Lakewood Park

I've been meaning to post about Lakewood Park for a long time now, but haven't because until recently, I never had the opportunity to take photos to go along with it -- every time I would whip my camera out, Anouk would try to strangle herself on the monkey bars or eat a handful of mulch. But with the challenges of Two also come a few added benefits, one being that she is now much more confident and sensible about appropriate park behavior, and I don't have to hover like a hawk like I used to.

So, finally, here is Lakewood Park. It's across the street from a nice library and also around the corner from Naa's Bakery, hooray! After our trip there a few weeks ago, Anne and I met up with our friends for a playdate under the twisted live oaks, to give the kids a chance to run off some sugar. There are some seriously old trees at Lakewood, gnarled and twisted and providing copious amounts of shade, which means that there is always a cool spot to sit, even on hot and humid summer days. Add in a picnic area and some age-appropriate playground equipment and you've got yourself a practically perfect park.

Did you know that Lakewood Park is also home to Norfolk's Dance and Music Center? Anouk has been asking for dance lessons a lot lately, so we're going to look into the Creative Movement classes for toddlers this winter and spring. If you've ever taken a class at Lakewood I would love to know -- or if you have a recommendation for elsewhere in the #HRVA area that offers toddler tap or ballet.

Hope you had a good weekend. Now get out there and enjoy this gorgeous weather before it's gone!

Pokey Smokey II at Portsmouth City Park

Last year, around Christmas, I posted that Anne was going through a phase in which she was excessively fond of trains. Update, this phase shows no signs of being over anytime soon. At this point, I don't ever expect it to be, I fully believe that one day I'll be driving in the car with 45-year-old Anouk and she will flip out when she hears a train whistle. Mom, a train! Can you see it, Mom? Can you?

Norfolk is a good city for trains (we were stopped by three while we were out driving last week), but sometimes you just have to get a little more up close and personal with one, and when that happens, you visit Portsmouth City Park, to ride the Pokey Smokey II, a miniature red train that chugs around the park on a 3/4-mile loop. The original Pokey Smokey began operating in 1964, but closed in 2005 due to safety concerns. The track was fixed, a new train was commissioned, and the second Pokey Smokey was put back in service in 2011 (and parents everywhere rejoiced).


Anouk loved riding on the train, especially the little stretch of the track that creeps along by the Elizabeth River and waving like crazy at the kids playing on the playground, adjacent. And there were a lot of them this sunny Saturday afternoon. The Portsmouth City Park is really a stellar park, with incredibly well-kept playground equipment, lots of shady trees to relax under, a snack bar, a friendship garden, and even a golf course with a driving range and putting green.

Did you know there's a word for love of trains and rail travel? There is: siderodromophilia. I am raising a siderodromophiliac child, how about you?

Miyazaki Japanese Garden

One evening a few weeks ago, we went for an after-dinner walk in the Miyazaki Japanese Garden at Red Wing Park in Virginia Beach. Red Wing Park has several beautiful gardens, but the Miyazaki Garden is our favorite. No matter how hot the day has been, it's always cool there, and no matter how gloomy the skies might be, there are always a few sun-dappled spots to explore.

The garden was planted in honor of Miyazaki, Japan, which is Virginia Beach's sister city. (Side note: I love the concept of sister cities -- Norfolk has several, which you can read about here.) The Miyazaki Garden is a wonderful mix of Japanese plants that fit perfectly with the native Virginia foliage in a way that encapsulates the spirit of both places and feels both familiar and unfamiliar at once. In the spring, they feature the area's best show of cherry blossoms, which we appreciate, since we were big fans of the ones in DC when we lived there.  




Anne had a great time running out some pre-bedtime energy on the garden's shady paths and setting up elaborate Barbie doll panoramas in the azumaya (Japanese-inspired outbuilding). She also tried to take home several of the smooth white rocks from the rock garden to add to her collections. Is there anything more attractive to toddlers than a pile of rocks? If there is, I don't think I've found it.

Happy 4th of July! Hope that everyone has a safe and festive holiday. See you back here on Monday. 

Norview Community Center Splash Pad

I'm blogging about our afternoon at the Norview Community Center Splash Pad over at My Active Child today! So fun. We brought a bunch of kids ranging from 1 to 13, and everybody had a great time.

What are your favorite spraygrounds in the area? Let us know, we're building a list.

Halfway through the week! Be sure to do something nice for yourself today, to celebrate.

Springing forward at Deer Park

At long last, spring is beginning to spring in earnest, and Anouk and I are saying a temporary goodbye to some of our favorite indoor play spaces in favor of some old -- and new -- outdoor ones. Our goal for the warmer months this year is to try to hit up a new park at least once a week (hopefully we can make this happen). We started our new project with Deer Park, in Newport News, over the weekend.

Deer Park is special for a few reasons. It's located adjacent to the Peninsula museum complex, which makes it a nice place to have lunch/run off a little steam after a morning of museum-going. There are walking trails that wind throughout wetlands and flower gardens (the azalea garden was just beginning to bud the day we went), a picnic area large enough to accomodate big groups, and plenty of waterfront access to Deer Park Lake. A. had a blast poking around in the mossy water with a big stick, and waving to a few ducks and to one beautiful blue heron who was sunning himself (herself?) on the opposite shore. It's the same view you'll get from the Virginia Living Museum, on the other side of the lake, only at 0% of the cost.

But the truly exceptional thing about Deer Park is the playground, which is a Boundless playground, meaning it was specially designed so that children with and without disabilities can play together. Many of the swings feature harnesses and neck supports, the rubber-and-mulch surfacing allows wheelchairs to roll easily over the ground, and each of the large play structures has ramps and wide openings to allow children who might need help getting around to access them. It reminded me a lot of Clemyjontri Park, which we visited frequently when we lived in the DC area, and loved.

We didn't have very long to spend at the park the day we visited, but in the short time we were there, A. did manage to tire herself out enough for an extended nap time, and we both got a ton of much-needed sun and fresh air.

Look at all that light! Have I mentioned that we love Daylight Savings Time?

Air Power Park

We were big fans of the Air and Space museum when we lived in DC, and we're big fans of the Virginia Air and Space Museum, as well. But they just don't compare to Hampton's Air Power Park in terms of accessibility and pure magic -- because there is something magical about being able to get up close and personal with the fighter jets and rockets, to have so many in one place, and to even be able to reach out and touch them.

Anouk's love of airplanes seems to grow and grow, and so we made a special trip to Air Power Park last weekend. The park, located on fifteen acres off of Mercury Boulevard is hard to miss. You're driving along and then bam: rockets against the trees. The park features vintage aircraft and space exploration vehicles from the 1950s and '60s as well as an indoor museum filled with model planes and nautical vessels in exhibits dedicated to each of the armed services. There's a small playground behind the museum building, too.

A time capsule, interred at the park in 1965, to be opened in 2065. 

We followed the map around the rocket garden and saw the sights: a Thunderchief fighter jet, a massive Polaris missile, and best of all, a Mercury capsule used in the first manned spaceflight (along with the Little Joe rocket that launched it). The capsule was way smaller than either J. or I thought it would be...here's a photo of A. standing next to it, to give you some idea of how little it was. Because of it's cramped size, the astronauts used to say that it was "worn" rather than flown in!

Inside the museum, we had fun looking up at all of the vintage model planes made by a local donor starting in the 1940s. The NASA room also features small-scale models of the Challenger shuttle and the Mars rover, and of course we had to spend some time checking them out. The Cold War Era Room gave J. and me a weird kind of nostalgia -- it's strange to think how big and scary the Cold War stuff seemed to us back when we were kids, and how long ago and far away it all seems now.

Best of all, Air Power Park (because it's a public city park) is free -- a great bargain, considering that admission at the VA Air and Space museum can cost up to $20 per person! And considering that Anouk learned a new word while she was there -- she's still toddling around talking about "wockets." Priceless, you know?

To the moon! Let's go!

Great Bridge Lock Park

When we're out running errands on the weekends, we like to try to look up a nearby park to visit in between stops. Anouk gets to run off some steam -- we all get to stretch our legs -- and sometimes we find a place to add to our list of favorites. Everybody wins!

The weekend before last, we were out at breakfast at Greenbrier, and on the way home, stopped by Great Bridge Lock Park to explore. The park is named for the Army Corps of Engineers lock that was built to separate the salt water of the Elizabeth River from the fresh water of the Great Dismal Swamp. It's situated on a little peninsula -- on one side, you can watch big boats going through the lock on their way down (or up) the Intracoastal Waterway. On the other, you can see small boats and canoes dotting the tidal marsh. It's a great place for boat enthusiasts, that's for sure.

We spent a little while at the playground, which we rated a solid 8. No water feature (we're still looking for the perfect summertime spot to replace our favorite splash park up in DC), but there were a couple of climbing gyms, plenty of swings, and some cute riding animals. Here is me enjoying one of them. I am calling it 'Woman with Frog Butt.'

Work it.

Some other key features of the park include: a canal overlook, a spacious picnic area, and a walking trail that winds through the woods all the way around the peninsula. James was also really excited to see there was a boat launch -- he's looking forward to coming back in the spring with his new Christmas kayak.

Hooray! We love finding new places! Have you been to Great Bridge Lock Park? Or to Deep Creek Lock Park?