Children's Museum of Richmond; Pocahontas State Park

When Mariah found out her husband would be in a training in North Carolina, we went straight to a map and plotted the midway point between our house and her hotel.  As it turned out, southern Richmond was just about in the middle for us.  So, we set about finding a couple things to do so that we could meet there and keep the kids occupied while we had plenty of time to talk.

Apparently the Children's Museum of Richmond has three locations, and one was toward the southern end of the city where we wanted to meet.  This one, the newest location, is in Chesterfield.  The cost of entry is $8 a person, which is a little steep for a one-time visit for the three of us, but they do offer dollar nights and free entry on Bank of American weekends.

It was a great place for taking a pre-schooler and one year old.

The water station was a big hit.

The "sand box" is actually full of tiny plastic pieces instead of sand.  Pretty neat!

 They have a full size firetruck and metro bus.

 They have an electric train that runs every half hour or so.  A huge hit with T.

 I loved the art station.  There were several different tables with all sorts of different materials for the kids to dive right into.

 I haven't saw too many vet stations in children's museum, so this was a unique addition.  Mariah cracked up when Eli started hissing at the cat Theo was working on.  He really does this (he thinks it's the sound cats make)!  I'm going to post a video of proof soon.

 And I can never get enough of play markets.  I liked that they had shopping lists so kids could check off their shopping list like mama does.  The museum also had a play restaurant next door to the market.

 And of course the crawler area is still a big hit with Eli.  He is resisting walking yet, but I know I shouldn't complain because he'll be even more into everything once he does.

We packed a lunch and ate at the tables inside when it was time for a break.  The small lunch area had a microwave (good to know) and vending machines with drinks and some snacks.

Later, we decided to head out to a nearby park so Eli could sleep in the car and Theo could get some time outside.  Pocahontas State Park was nearby.  It was a beautiful place, and would be gorgeous in the fall when the many trees change color.  I'd love to return to camp there sometime.

:)