Coming with children to the Northern Neck? Are the grandchildren in town?

1. Hunt for fossils or sharks’ teeth to make a necklace at Westmoreland State Park.
   Did you find a camel’s tooth?
2. Stop at Dug In Farms to get some sweet corn and vegetables for dinner!
3. In the Great House at Stratford Hall, find the angels on the fireback in the chimney. Hike
   down to the mill. Buy cornmeal (for corn muffins) in the gift shop ground at Stratford Hall.
   Add berries from Garner’s Produce and make blueberry corn muffins when you get home.
4. Build a wooden boat (Mabel skiff) at the Reedville Fishermen’s Museum, in June, from
   Friday to Sunday. Also a children’s model-building workshop is held in  August. See the historic vessels docked on Cockrell’s Creek.
5. For older, tech-savvy kids, the Northern Neck is a giant geocache! Stratford Hall, Caledon State Park, Westmoreland State Park, Belle Isle State Park in Lancaster, Reedville, and loads of points in between! GPS equipment rentals available at state parks.
6. Catch a big one in Wilna Pond during Junior Ranger Day in June at Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Richmond County.
7. Everything is fun about the Richmond County Fair, in August. Be a Farmer for the Day!
   Experience hands-on agriculture, ages 9-19.
8. Quietly go in to Historic Christ Church in Weems, in Lancaster County. There’s a great hands-on visitors center or participate in Hands-On History Day, or play Colonial games on a Second Saturday.
   
9. Take a free ferry ride (in the car) across the Corrotoman (upper Lancaster County, near Merry Point) or Little Wicomico Rivers (Northumberland County, Sunnybank, near Reedville).
   
10. Where’s the playground? Climb over a giant crab at the playground in Kilmarnock, on Waverly Avenue, at Belle Isle, Westmoreland or Caledon State Parks, or the Warsaw Town Park on Main Street.
    
11. Reach the Beach! Colonial Beach, Vir-Mar Beach, Westland Beach–to name a few!
    
12. Tractor-happy? The Northern Neck Farm Museum is a must-see! From steam-powered to gas & diesel, tractors galore. Look for special events, like Threshing Day and the corn maze during the fall.
    
13. Identify trees at Menokin, the estate home of Francis Lightfoot Lee, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The house is a partial ruin, so you can walk around it and see how they built homes many years ago. Then go kayaking!
    
14. Play tennis in Warsaw at Rappahannock Community College’s courts. Open to the public, night-lights until 10pm!
    
15. On the weekend, rent a kayak or canoe at Belle Isle State Park and paddle across to the Morattico Waterfront Museum, and come back to the park! Age 10+
    
16. In September is Kinsale Day—and a Rubber Duck Derby! For more information, see kinsalefoundation.org
    
17. Stay overnight in or near Reedville and take a cruise to Tangier Island the next morning.
    
18. Get the family together on a charter boat and catch dinner! captbillyscharters.com
    Or go tonging for oysters on an eco-tour!
    
19. Check out the nature events and programs at Caledon State Park on the Potomac in King George County.
    
20. Visit the calendar or your local library for other family-friendly events. At the library, check out a book on George Washington and plan your visit to his birthplace on beautiful Pope’s Creek in Westmoreland County. Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the walking trails!