Burke Lake Park

Another fun thing to do this summer is head to Burke Lake Park, in Burke, Virginia. If you can take the kids during the weekday, you will avoid the weekend crowds. The park is large, so you'll want to head to the area of the putt putt golf, where you can do a lot of things with your toddlers.

You can take your kids on a nature walk by the water. There is a great playground to start off your morning.

After the playground, take a ride on their train that runs through the woods of the park. Caelan was in awe of this train. He sat quietly, like a big boy, staring out and enjoying the scenic ride. For kids 3 and up & adults, the tickets were $2.25 each. Please note that when you pass through the tunnel, be prepared to hear the organized screaming of toddlers. I don't know how they all got the memo, but they do it right on cue!

Next stop: A ride on the carousel! Tickets were the same price. Even though Caelan is free, as an adult, if you are "on" the ride with your child, you need a ticket as well.

When all the excitement is over, you can head to their air-conditioned icecream parlor, and have a nice lunch. You can bring your own food and eat it there, or you can purchase hot dogs and popcorn. And of course, icecream cones! The food prices are very reasonable ($2 per hot dog and $2 for one scoop of icecream.) You can also find an outdoor picnic table with a view of the lake to enjoy.



One thing Patrick and I want to do eventually is take the kids to an Amusement Park. We love rides, and we hope they do too. But for $60 per person admission to either Kings Dominion, or Busch Gardens, at their age, the kids would not enjoy it as much as something like this. Total cost for two kids including lunch is under $20. Can't beat that!