5 Places We Are Playing This Winter

Virginia weather is living up to its reputation for crazy weather. We keep switching back and forth from bundling up to peeling off layers and everything in between, but we still try to stay busy entertaining our toddlers. Here are five places where we have been playing recently. 

01. Virginia Zoo: Right now is the perfect time to go to the zoo. It's cold enough that many of the animals are awake and up and about, but not so cold that they are all inside. It isn't overly crowded and there is lots of room to spread out. Something to note, the goat yard is only open on the weekends, and the train isn't running until the spring. 

02. Jerassic Park: Spelled with an E, not a U, when you look it up, you'll find that Jerassic Park is located in front of the Aviation Museum in Pungo. Jerassic Park is a free outdoor park of metal dinosaurs. Print out the scavenger hunt before you go. 

03. Pinboys: Bowling is a great winter activity, and the Kids Bowl Free program makes it so easy to get two games of bowling per day free for kids with just the cost of the shoes. 

04. My Gym VB: We love My Gym Virginia Beach because they offer classes for babies all the way to older kids. They are offering a two week special for only $29 to check out classes. Class offerings range from Ninja classes to gymnastics based classes. 

05. Library: We love our local library, and they are offering classes again. Most of our local libraries have play areas. Spend some time playing, take a class, and check out a book! 

Hampton Holiday Wonder Walk

Visit Hampton nightly from December 19th-25th, 5 - 8 pm for a completely free holiday experience. There's a trail that is part of the Waterwalk Path, which connects Hampton's Air Power Park and Bluebird Gap Farm. 

Head to the Hampton Coliseum parking lot and turn right, walking toward the water. When you reach the neighborhood, keep going back into it.  You'll pass through lighted and themed sections, including one where members of the Hampton community have decorated trees. There are also stations for a toss game, coloring, and making a craft. Hot chocolate and a few snacks are available for purchase. Santa's mailbox is on site for letter drop off. This is a great addition to your holiday plans!  

If you're spending the day in Hampton, there is lots to do for kids. Checkout Air Power Park or Bluebird Gap Farm. You can also checkout the carousel, Air and Space Science Center, Hampton History Museum or grab a coffee at Firehouse Coffee 1881. There are even more options on our index! 

Lawyer's Garage

A sweet little stop if you're near London Bridge Road is Lawyer's Garage. Lawyer's Garage is a collection of custom made vehicles from famous movies. Some photo ops include Tow Mater, Eddie's RV from Griswold's Christmas Vacation, the Scooby Doo Mystery Machine, and a Tonka Firetruck. The vehicles out front rotate, so you'll see different ones depending on when you visit. Laywer's collects donations for the photo ops. 

Sharkey's Cuts for Kids

There's a new kids' hot spot on the scene! Sharkey's Cuts for Kids in Virginia Beach has opened and we had a great time there this week. One of my favorite things about Sharkey's was how easy it was to book an appointment. We actually had to cancel and reschedule and it was super easy using my Google account. For someone who forgets passwords without fail, this makes booking an appointment sure easy. They also accept walk ups. 

We arrived early (after realizing that I had in fact made the appointment right after pajama day at school...whoops) and the kids were able to sit and play video games while they waited which was perfect. The salon really grows with kids because one side has the little cards and planes with televisions while the other side has adult chairs and video games. 

Sharkey's offers "minicures" too, which is a nail painting with a haircut. They do blow outs, straightening, and up dos, and they even offer birthday parties, which looked like little fashionista heaven. Snag the first haircut package to save some memories. Best of all, with every haircut Sharkey's makes a donation to one of three charities. The kids get a coin and they can pick which one they want their donation to go to. Love that they are giving back! 

Turfs Up!

Located in Kitty Hawk, Turfs Up! is a fun stop whenever you're in the OBX. Turfs up is a great spot for families to get a little energy out. Each group rents a bay for a preselected amount of time. Each bay has a screen and activities to do and play. Visitors can pick between golf, baseball, football, soccer, hockey, carnival games, or a battle in the zombie apocalypse. Visitors use real sports equipment to putt, shoot, hit, or kick balls toward the projector and screen.

Turfs up is open Monday through Friday 3-8 and Saturday 10-8. Hours on Sunday change seasonally. They do sell drinks, but no food.