Norview Community Center Splash Pad

 Beat this summer heat by taking the kids to the splash pad. Norfolk's Noview Community Center is free and open to the public and has water for playing, splashing, and cooling down. The center and splash pad are open Monday through Friday 10:00-6:00 and Saturday 11:30-4:00. They are closed on Sunday. There is seating, but bring chairs if you'd like to sit in the shade. The center has a bathroom, but there is also a porta potty at the splash pad itself. 

VB Kid Fit

Virginia Beach has a new fitness gym for kids, open for both classes and free play. With fitness as the main focus, this gym encourages activity from kids and adults alike. The equipment is weighted for adults to be able to access and play also. Inside the gym are rock walls, ropes to climb, an interactive projector, obstacle course, slide, and more. 

Free play at the gym is $10 a person (including adults) from 10-5. Toilet trained children can be dropped off for 90 minute periods, and there is both a grocery store and restaurants in the shopping center. The gym also has parent night outs for three hour spans, and it offers monthly obstacle course classes for ages 3-5 and 6-10. 

The gym offers birthday parties, private rentals, and is open for homeschool groups. Every Sunday, the owners hold a free community workout for kids and adults at Oak Grove Park. 

The Jurassic Encounter

If your kids are like mine, they LOVE dinosaurs. And now they can see them up close in Virginia Beach on the corner of 19th and Arctic. Every day from 11:00-9:00 dinosaur fans can walk amongst more than 50 life size animatronic and static dinosaurs. These are some of the most life-like dinosaurs I've ever seen, so prepare the kids ahead of time so that they know they aren't real. Kids can interact with some of the "baby dinosaurs" walking around as puppets on the trainer's arms too. In addition, kids can dig for bones, make a fossil rubbing and run around and play games. 

Tickets can be purchased online (with a discount code TAT20 for 20% off) in advance.  Children three and under are free! Plan to be there for at least an hour. There are porta-potties available on site. Parking is available right next to it on the street at the meters, or you can pay for the day in one of the lots. Download the app and listen to facts and dad jokes on the walk-through scavenger hunt. 

There are several add on packages for children that include souvenirs, which must be purchased online ahead of time. Popsicles and drinks are for sale, and you can bring in your own snacks. There are picnic tables in the shade close to the games. You can come and go as you please; reentry lasts all day. 

Frames and Games: Norfolk Botanical Gardens

Visit the Enchanted Forest at Botanical Gardens to see their newest exhibit, Frames and Games. Tucked in the back of the gardens, the Enchanted Forest gives visitors a shady place to play. Large Chess, Horseshoes, Connect Four, Flamingo Ring toss are set up for playing. There are also photo ops spread throughout the looping walkway. This exhibit will be here until September. 

Splash and Bubbles: Dive In, Lend A Fin!

The Children's Museum of Virginia has a new exhibit based on the show Splash and Bubbles that serves as a hands-on, educational larger-than-life marine environment. I'm so pleased to share that this exhibit has lots of gross motor skills involved, meaning that kids will enjoy moving their bodies and that it is an exhibit you can hit more than once while it's here without boring them. My boys are very into marine life, in particular sharks, so I knew this would be a hit, but their favorite parts of the exhibit actually had nothing to do with the large shark wall. Instead, they loved the section on bioluminescence. Although black lights were commonplace for me growing up, now that I think about it, they are not around as much anymore. They loved seeing which items of theirs glowed, and they even colored pictures with glow in the dark crayons. They also loved playing on the "underwater pirate ship" and exploring the kelp forest. This was a fun exhibit! Catch it this summer; it's here until September 4th. 

While you're there, be sure to check out their ongoing programs. Make-N-Take and S.T.E.M. Studio are both in the upstairs classrooms from 10-12 and 1-3. The Planetarium has also reopened and has ongoing shows, free with admission. 

The Children's Museum is open Tuesdays-Sundays from 9-4. Tickets must be reserved and can be purchased for the hour you'd like to enter. Visitors can stay as long as they would like. Be sure to check out the AAA, military, and senior discount. Teachers get in for free with a teacher ID.