February 2023 for the first for our family. It was the first time we traveled as a family out of state. Our daughter asked if we could go to the ocean. She didn’t know we were planning a trip to Richmond, VA. My stepdad was celebrating his 60th with his kids in Virginia and asked if we would like to join. Of course, I said yes (I am always up for a road trip). We had a free place to stay; how could I pass that up?
I needed to plan a trip for four people (two of which were toddlers) for six days. The plans had to include activities to keep our toddlers busy. Luckily, we bought the kids three different memberships for Christmas (refer to the post titled “Our new Christmas tradition”). The memberships included discounted or free admission to select locations associated with the membership. We were able to keep our trip at $1,500 (that includes food, gas, admissions, souvenirs, and anything else). I had researched a few places in advance and made a rough draft of how the week would look. We switched a few things around as we went. We were never short of anything to do.
Our drive would take 7-7.5 hours. This time did not include traffic. Toddlers don’t do well sitting in a car that long. I thought it was a good idea to find an activity to do halfway. The next challenge was traveling with a toddler who has a dairy allergy. We bought plenty of snacks, but the food was a major concern. One thing I knew he could eat was Chik-Fil-A grilled chicken nuggets. That took care of lunch on the way down. Regarding food, the rest of the time, we cooked or ordered food we felt wouldn’t use dairy.
We spent the first day at The National Aquarium in Baltimore, MD (a post about our review and some info about the aquarium to follow this post soon). Baltimore was a pretty good midpoint for us. We spent about 3 hours in Baltimore before hitting the road again. We ended the night with Chinese food from Peking in Mechanicsville, VA. The first day was the most expensive. The National Aquarium is a part of the AZA, so we paid the full price. The kids were free. This outing cost us $100. Dinner was roughly $70, and gas and lunch were about $75. The total for the day was approximately $245.
On day two, the weather was beautiful, so we wanted to do something outdoors. We ended Metro Richmond Zoo (post to follow with more information and my review). We didn’t leave for the day until 10 in the morning. After the zoo, we had dinner at the house where we stayed and went to Swader’s Sports Park (post to follow with more information and my review) to end the night. The total for day two is $185.
The third day we spent at the museums. We went to The Children’s Museum of Richmond and the Science Museum of Virginia (post to follow with more information and my review of both). This day we weren’t in a rush again, so we left at about 10:30 AM. The museums are next to each other and share a parking garage. We couldn’t finish the science museum, but we had a full day of play. We ended our day after the science museum and returned to the house to relax for the evening. The total cost for the day was $105.
in Richmond, VA
Day four was in the 80s, so we wanted to spend the day outside again. We decided to drive to Smithsonian Zoo (post with more information and my review to follow) in Washington, D.C. We were on the road by 10 AM. With the traffic and getting lost in D.C., we didn’t get to the zoo until 1 PM. The zoo closed at four, and we wanted to avoid rush hour traffic, so we headed to the car at 3 PM. Dinner was at a Mexican restaurant. Day four’s total was $192.
The fifth day was the day we were excited about. It was the day we were headed to the Ocean. Virginia Beach was our destination—another day where we weren’t in any rush and left at about 10:30 AM. We went shopping at DAV (thrift store), then went to the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center (post to follow with more info and my review) before heading to Virginia Beach to check out the Ocean. We ended our night at Peking Restaurant in Mechanicsville, VA. The total was $175 for the day.
Day six was our last day in Virginia. We started the day with rock wall climbing and ended with pizza, cake, and bowling. We were all able (not everyone did) to go rock wall climbing at Peak Experience (a post with more information and my review to follow) in Richmond, VA. We went bowling at Cannon Bowling Lanes. (Side note: Cannon Bowling Lanes is on a Naval Base. Our family lives on the base, and we had special permission before visiting. For this reason, I will not be providing any more information or reviewing the bowling alley.) Day six’s total was $107.
Our last day, day seven (for those counting), was spent driving home. Like the first day, I included a spot to stop halfway and let the kids run around. We stopped in Baltimore again. The Port Discovery Children’s Museum (post with more information and my review to follow) was our last stop before going home. The total for our last day was $ $78.
The total cost for the trip was about $1,500. We did not pay for all the meals, and we did not pay for a place to stay. Having a free place to stay made a considerable difference in our budget. All the totals include everything from that day (food, gas, souvenirs, and admissions).
When we go on vacation, I try to let each person pick an activity they would like to do and incorporate it into the trip. When traveling with toddlers, however, it’s a different story. You must ensure you are doing things that will hold their attention. You can always fit an adult-friendly activity into your vacation. Do something with the little ones during the day to tire them out and something for the older ones later in the day.
Anyone can go to Disney World and spend a fortune, but not everyone goes off the beaten path to have one of a kind vacation. I don’t want to spend the day waiting in lines. (Don’t get me wrong, one day we will go to Disney World, but when my kids are older). Toddlers are curious and have lots of energy, so take a vacation that caters to them. You won’t regret it.
It doesn’t matter what your budget is. You can always take a vacation. When buying presents for your kids, give them an experience or a membership. Those are the gifts that will keep on giving. Pick a place and go. Travel and make those memories with your kids today.
If you want help planning a one-of-a-kind, based on your ages and likes) contact me today at adventuresbymaria@gmail.com. Follow me on: Meta (formerly Facebook) – Adventures in Travel By Maria Meta – Wandering With The Wilmores Instagram – @WanderingWithTheWilmores
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