Head to the Fair
Caroline County’s Fair is FREE. It’s held June 18-21, 2025.
The Fredericksburg Agricultural Fair is July 25-Aug. 3, 2025. On Thursday, July 31, 2025, all general admission tickets will be $7. On certain days they offer FREE entry for teachers, military, law enforcement, college students, and more. You can find out more HERE.
You can find a list of most of the VA County Fairs at this LINK.
Hike at a New Location
When you hike to Belle Isle Park in Richmond, you’ll be walking across a suspension bridge to a small island. Bring your bike to test out the bike skills area.
The James River Park in Richmond has a variety of fun hikes. We recently went on the Buttermilk Trail.
Visit Government Island or Neabsco Boardwalk.
Make a Craft
Menokin Maker’s Day in Warsaw is FREE. Unfortunately, this is not happening for 2025.
Michael’s has FREE crafts. You can find their schedule here.
Head to the kids’ FREE monthly classes held at Home Depot and Lowe’s. Home Depot’s workshops are held the first Saturday of every month from 9 am – Noon and do not require pre-registration. Lowe’s workshops require pre-registration.
Go Kayaking
Take a 2-hour guided kayaking tour at Menokin for only $25 per person. Unfortunately, Menokin will not be offering their free 1-hour kayaking lessons this summer.
Kayaking at a Virginia State Park is fairly inexpensive. Check a park near you to see if they offer kayaking.
Kayak for $5 at Lake Culpeper--Lake Culpeper Adventures . Grab an ice cream at the adjacent Ole Country Store.
If you have your own kayak, you can launch it for free at Lake Mooney in Stafford.
Check out your local library
The Central Rappahannock Library always has fun, FREE events going on. Make sure to sign up for their FREE summer reading program.
Listen to a New Story at a Local Story Time
Possum-bilities has story times the 2nd Sunday of the month at 11:00 a.m.
Agora Downtown Coffee Shop has summer story times. Every Wednesday morning for the months of June and July, they will host a short 30-minute Storytime in their back patio. Make sure to join their Summer Storytime at Agora Downtown Coffee Shop Facebook Group so you know when these will be happening. (We hope they will be offering this in 2025.)
Local libraries always offer story times. If you’re in the Fredericksburg area, make sure to check out the Central Rappahannock Library branches for weekly story times.
The Mom Squad of Fredericksburg usually holds summer story times. Make sure to follow online to see their schedule.
Some Chick-fil-a’s also have weekly story times. Check out these story time locations: King George Chick-fil-a and Ashland Chick-fil-a.
Complete a Scavenger Hunt
Stop by the Fredericksburg Visitor Center to pick up an Otter-ly Amazing Scavenger Hunt and find the bronze otter sculptures throughout the downtown area.
Visit Possum-bilities on William Street in Fredericksburg and participate in their scavenger hunt. You’ll learn a lot about possums.
Get to know Stafford County with the Discover Stafford Scavenger Hunt!
There are “Apples on Parade” in Winchester. Head there to find the 15 large apples scattered around the community. Make sure to locate the one at the Virginia Farm Market where you’ll be able to sample apple cider and more.
Get Wet at a Splash Park
Riverfront Park in Fredericksburg has a small water feature. If you’re looking for something larger, head to Rockwater Park in Culpeper or the splash pads in Richmond.
Make sure to follow THIS link to get information on all the local pools and splashpads.
Go Rollerskating
Cavalier Family Skating Center in Stafford has $1 skate Wednesday nights (6-9 pm) plus we’re hoping they offer their great summer deal for 2025 – $7 admission fee includes a slice of pizza and a drink.
If you’re heading to DC, you can skate for FREE at Anacostia Park. Skate rentals are FREE. You must have socks + an ID to get skates. Only 5 skates can be given out per ID.
Participate in a Summer Reading Program
Follow this link to learn about several local and national summer reading programs. Get ready to earn FREE pizza, cookies, t-shirts, and other prizes.
Pay-What-You-Like for Rock Climbing
Head to State Climb in Culpeper where rock climbing is pay-what-you-like on Fridays.
If it’s your first visit to Rapp Rocks Climbing Gym in Fredericksburg, you can enjoy a discounted day pass and FREE rentals for only $19/Adults and $14/youth.
Play at Fun Land in Fredericksburg
Games are half-price at Fun Land in Fredericksburg on Wednesdays. If you scan the QR code on their door, you can get a FREE $10 play card.
Seek a Unique Adventure
Tom Rhodes Tree Carving Trail in Warsaw is worth a visit. Go on a scavenger hunt to see how many of the tree carvings you can find. Follow the link above to print out a FREE scavenger hunt. See how many new creations have been added. Stop at Wild in the Woods a Nature Discovery Area in the Cat Point Creek Unit of the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Then grab ice cream at ACME Ice Cream Parlor in Tappahannock.
The Blue Ridge Tunnel Hike is one of the most unique hikes in Virginia. Make sure to bring your flashlight as you’ll be hiking through an old railroad tunnel.
Blast down a tubing run at Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre in Lynchburg. On Tuesdays, combo passes are only $10. They’re regularly $25/pp.
Find the Fairy Gardens at Ann Marie Sculpture Garden in Solomons, Maryland.
Visit a Park or Concert Event
Attend a free Picnic in the Park event in Fredericksburg, Virginia. These are held every Tuesday in May and June from 11:30 am – 1:30 pm at Memorial Park. There’s music, food, and fun.
Music on the Steps concerts are held on the front steps of CRRL’s Fredericksburg Branch beginning at 6:30pm on Mondays, June 2-August 25, 2025.
Sounds of Summer is every Friday night in June, July, and August starting at 6:30 pm, in Market Square in Fredericksburg! Concerts are completely free for all.
Tuesdays in the Park are FREE events held at Autumn Ridge Park in Stafford from 9 – 11 am.
Ashland Fourth Fridays are every fourth Friday from May to September in Downtown Ashland. Shops are open late and there are free live concerts.
Visit a Farm
Admission to Frying Pan Farm in Herndon is always FREE. Enjoy visiting all the farm animals. The Carousel is an extra charge.
Visit the animals at Yoders Country Market. It’s more of a petting farm, but you’ll get to see a variety of animals. You can even feed (extra charge) and pet some of them.
Shoofly Farm in Chester has free farm visits every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm.
Go on a 50-minute farm experience at Haven Hills Farm. The donation amount is only $30 for up to 5 people.
Visit a Farmer’s Market
If your children participate in the weekly activity at the Spotsylvania’s Wednesday Market at the Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center parking lot, they can earn $2 to spend on fruits and vegetables. These activities begin the first Wednesday in July.
Participate in fun activities and find Garrett the Carrot at the Fredericksburg Farmers Market on Saturdays from 7 am – 1 pm.
Visit a Museum
Admission to the Fredericksburg Area Museum is FREE. You can head across the street after your visit to see a real possum and other creatures at Possum-bilities. Possum-bilities is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Admission to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond is FREE. There are children’s scavenger hunts you can print off from home before visiting.
Visit a Garden
Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond has FREE admission on June 19th, July 4th, and September 1st. Bring clothes you don’t mind getting wet, because they have a fun splash pad.
Maymont is FREE to visit in Richmond. The Nature Center is open Fri-Sun from 10 am – 5 pm. There is a cost for this and advance reservations are recommended.
Meadows Farms Nurseries have fun, free activities throughout the year.
Visit a Cemetery
The Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond has beautiful views and lots of history. Before heading there print off a free guide. If you’ve been reading The Virginia Mysteries (great books, by the way!), there’s a special guide for this cemetery. Just head to their website and click on Visit. You’ll find a list of their guides–Girl Scout Guide, The Virginia Mysteries Guide, and National Treasures Guide.
Visit a State Park
Entrance to a Virginia State Park is very reasonable. Most are $5-10/vehicle, and most VA State Parks have a variety of FREE activities-hikes, ranger programs, and more. Make sure to pick up a Junior Ranger Booklet. Lots of great information, and your child will earn a pin for completing various activities. There are 43 Virginia State Parks. Entrance is free if you bring a receipt from REI. Homeschoolers have also been able to get in free with an ID or Notice of Intent letter. Some libraries throughout Virginia also offer backpacks to check out that have a VA state parking pass.
Volunteer
Volunteer at the Rappahannock Educational Farm in Stafford. Make sure to follow them on Facebook or Instagram so you know when their volunteer days are.
Help Fauquier Education Farm harvest their crops for the Food Bank. Get on their volunteer list so you can find out their harvest dates.
Haven Hills Farm in Bealeton is always looking for volunteers. Hang out with their farm animals as you help out.
Downtown Greens in Fredericksburg has volunteer hours every Saturday, 9am-12pm and every Thursday, 3-6pm at their Downtown Campus. No signup necessary!
Head to Old Dominion Humane Society to volunteer. You can play with their puppies every Friday throughout the summer (June-Aug) from 5-8 pm. They also have dog walks on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Watch a Movie
The EVO Kidflix Summer Movie Series has 10 fun-filled weeks of $1 family films. There’s a different film each week, with showtimes at 10 am EVERY DAY. The summer series will run May 30 – August 7, 2025. IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE THE FREDERICKSBURG LOCATION IS INCLUDED IN THIS.
Summer Movies are FREE at Marquee Cinemas every Tuesday and Wednesday at 9:30 am. There are 2 movies to choose from each day. The free movies start June 4 and end July 24. THIS MOVIE THEATRE IS NOW CLOSED.
Regal’s Summer Movie Express will run June 10 – August 6, 2025, on Tues and Wed at the first show. All movies are $1. Snack packs are only $5. If you join Regal’s Crown Club (FREE), you can get 50% off of popcorn every Tuesday.
The Library of Congress Packard Campus Theater in Culpeper has free movies on Fridays and Saturdays. Make sure to check their online schedule.
The Salem Church Library has Summer Movie Matinees on Thursdays (June 5- Aug 7, 2025) from 2:15 – 4:15 pm. Follow the link for a list of movies.
Ashland Movie Theatre will have FREE Movie Mondays starting June 9 – Aug. 11, 2025. Follow the link for their full schedule. Movies will be at 10 am or 2 pm. Ticket registration will open at 5PM the night before each film through the Ashland Theatre website.
Additional Inspiration
Check out our list of 50 Things to do in Fredericksburg, 50 Things to do in Spotsylvania, and 50 Things to do in Stafford.
Visit our monthly calendars where we post day-to-day events. You can find May’s calendar here. June’s will be coming out soon.
You may also find some ideas here. These ideas are especially useful for toddlers and preschoolers.
If you’re looking for Kids Eat Free locations, follow this LINK.
Make sure to follow Family Adventures VA on Instagram and/or Facebook as we’re always posting fun things to do in Virginia and beyond.
Rainy Days
If the weather is crummy, check out these indoor locations. (This is a Facebook link.)