Author Archives: Old Dominion for Young Virginians

First Day Hikes and Photo Contests

It always takes me by surprise when December 26th rolls around. All that anticipation, gift-buying, cooking, planning (well, maybe not so much planning this year), and then suddenly Christmas is over. If you’re anything like me, it helps to have something on the horizon in order to avoid falling into a post-Christmas slump. Since everyoneContinue reading “First Day Hikes and Photo Contests”

Manassas National Battlefield Park

It’s hard to believe that we are already three weekdays into Winter Break. On Monday and Tuesday, we did the typical lazy vacation routine: make a gingerbread house (except this year we used Pop-Tarts thanks to this video tutorial!), eat a multitude of cookies, watch Christmas movies, drive around looking at lights, etc. By Wednesday,Continue reading “Manassas National Battlefield Park”

Leesylvania State Park

Here comes Winter Break! My daughter is thrilled to have two weeks off, and my head is already swimming in a bubbly mixture of Christmas movies and outdoor adventures. Since the weather had warmed up enough for us to explore a bit, we decided to kick off the upcoming holidays with a day trip toContinue reading “Leesylvania State Park”

Sky Meadows State Park

Hooray for early Christmas presents! My sister and I have been exchanging experience gifts with each other’s families for the past several years. I usually get her a family membership to her local zoo, and she often gets us theater tickets. Since the theater obviously isn’t an option this year, she bought us an annualContinue reading “Sky Meadows State Park”

Christmas from the Car

I adore the Christmas season. The decorations, the cookies, the music, the movies…everything. Of course, I also love spending time with family and friends at this time of year, and that is sadly not going to happen the way it usually does. The same goes for some of our traditional outings and activities that don’tContinue reading “Christmas from the Car”

Walking on Water in Fairfax County

I may be raising a young Virginian, but I am actually a born and raised New Yorker. I grew up three miles from the Long Island Sound, and I spent hundreds of childhood evenings going for after-dinner walks at the waterfront beach and nature sanctuary near my home. It wasn’t until I went to collegeContinue reading “Walking on Water in Fairfax County”

Every Kid Outdoors, Virginia Edition

We’ve always been big fans of National Parks. After all, these are places that our country has determined to be so beautiful, environmentally impactful and/or historically important that they have been frozen in time for all to enjoy. The National Park Service (NPS) maintains properties nationwide that include parks, trails, monuments, memorials, highways, battlefields, andContinue reading “Every Kid Outdoors, Virginia Edition”

Natural Bridge State Park and Lexington

As I mentioned in my last post, earlier this month my family decided to take a weekend trip to the Shenandoah Valley. After a fun day at the Frontier Culture Museum, we headed to the town of Lexington for the night. Why Lexington? I picked it for a couple of reasons: 1. At a littleContinue reading “Natural Bridge State Park and Lexington”

The Frontier Culture Museum

I’ve never been very good at staying in one place for too long. Cue the global pandemic. All of a sudden, I found myself reigning in my trip-planning mania and scaling down. Instead of a bigger road trip this summer, we took a couple of weekend trips to Airbnbs within a reasonable drive from home.Continue reading “The Frontier Culture Museum”