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Virginia is an excellent location for family and budget-friendly activities. The state has something for everyone, whether you’re planning a long-stay family vacation or traveling for the day. 15 Cheap Family Activities To Do in Virginia.
1. Shenandoah Caverns
Shenandoah Caverns is a natural geological formation with a mile-long collection of caves and tunnels connecting through seventeen chambers. The guided tour is an intriguing hour-long walk that teaches visitors how the underground caverns formed, the land’s history, and many fun facts.
2. Visit Mill Mountain Zoo
The Mill Mountain Zoo is located in Roanoke on top of Mill Mountain and is the region’s leader in animal conservation. The zoo opened in 1952 and is a refuge for endangered, vulnerable, owner-relinquished, and injured animals. The zoo closes on Wednesday and Thursday during winter, but is open daily from March.
3. Ride A Family-friendly Bike Trail
Virginia has many low-cost, family-friendly biking trails. Blackwater Creek is free and has around eight miles of trails and a bike rental shop. The Virginia Creeper Trail has over 34 miles of bike trails for the more adventurous with older families. Although many of Virginia’s bike trails are free, you may need to pay for a low-cost shuttle service to get to the trails.
4. Play Miniature Golf
Harbortown Minature Golf is a Wild West-themed, family-friendly miniature golf course in Moneta. The course overlooks Smith Mountain Lake, and children under 3 are free. If the kids like pirates, try Pirates Paradise Mini Golf, a pirate-themed, 18-hole miniature golf course in Virginia Beach. Many other mini-golf options exist, such as the cow-themed Bethpage Miniature Golf course in Urbanna.
5. Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
If the family loves nature, try Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. It has around 14,000 acres of maritime forest, beaches, marshes, and dunes and is renowned for its wild Chincoteague ponies. Activities include fishing, photography, cycling, and hiking. But be aware, there is a small entry fee for cars.
6. Dinosaur Land
For dinosaur lovers, Dinosaur Land in White Post, Virginia, has over fifty statues, some with moving parts, such as a wooly mammoth with a moving trunk and flapping ears. Take home a dinosaur-themed souvenir from the on-site gift shop. Plus, entry is less than $10 for children under twelve.
7. Virginia’s Natural Tunnel State Park
Virginia’s Natural Tunnel is 300 yards long and is an enormous naturally formed cave that runs alongside railroad tracks, deep through the Appalachian Mountains in Scott Mountain. Alongside the tracks, a trickling stream runs through the tunnel and is great for a family of explorers and nature lovers.
8. Visit Child-friendly Museums
Whether the kids enjoy art, science, history, or space, Virginia has many kid-friendly museums that appeal to a child’s curiosity. The Science Museum of Virginia has lab demonstrations, hands-on space tasks, interactive technologies, and exhibits. Why not visit the largest children’s museum in Virginia? The Children’s Museum of Virginia has two floors of exhibits, a model train and toy collection, and a planetarium.
9. Blue Ridge Parkway
Blue Ridge Parkway’s website describes the 469 miles as “America’s Favorite Drive.” The parkway has a lot to do across its mileage. You can hike, bike, camp, picnic, and visit towns and shops. If you fancy a more extended visit to the Blue Ridge Parkway, there are plenty of campsites, B&Bs, lodges, ranches, cabins, motels, and inns.
10. Pick Your Own Produce
Gather fresh strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, and other fruits and learn about farming with a visit to an orchard or pick-your-own farm. Snover Creek Farms in Edinburg, has an outdoor dog park and indoor kid’s play area and is free. Or pick seasonal fruit and veggies at Great Country Farms. Bluemont has farm animals, rope swings, giant slides, and mazes at another farm. Liberty Mills Farm, Somerset, has Virginia’s largest corn maze and offers visitors hay rides.
11. The Natural Bridge
Steeped in history, King George III and Thomas Jefferson once owned this Native American sacred site with its 215-foot-long bridge. In the evening, a biblical light shows projects onto this natural wonder, a ritual that has stood the test of time since 1920. Entry is less than $10 and nearby is a historic recreation of a historic Native American Monacan village and a wax museum.
12. Book a Zipline at an Outdoor Adventure Park
Bear Mountain Zipline is in the Shenandoah Valley near Luray. It has over fifty acres of forest areas with some spectacular scenery. The center offers ziplining and climbing for all levels of experience. Children must be over 36″ tall to use the zipline and weigh 40 to 250 pounds.
13. Float Down a River on a Tubing Excursion
Shenandoah River Outfitters in Luray proudly boasts that they offer the “best tubing trips on the Shenandoah.” They cater to all experience levels, although children must be five or older. The center provides canoeing and kayaking if the family doesn’t fancy tubing. Book into one of the log cabins next to the river if the family wants more time on the river.
14. Enjoy Kid-friendly Camping in Virginia
Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park is both kid and dog-friendly. Although camping fees start at $50 per night, they are good value. The price includes on-site activities such as a basketball court, fishing pond, petting zoo, mini-golf course, nature trails, and a water pool with water slides. Many family-friendly camping sites in Virginia offer on-site facilities, such as Cherrystone Family Camping Resort, which has five swimming pools, three playgrounds, mini golf, a game lounge, and games like shuffleboard and cornhole.
15. Virginia Beach and Boardwalk
Virginia Beach is the longest commercial beach in America and is free to visit. It has a three-mile, 28-foot-wide concrete boardwalk frequented by cyclists, rollerbladers, and strollers. The many kid-friendly activities on Virginia Beach and Sidewalk include JTs Grommet Island Park, a wildfowl museum, a surf and rescue museum, kayaking, and more. The venue has shopping areas and restaurants.
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