Between camps and vacations, your family’s summer schedule may feel chock-full. But with 10 long weeks of summer break, there’s plenty of time to squeeze in a few quick and easy day trips if monotony strikes. These four classic Virginia destinations are great for kids (and adults) of all ages. All are around two hours’ drive from Richmond, so you’ll feel like you’re truly getting away — but they’re close enough to get back home for bedtime.
Veritas vineyard and winery (Photo by Chad Williams)
1. Afton
Blue Ridge Tunnel and lunch at Veritas vineyard
Load the stroller, scooters or bikes into the car and head west on Interstate 64 to the Blue Ridge Tunnel (a roughly 90-minute drive) for an outdoor adventure that’s easy yet action-packed. This rails-to-trails project allows passage under Rockfish Gap through Claudius Crozet’s historic train tunnel that, at the time of its completion in 1858, was the longest in North America. Bring flashlights and lanterns for the walk, which is just under a mile long. If you have children with energy to burn, a round trip from one trailhead to the other and back is 4.5 miles.
After working up an appetite, hop back in the car and head 4 miles down the road to Veritas vineyard for an al fresco lunch. Request one of the winery’s picnic table pods to enjoy a wine tasting and meal on the lawn as your kids run free. While the seasonal menu has all the fancy offerings of a tasting room, it’s equally approachable for the family with peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwiches, ice cream treats, and juice.
Natural Bridge State Park (Photo courtesy Virginia Department of Conservation)
2. Natural Bridge
Natural Bridge State Park and Virginia Safari Park
Just over a two-hour drive from Richmond, Rockbridge County is home to a pair of kid-friendly destinations just a stone’s throw from one another. Start your adventure in the morning at Natural Bridge State Park. A mile-long walk along the Cedar Creek Trail leads to a jaw-dropping 215-foot-tall limestone arch, continues to Saltpeter Cave and Lost River, and ends at Lace Falls. Located in the bottom level of the visitor center, the Base Camp Discovery Center is open on weekends between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
Hit up the visitor center’s cafe for a quick lunch before heading 15 minutes down the road to Virginia Safari Park. Kids can relax in the back seat as you drive through the 180-acre zoo and feed animals, including llamas, bison, zebra, emus and ostriches, from your car window (buckets of feed are available for purchase). Drive at your own pace, but plan for an hourlong visit. On your way out, hop on to the Blue Ridge Parkway at mile marker 50 in Buena Vista and meander back to town while enjoying the parkway’s vistas.
3. Rockingham County
Massanutten Resort WaterPark and dinner at Goodfellas in Elkton
On hot summer days, cool, refreshing water activities should be at the top of your to-do list. Just a two-hour drive from Richmond, Massanutten Resort WaterPark offers indoor and outdoor swimming facilities for kids of all ages. Think slides, waterfalls, hot tubs and a lazy river. There’s the shallow Frog Pond for the little ones and surfing and bodyboarding for big kids. If you have children who don’t need supervision, buy a discounted observer/spectator pass and spend your time relaxing or working remotely poolside. If the family is feeling waterlogged, head to the arcade for games, the grill for lunch or the surf shop for souvenirs.
After a day of water activities, drive 10 minutes down Route 33 to Elkton for dinner at Goodfellas Pizzeria. Order sandwiches and wraps to go for the car ride home, or dine in for pizza, calzones, stromboli and pasta.
Luray Caverns (Photo by Ian Roberge)
4. Luray
Luray Caverns and lunch at West Main Market
Add another of Virginia’s natural wonders to your day-trip list. Luray Caverns’ awe-inspiring underground caves are worth the 2.5-hour drive. It takes around an hour to weave through the 1.5-mile underground pathway admiring Mother Nature’s astonishing architecture of intricate stalactites, stalagmites, pools and columns. Be sure to check out the Great Stalacpipe Organ, which makes music by tapping on the hanging mineral deposits. Afterward, give yourself time to poke around the gift shop, toy museum, and car and carriage museum on the grounds.
For lunch, head a mile down the road to West Main Market in downtown Luray. This deli with a wine and beer garden makes delicious soups, sandwiches and salads — and even has plenty of options on their kids’ menu. Grab your meal and beverages, and dine in the neighboring outdoor pavilion.
