Trail Center and Bald Cypress Trail at First Landing State Park

Fall is one of my favorite times to get outdoors, so it's been a bummer that so many of the HRVA area national parks and sites are closed due to the government shutdown. Luckily, First Landing is a state park and is still open! And it's at its absolute prettiest right now.

Our playgroup met up there last week for the express purpose of visiting the new Discovery Room at the Trail Center. Unfortunately, the room was off-limits while staff cleaned and fed the animals, but luckily again, the trail center features some other great stuff to hold the little ones' attention, including a cool little exhibit on local flora and fauna, complete with a "please touch" area where we could stroke fur pelts and listen to seashells.



After we'd done a few turns around the exhibit, we went back outside to set off down the Bald Cypress trail, a mile-and-a-half-long boardwalk trail through a marshy wooded area. We didn't make it through the whole loop -- the kids stopped several times, to peer at a frog, climb a hill, and eat some trail mix. And pose for lots of pictures.

First Landing is beautiful in every season, but it really shines in late summer/fall, so much so that I'm adding it to our Fall Fun List as a must-see autumnal destination. What are your favorite spots/trails in the park? Have you made it to the Discovery Room? I'm determined to check it out, so I know we'll be back soon.

The Beach at First Landing State Park

I realized a short while ago that although I lived in the area for the first 17 years of my life, I'd never before gone to the beach at First Landing State Park (though I have spent quite a bit of time on the park's hiking and biking trails). A few weekends ago, we met up with a group of friends -- and their kids of varying ages -- to rectify this oversight. We spent the day getting mildly sunburned and extremely sandy and overall wondering -- what took us so long?

The beach at First Landing is located between the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and Cape Henry, which marks the start of the Atlantic beaches of Virginia Beach. However, the First Landing beach is a quintessential bay beach -- sheltered, protected, with very little surf and almost no waves. This makes it a great place to launch kayaks and also pretty much perfect for little kids (and also for floating in the shallows in a giant inflatable raft, which I mean to do a lot of the next time we go).

Still, the waves that were there were enough to deter Anouk from going near the water -- we're working on undoing some of the trauma that was inflicted from a rogue swell in the face during our Hatteras trip. Her friend A., though, was more than happy to spend as much time as possible wading and watching schools of tiny fish near the shore. Luckily there was more than enough sand to keep our A. occupied, and she enjoyed watching the ships waiting to go through the shipping lanes so much that she did consent (verrrrry warily) to going out for a brief jaunt in Dada's boat.

Best of all from a parent's perspective, First Landing has SHOWERS and RESTROOMS, which bumped it up into the #1 Kid-Friendly Beach Spot in the area in my opinion, surpassing East Beach (which has neither). There's also a wheelchair ramp that goes right down onto the sand, great for strollers, beach carts, or wheelchair-bound beachgoers. A few things to keep in mind if you go -- parking costs $5 on Saturday and Sunday ($4 on the weekdays), and I'm pretty-but-not-totally sure they want that in cash. Also, the lot fills up quickly on the weekends -- we arrived at 11 and got the last parking spot. So get there early or else you'll have to hike over to the beach from across the street.

Seriously -- what did take us so long?

The North End

Our friends from DC visited this past weekend and of course we had to take them to our favorite  beach, which, for us, means the North End of Virginia Beach. The North End beaches are the beaches that I picture in my mind when anybody says the word "beach:" acres of golden sand, and the big blue Atlantic, just past the curve of Cape Henry, where there are always enough waves for bodysurfing. Some pretty impressive beach homes hunker down in the dunes, but there are plenty of old-school cottages, too, charming and shingled, half-hidden behind the stands of sea oats.

The North End runs from about 38th Street to 86th Street, and it's been my experience that every local has their favorite number in that range (it's kind of like those commercials for that sleep number mattress...there's one that's just right). Some people pick a street in the 40s -- out of the way of the throngs of tourists, but near enough to walk to Oceanfront amenities like restaurants and bathrooms. Some pick a stretch in the 80s, where the beach is widest and most remote, and you can see past the rows of residential homes to the trees in First Landing State Park. (For the record, our preferred beach access is at 66th -- right smack in the middle somewhere.)

We had the perfect beach weather for our visit, 85 degrees and partly sunny. After a string of 90-degree days, the water was warm enough for swimming (but still jellyfish free). The toddlers let us adults know pretty early on that they had no interest in braving the waves, so we did it for them while they played in the sand and fought over who would get to hold the handle of the beach wagon. Later in the day, a few kitesurfers put on a show for us, and a half dozen sky-writers steamed out messages overhead. All in all -- even including a nasty sunburn on my part -- it was a wonderful beach day. 

Like all good things in life, visiting the North End requires a little bit of work -- finding parking on the neighborhood streets can be a challenge at the height of summer, and once parked, you'll most likely have to schlep all of your stuff a few blocks. But it is definitely, totally worth the effort.

Strawberry Picking

Nothing says summertime is almost here! in Virginia Beach more than strawberry picking down in Pungo. I've been dreaming about it since the cold gray days of February and so when James asked me what I wanted to do for Mother's Day, that's what I picked (get it???). On Saturday, we (finally!) got our chance and drove down to Cullipher Farms to pick to our hearts' content.

We chose Cullipher Farm for a few reasons: first, they use organic growing practices, and with strawberries heading the list of fruits with high pesticide residues, that was a big deal for us. Second, they have two locations, one at the farm stand near Pungo Village and one a few miles away, which cuts down on crowds. We chose the farther-away berry patch, and as soon as we stepped out of the car we could smell the scent of berries warming in the sun.

We picked and picked and picked. In Anne's case, I should say we ate and ate and ate. By the time we finished, her white shirt looked like it had been dunked in a vat of red dye. I know some people were looking at us and thinking, who's the crazy mom who dresses her kid in white for berry picking? To which I say, there is a method to my madness. I dunked the whole shirt in a bucket of hydrogen peroxide as soon as we got home and today, it's good as new. (That's why they crowned me the Queen of Stain Removal. It's a glamorous job, being a mom.)

All in all, we picked two gallons of berries for $22, which is a great bargain considering that a pint of organic berries can go for as much as $4 or $5 in stores. We immediately put up one batch and saved the rest to eat this week -- and boy, have we been eating them as hard as we can. Even so, I'm still not sure we'll be able to work our way through them this week, so...let the baking commence!

This has been kind of a funky strawberry season so far -- the cool weather in April meant the berries set late and with the temperatures fluctuating, it's hard to say how long the season will last. Which means: go this weekend! Click here for Cullipher Farm's hours.

^^ My little strawberry girl, all tuckered out. I feel so lucky to be her mom, on Mother's Day and every other day of the year.

Chic's Beach

A few weeks ago, one of our readers wrote on our Facebook page that Chic's Beach is her favorite local beach and J., A., and I visited the following weekend to check it out. Lately, we've been going for a walk on the beach every evening that the weather's been nice, and Chic's has become one of our favorite places to sit and watch the sun go down.

Chic's is very much a neighborhood beach, bordered by houses in shades of pink and yellow and green, with people sitting out on the verandahs and waving as we go by. There's no hotels, no boardwalk. The vibe is quieter, and sportier, than any other beach I've visited in the area. Instead of rows of sunbathers, there are people out walking their dogs, playing soccer, fishing, and kayaking, all in the shadow of the mighty Chesapeake Bay Bridge that stretches out to the horizon. Once or twice we saw a few brave souls heading into the waves with their boogie boards -- a true feat of valor, because in April, even the bay is cold enough to make us squeal when it touches our toes.

Every time we go to the beach with Anne, it's more apparent than ever that we've got a little water baby on our hands. Last summer she was wary of the waves and didn't like the sand. These days, when we go to the beach, we have to keep a close watch to make sure she doesn't plunge in over her head or go streaking ahead of us down the beach. She's fascinated by almost everything she sees on the shore -- shells, tiny fiddler crabs, all of the flotsam and jetsam the waves wash up. Her absolute favorite thing to do is bury her feet in the sand and then put her little hands to her mouth in consternation: "Oh no! Where my feet go?"

On one of our recent visits, I realized that at this point last year, James and I were just beginning to discuss whether or not we should move back to Hampton Roads from DC. We had a lot of reasons why to go -- and a lot of reasons why to stay. On the one hand, our families, our friends, our condo, our life...on the other, less traffic, more peace, and almost thirteen years of built-up homesickness on my part.  We spent a long time weighing and balancing all of these things. The first few weeks and months after we moved, it felt like we were testing our footing a little with each step. Does this feel right? Is this the right place for us? 

But in leaps and bounds, we found our footing. Now, almost a year in, we're sure we made the right decision. Especially when we stand right on the line between sand and sea and look out at the ocean  -- with a little baby cackling with glee beside us -- yes, this is right. There isn't anyplace else we'd rather be. 

Here's a funny little article about how Chic's Beach got it's name -- I never knew. Did you? 

The Jewish Mother

We kept Anne's birthday celebration kind of small this year -- a family dinner the night before, and a special birthday lunch and visit to the aquarium the day of. Because our little foodie baby loves eating out, our list of potential birthday lunch locations was a long one. Finally, we decided to narrow our search to restaurants near the aquarium, for logistics' sake. While scanning the map, I noticed a little pin for the Jewish Mother only a few miles away and I turned to James. "We have to take her there," I said.  "She'll love it."

It was James's first time at the Jewish Mother too, but not mine. In high school, the old Oceanfront location was a favorite hangout among me and my friends because of the proximity to the beach, the great live music, and the baskets of steaming hot latkes (which are somehow the perfect beach food, don't ask me why). I hadn't been back since leaving for college, and I was interested to check out the new Hilltop location and see if those latkes were as good as I remembered.

They were. We ordered plates and plates of food, and dove in. The Jewish Mother's menu is so eclectic that just paging through it and deciding what to order is an event in itself. Besides traditional NY deli-style fare (bagels, brisket, borscht, knishes) there are some unexpected and unexplainable little gems (chicken livers, conch fritters, lumpia) that had piqued our curiosity. There's a pretty extensive kids' menu, but it would almost be a pity to order the standard kids' meals as there is so much else to choose from. And breakfast is served ALL DAY. I can't stress how happy I was to see that, especially since most bagel places seem to close pretty early, and my bagel cravings always hit at dinner time.

A. devoured her weight in latkes and applesauce and kosher dill pickles and then waved away a slab of birthday cheesecake in  favor of a pile of corned beef from her dad's reuben (which she called "ham," and I didn't have the heart to tell her otherwise). This kid, I can't explain her. But I'm awfully glad she's mine.

I did feel a few pangs of homesickness for the old Jewish Mother location but the new 9,000 foot restaurant does look like a great venue and after checking the calendar, we decided our next visit will probably involve a babysitter for Baby A. But we're glad we got to go with her this time and we know we'll be back as a family sometime soon.

 

The Virginia Legends Walk

A few weeks ago, Anouk and I explored the Virginia Legends Walk in Virginia Beach -- one of those little kid-friendly gems off of the Oceanfront boardwalk. There are so many of them and we have such fun discovering them all. Click over to My Active Child to read more about our visit! 

The Children's Theatre of Hampton Roads: Bucket of Monkeys Improv Troupe

Almost as soon as Anne was born, I started dreaming about all of the fun things we would do together in coming years. One thing in particular that I thought about over and over again was getting dressed up and going to the theater together. I looked forward to sitting in a darkened theater with A. and watching her little face grow rapt as the actors on stage grabbed her imagination and carried it away.

This past Sunday was a very special day for us. We got dressed (not up, but I did manage to find matching socks for us both, which is a pretty big deal) and drove to the Virginia Beach central library, where we saw The Children's Theatre of Hampton Roads' improv troupe, Bucket of Monkeys, put on The Three Musketeers. Our very first show -- first of many, I hope.



I was impressed with pretty much everything about CTHR: from their mission, to provide children's theater that is educational, interactive, and affordable, to the way the actors managed to translate a complicated story in a way that would be fun for a wide age range of audience members (including the parents), to the props (foam swords!) that they handed out as we left the auditorium after the lights came up.

I was also impressed by how well the five actors in the troupe worked together, and how much heart they put into their performances. Each one of the performers was highly skilled (and obviously having a blast), but special mention needs to be made of Jessica Pinsky's villain, the Comte de Rochefort, who was so over-the-top, appealingly evil that we couldn't help but root for him despite ourselves. (I also have to give props to Alex Gaver, the hardest working woman in show business, who provided us with a whole cast of supporting characters, including an entire ARMY). Best of all, the cast did a meet and greet after the show, so we got to shake their hands, collect some autographs, and tell them in person how much fun we had.

At 21 months, Baby A. was probably the youngest audience member there, and there were moments in the hour-long performance when she got a little squirmy. But she also danced, clapped, laughed, and by the end, was putting her arms up in the musketeer cheer with the rest of us. And to see her doing that was everything I hoped it would be.

There are two more chances this month to catch Bucket of Monkeys doing The Three Musketeers: they'll be at the Suffolk Center for the Cultural Arts this Saturday at 11 AM, and back at the VB central library on January 27th, at 2 PM. Tickets are only $5! (Click here for more information about these performances and to read about upcoming productions.)