Virginia is for Kids!

By Casey Williams

Have you had sticker shock lately at the produce prices in the grocery store?  Have you seen the prices of blueberries lately even though they are “in season”?

In the spirit of going green, spending more time with family and supporting the local farmers and economy, why not try picking your own?

My favorite site for finding pick your own produce is:  Pickyourown.org.  The site is filled with not only places to pick all over the world, but also tips for preserving and canning your harvest.  Thanks to this site, we have been able to enjoy family-time throughout Virginia picking our own fruits and vegetables.

Best of all….KIDS LOVE IT!  Here are a few tips to make your pick-your-own trip a success with the kids:

1. Try to pick early in the morning.  It’s not too hot nor too crowded.
2. Cover the kids with bug spray and sunscreen before going.
3. Some pick-your-own farms offer containers, some don’t.  Bring a sturdy plastic bucket for the kids to use and hopefully, that will avoid any spills and tears.
4. Let them eat as they pick!  Ask if the farm uses pesticides and if not, let the kids indulge.
5. Plan ahead what to do with the harvest and let the kids help.  Some items, such as blueberries, can be put in plastic bags and frozen for later.  Something as simple as a scoop of vanilla ice cream with “their berries” on it can make a child light up with excitement.
6. Teach the kids what vitamins are in which foods.  They love this stuff!  Before you know it, they will be telling you how they can see better because they ate 3 carrots or that they grew because they ate an apple.

Here is a list from the Pickyourown.org site of the farms in Virginia:  http://pickyourown.org/VA.htm

The Regal Cinema’s Free Family Film Festival begins June 2009!

When school’s out, kids around the country visit selected Regal theaters for the Free Family Film Festival.  It’s a fun-filled nine weeks of movies for kids and parents.  Since 1991, Regal has provided this service to the community, and best of all it’s FREE!  Selected G & PG movies start at 10AM each Tuesday and Wednesday during the festival.

First-come, first-served seating is limited to theater capacity.  The Free Family Film Festival is safe, lots of fun and a great way for kids to spend a weekday morning in the summer.

Tickets are available the day of the show at the theater box office.  Click here to go to the site and search for theaters near you.

Yes, we are all feeling a pinch this year.  The good news is, the people I talk with seem to be concentrating more on spending time with family in celebration of the upcoming holiday rather than buying and getting “stuff”.

If you are looking for some great deals on holiday gifts, please check out my friends over at CheapCheapCheap.  These guys KNOW how to find deals and they share them freely.  They are constantly combing the web for fantastic buys and posting them to their site.

Today, I purchased a Disney DVD game for $4.00 (that’s about 90% off retail price) and a Matchbox Car Hauler for $8 (regularly $25).  Most of the time, they find free shipping for the deals too.

If you are looking for a particular something, be sure to do a search of the forums, there are a ton of great deals to be had there!

Main house, Berkeley Plantation

The Berkeley Plantation is the most historic plantation on the James River and is located off of Rte. 5 in Charles City (between Williamsburg and Richmond).

The Plantation consists of 3 historic homes, gardens and sites of the applicable historic events all in a beautiful setting overlooking the James River.  There are guides in period costumes to escort you through the home, which consists of period pieces and civil war artifacts.

Berkeley Plantation is the birthplace of President William Henry Harrison and Benjamin Harrison, V(a signer of the Declaration of Independence), the site of the first official Thanksgiving Dinner (in 1619) and also where the tune “Taps” was originally written.  It is the ancestral home of President Benjamin Harrison.

Admission is $11.00 per adult, Ages 6-12 $6.00, Ages 13-17 $7.50, children under 6 are free.  10% discounts for AAA, Senior Citizens and Military.  You can also get a coupon for $1.00 each admission in the Williamsburg tourism guide (which can be picked up for free throughout

Berkeley Plantation Grounds Map

Williamsburg).  Open daily from 9am to 5pm with the last guided tour at 4:30pm.

Tina’s take on it: I think the price is a little hefty for a visit that even the website claims to take only 1.5 hours.  But, it’s a great place to stop with antsy kids who need to run (there’s plenty of room on the grounds) and/or for a picnic (tables are there).  Drinks can be purchased for $1.00 in the gift shop; however, that’s about it for refreshments.  The gift shop is minimal so the kids should be able to breeze right through it without being enticed.  The history is so incredibly rich here – it definitely should be on the list of places to visit.  If the pre-recorded information speakers had been working at the various sites on the grounds, I think my son would have enjoyed it more.  Also, the grounds map says there is a ship’s replica down at the water and it was not there which was disappointing.  To get the most out of your visit, I would pick up a book at the library about the First Thanksgiving and the Harrison’s and read those to the children prior to visiting.