Fountain Days: Town Point Park

Town Point Park is located on the Elizabeth River in downtown Norfolk in between Nauticus and Waterside. The park is eight acres of green space, art, fountains, and often events put on by Norfolk's Fest Events.  This summer they have put on a series of events called Fountain Field Day which is free and open to the public.

It includes free face painting, storytimes, prize wheels, games, visits from a mermaid, chalk, coloring, arts and crafts, along with some food trucks. The best part in our opinion was the splash pad, which is actually open all summer. The next Fountain Day will be Thursday August 16th from 12-3.  We spent some time in the fountain, walked over to Waterside for lunch, and then came back for the other events.

Other Upcoming Fest Events:

• August 24-25: Norfolk Waterfront Jazz Festival
• August 30: Chase Bryant 
• Sepember 8: Opera In The Park 
• September 13-15 Norfolk In Water Boat Show
• September 15: Commonwealth Coastal Classic 
• October 6: VA Children's Festival
• October 20-21 Wine Festival
• December 1: Holiday Yule Log Bonfire and Christmas Market

Great Wolf Lodge- Toddler Approved

We had the most awesome day ever at Great Wolf Lodge. As in, we ALL thought it was awesome. From toddler to grandparent. I can only equate it to being in summer camp or on a cruise where there is something awesome to do every minute of the day and lots of room to run around and explore. I'm going to break it down into what is toddler approved vs. mama approved. 

Toddler Approved 

• Main Lobby: The main lobby has frequent animatronic shows, story times, dance parties, face painting, and balloon shows. I even caught that the presenter was talking about animal adaptations, which happens to be a Virginia third grade standard. Yay science! On this floor is a candy store, a gift shop, and the main dining area. Literally everything is made with kids in mind. They won't get yelled at for climbing on the furniture, running around with no shoes on, or being loud. This is awesome for a toddler mom because we all know they can be hard to control when they get super excited. 

• Scoops: This is a spa for children with an ice cream theme. Super cute, but my kid wouldn't sit still long enough or be interested in it. This would be perfect for a little birthday girl and it's actually a full Aveda spa. 

• Ten Paw Alley: This is their duck pin bowling alley. The lanes are shorter and the balls are lighter and smaller. The pins are also on strings with magnets so they are easier to knock down. Bumpers come up with the push of a button. 

• Character Meet and Greets:  Okay, this might be approved for some toddlers, just not mine. Lots of kids around us were super excited to meet the characters, but mine ran away screaming. Just know your kid. 

• The Great Wolf Kid's Store: This store has animals that kids can stuff, shirts that they can color, and lots for them to create. There is a creation station with different activities and a pretty cool coloring table. The coloring and crafts are free, but the rest is all at a cost. 

• The POOL! Check out Raccoon Lagoon outside and Fort Mackenzie and Cub Paw Pool inside There are things to climb on, splash through, tip over, dump water through, and slide down. We also went over to Slap Tail Pond which is a wave pool and Crooked Creek which is a lazy river. R and I went down Totem Towers which leaves from the top of the fort. You have to send them down by themselves and I was terrified. He came out backwards and upside down, but was fine. There were lots of lifeguards all around the pool which I appreciated. 

Approved by BOTH: 

• Food: There are seven dining options around the facility from buffets to pizza to sweet shops and outdoor grills. The resort can accommodate kosher, vegan, and practically every allergy. Outside of a few prepackaged things in the candy store and arcade, they are completely nut free too. These sweets were on the buffet y'all! 

(He is holding a MagiQuest wand which is a game, but we just used it to make things all over the hotel move including the tree next to us at lunch.) 

The proof is in the pudding.

• Northern Lights Arcade: I seriously love arcades. We all four had a blast in here. There was a toddler section that had a few smaller games too. We got a bunch of tickets and traded them in for some legos and other small things. I could have stayed in here all day. It's open 24 hours a day, so a great spot for older kids to go later in the night too. 

 Mama Approved: 

• North Paw Springs: An adults only corner of the water park with a hot tub. It's nice to have a little time away! 
• Bars and wine packages: We were able to order drinks at lunch and there were several places to get drinks throughout the property. There are wine packages that guests can order at night while the little ones to go bed. 
• Hotel rooms: There are lots of different room options, and some rooms can even sleep up to eight people. Some have lofts; others have these log cabins to separate the kids from the adults. 
• The pool! I wanted to separate this to show that there really are things for both older kids and adults. Next time I come, I know that we need more time in the water park so that I can go on all of the slides. I tried to talk Neil into getting on Wolf Rider Wipeout which is like surfing, but he is a baby. I've also always liked the balance challenges like Big Foot Pass. 

Some things that we didn't have time to do but will check off next time were the 4d world, a game that we saw people playing where you wear 4-d glasses and are at a shooting range; Howlywood XD theater (height limits), and Oliver's Time Challenge. The time challenge will be the first thing I do when I come back. Picture your friends or family in a large room of wack-a-mole competing to wack the most lights. Outside there was also Howl in One mini golf, the ropes course, and a climbing wall.

Something to keep in mind, the price of the waterpark, lobby happenings, and characters' pictures are included in your stay at the lodge; however, extras are not. They do offer prepackaged deals for activities depending on age range. Depending on your kid and your budget, it may be smarter to pick one activity for each day rather than buy the bundle. We were given the Paw Pass as part of our media visit, but we were not able to complete everything in one day! Also, check into Groupon, which regularly has deals for Great Wolf Lodge. If you buy items like the wand for MagiQuest, be sure to hold onto it for use on the next visit. I normally like to chuck things because we have so much in our house, but this one is worth storing! Another piece of news- in January they will be renovating all of their guest rooms, all furniture, fixtures, paint, wallpaper, and televisions. I can't wait to see it. 

I'll end with this note. There are not a ton of pictures of us in the pool. Water and electronics don't like each other. I asked Neil to get a photo of Bubbie, R, and me in this raft...and my freaking head is blocked out. What in the world! Mamas, this is why we have to help one another out and take pictures for each other. Because this ain't cuttin' it! 

**We received free passes for the Lodge, but all views are my own! 

Bristow Butterfly Garden: NBG

So continuing my posts about the parts of Botanical Gardens that we love, this is the Butterfly Garden! The 2.5 acre gardens include lots of plants that butterflies love, and a butterfly house where they raise butterflies. Also on the property is a giant butterfly maze. Most people don't realize that it's there, behind the house!

While inside, be sure to grab a sheet and see how many different kinds of butterflies you can spot. Also, check out the back area for examples of caterpillars and talks from butterfly experts. 

We love the gardens for so many reasons, and this is just one of them. It was a perfect day to walk along with a friend and catch up. 

Upcoming NBG events: 

• Saturday August 18th: VA Honey Bee Festival 
• Saturday September 29th: Wildlife Rehabilitation Conference 

Saying Goodbye

This year has been a hard one. We have had too many good people taken away from us. We lost my father on the first day of the year, and now we lost Neil's dad. If this year has taught me anything, it's to love the ones around you fiercely. It's also taught me that showing up for people in times of need is so important. We once again have had so many good friends show up for us. 

Terry, or to us, Gramps, was a humble and honest man. He apologized when he messed up. He laughed at the smallest jokes, and found joy in the simplest things. He loved his sons and grandson fiercely, and showed it unapologetically. He was selfless in that he made sacrifices for those that he loved and worked hard without complaint to make life easier for those around him. 

I'll never forget that he was the first person in Neil's family to tell me that he loved me, and he told me every day. He called me annoyingly too often, he showed up at my door way too much, and he drove me crazy sometimes, but he did it all to make sure that we all knew that he loved us. I'm so heartbroken that my beautiful boy who loved his Gramps will grow up without him. He just started to say his name correctly... because the GR combo can be hard. He still looks for his car pulling up in the driveway. How do you tell a toddler who doesn't understand why he isn't coming back? It's been eight months since my dad died, and I still don't know. It's still no easier. We were not expecting this, and we had so many plans. We planned to ride the ferry. We planned to take him to see monster trucks. We planned to fight over if Terry could take him fishing. (A fight he likely would have won.) I'll miss the "hey darlin" phone calls, the "am I HAIRassing you?" as he pulls on my hair, and most of all watching him with his grandson. 

Maymont Farm and Busky Cidery

The Maymont property is huge and has several sections. On the property there are gardens, a mansion from 1893, a stream, a nature center, wildlife exhibits, and the Maymont Farm. Although it was 95 degrees outside, we decided to take the trek to the children's barn and check out the wildlife animals. A heads up, online it says that they the grounds, garden, and farm are open from 10-7, but they actually pull the animals in at five. We were disappointed when we arrived at 4:15 and by 4:45 the animals were being taken in. We didn't get to see some of them because of it. The grounds do stay open though.

If you're putting it into your GPS, be very specific. There are three parking lots, and it's a pretty big walk. A five dollar donation is recommended for entrance. Also, bring the stroller but be aware that there are lots of hills to climb. Kids may be interested in the large rocks along the river to climb on too. We first went to the farm. It was a cute farm where you could pay a quarter for animal feed to feed the animals.

We walked around the wildlife part and saw cows, deer, birds, and bison. There was also a butterfly garden and a wetlands exhibit. There were lots of people walking around and even some lying on blankets under a tree relaxing. There is a small play area that's perfect for toddlers just outside the farm where we sat and let R climb around. I'd love to come back one morning when it isn't so hot and see all of the animals, the nature center, and the gardens. You really could spend a whole day here; just bring good walking shoes! 

When we left there we headed to Buskey Cidery. This was a place that was introduced to me when Neil and I went to the Punk In Drublic fest this spring, but this was my first time to their cidery. They are located in an old train car loading building in the now super popular Scott's Addition part of Richmond. They have sixteen ciders on tap, and we got a flight with several, but my favorite by far was the watermelon. So good! Pro tip for mamas who want to try cideries or breweries... most have board games. If you can't find the Janga to play with the blocks, find the Guess Who. Although R is too young to play the game, he spent most of the time in my lap flipping the cards up and down. We grabbed a bite to eat at the Northshore Bar and Grill.

(From RVA!)