Connecting Moms in Fredericksburg, Virginia and Surrounding Areas
Connecting Moms in Fredericksburg, Virginia and Surrounding Areas
Day Trips from Fredericksburg with Kids
Home by bedtime
These are the places within about two hours of Fredericksburg that are worth loading up the car for: theme parks and caverns, free museums, farms, waterfalls and a beach where kids hunt for shark teeth. Pack the snacks and be home by bedtime.
Planet Snoopy for the little ones, coasters for the brave, and Soak City when it is hot. Kings Dominion is close enough to go for the afternoon.
Mom tip: Season passes pay off fast when the park is only 40 minutes away.
Free, indoors and only half an hour away. Kids love the planes hanging overhead and walking through the exhibits.
Mom tip: Closed only on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
A working colonial farm with animals, a gristmill and a hands-on education center. Little kids get the animals; big kids get the history.
Mom tip: Reserve a mansion time online for $2 per person, or try for a free ticket at the gate.
Wide open grounds to run, the Gilmore Cabin, and family program days built for kids.
A free public beach on the Potomac with calm water, golf carts and small-town summer events.
Hunt for shark teeth along the Potomac shore, then picnic by the river at Washington's birthplace.
Mom tip: Collecting fossils from the cliffs is not allowed; search the beach instead.
Our own river, just downstream. Start at Central Park so the kids can run, splash and play, then rent kayaks at Duke Street Beach and paddle the Rappahannock. Lunch at 1710 Tavern or To Do Cafe, browse Acme Antiques, and stop for a tasting at Wind Vineyards on the drive home.
Mom tip: Go on a warm day and pack swimsuits: the splash pad and Duke Street Beach make it a full day.
Space Shuttle Discovery and the SR-71 Blackbird under one roof, plus a tower where kids can watch planes land at Dulles.
Indoor challenge rooms that get the whole family working together. Perfect for big kids and cold days.
Thundering Potomac waterfalls from three easy overlooks, with plenty of room to picnic.
Mom tip: Keep kids well back from the rocks and the water.
A real working farm with cows, pigs and goats, plus a vintage carousel and wagon rides.
Overlooks, deer at Big Meadows and short waterfall hikes. A fall day trip you will want to repeat every year.
Giant caverns, the Great Stalacpipe Organ, and a garden maze and rope course outside for when they need to run.
Fife and drum, blacksmiths and replica ships kids can climb aboard. History is a lot more fun when you can touch it.
Sesame Street Forest of Fun for little ones, coasters for big kids, and Christmas Town with millions of lights in winter.
Boats at City Dock, ice cream in hand, and midshipmen in uniform on a Naval Academy tour.
Mom tip: Adults need ID for the Naval Academy; walk in at the Randall Street entrance.
A whole historic town where two rivers meet, with an easy stretch of the Appalachian Trail.
A vintage train ride through the West Virginia mountains, with a good chance of spotting bald eagles. A long day, and worth it.
Just for mom
Grab a friend and leave the diaper bag at home. For even more ideas, see our 15 best luxury spas within a four hour drive of Fredericksburg.
A Korean spa day with themed sauna rooms, pools and food. Grab a friend and make a whole day of it.
A luxury spa escape close enough to drive up for the day.
