living Museum is a super fun, educational way to spend several hours. I would venture to say that you could possibly spend a whole day here. There are just so many exhibits! With indoor and outdoor exhibits, it's doable rain or shine. They have an amazing dinosaur play area, a planetarium with lots of shows, a boardwalk trail, a 30,000 gallon aquarium, and so much more. It's hard not to love this place.
3.) The Norfolk Botanical Gardens is one of our favorite places to visit - literally any time of the year. Every season there is something to see. The kids love to play in the splash pad in the summer, we love to walk and hike the trails, and the Christmas lights are legendary around these parts! The memberships are reasonable for what you get in my opinion. You can wander and meander for hours here (aka wear the kids out and get a nap in later!).
4.) The Children's Museum of Virginia is the perfect indoor, rainy day activity located in downtown Portsmouth. If you've got a train lover, you will definitely want to visit this museum! There's a huge train exhibit with an enormous model running! It can get a little busy at times, but it's pretty well laid out and there are so many exhibits to explore. There's several little restaurants and cafes down the street too. You can make a whole morning of it!
5.) The Virginia Zoo is located in Norfolk, Virginia and you can easily spend several hours here. It's always been one of our family favorites. If the kids were bouncing off the walls and we needed a quick getaway to burn off some energy, the zoo was always our place to go. It's got a lot of exhibits, places for free play, a splash area, a petting area, and of course a ton of animals to learn about.
Stay tuned for more blogs just like this one with even more ideas on how to make some fun memories with your family and explore our little corner of the world. I sure think it's pretty great! Want me to document some of your adventures? I'd LOVE to! You can send me a message here and we will get the ball rolling. If you love hearing about local, family friendly things to do around Hampton Roads, you should definitely sign up for my newsletter, The Brave Storyteller. I put local fun things to do every month in there!
