Unusual & Fun Family Activities Near the Farm

Thomas Jefferson’s stunning hilltop home is one of the genuinely great historic sites in America — and visiting it is a very different experience than reading about it in school. The architecture, the gardens, the sweeping views of the countryside Jefferson gazed at while dreaming up democracy — it’s all there. The tours are excellent and have evolved significantly in recent years to tell a fuller, more honest story of everyone who lived on this mountain. The grounds include beautiful walking trails through the kitchen gardens and orchards. A UNESCO World Heritage Site worth every minute.

IX Art Park is a wild and wonderful outdoor public art space unlike anything else in the region — sprawling murals, sculpture, fire art, community gardens, and a creative energy that makes it feel more like a neighborhood in a city you’ve never been to than anything in a small Southern town. The Through the Looking Glass art experience inside the park is genuinely unique: an immersive installation environment that takes visitors into a world that feels both fantastical and playful, perfect for kids and adults who enjoy having their sense of reality gently scrambled. Worth building an afternoon around — especially paired with a visit to the Downtown Mall nearby.

💡 What to Know: IX Art Park is free and accessible. Check ahead for Through the Looking Glass hours and ticketing — it’s ticketed separately and popular on weekends.

One of America’s top-rated drive-in theaters, located right off I-64 between Charlottesville and Richmond. The Goochland Drive-In is a modern facility paying genuine homage to the classic drive-in experience: first-run current releases on a proper big screen, double features, classic American concessions at incredibly affordable prices ($4.85 for a burger, $3 for a fountain drink), and a family atmosphere that’s been drawing hundreds of cars every weekend for years. Tickets are priced by the carload, which makes it a remarkable deal for families. Arrive early for a centered spot, tune your radio to the posted FM frequency, and settle in. The ice cream trailer is a major bonus. Operates Thursday through Sunday in season.

🎟 Tips Schedules are posted 4–7 days in advance on the website, with tickets going on sale Monday evenings. Arrive early — the lot fills up fast on summer weekends. No outside food or beverages.

Hull’s Drive-In is genuinely one of America’s most remarkable places to see a movie — and the story behind it is as good as any film showing on its screen. Located north of Lexington, it opened in 1950 and ran for nearly 50 years until its owner passed away in 1998. Facing closure, a group of devoted community members formed “Hull’s Angels” — a non-profit — and raised $75,000 from 600 donors to buy and reopen it. Today Hull’s is the first community-owned, non-profit drive-in theater in America. It shows current family-friendly double features Thursday through Sunday from mid-March through October, at $10/car for a single feature or $20/car for a double. The concession stand is famous for its hot dogs, hamburgers, and hot buttered popcorn. Sitting under the stars with the Valley all around you, watching a movie with 300 other cars, is an experience that genuinely does not exist anywhere else.

⭐ Worth It. The double feature is the move. Gate opens at 7 pm, movie starts at dusk — plan to arrive at 7 to get a good spot and time for concessions. Lawn chairs beside the car or a blanket in the truck bed is the classic approach. Ask me about folding chairs before you go!

Grand Caverns in Grottoes, Virginia, holds a distinction that few places in America can claim: it is the oldest continuously operating show cave in the United States, having been open for public tours since 1806. Over 200 years of visitors, including Civil War soldiers who left their signatures on the cave walls during the 1860s, have passed through its remarkable chambers. The cave earned its “Grand” name honestly — the formations are spectacular, with an unusual abundance of shield formations (rare disc-like structures that form against gravity) that have made it a National Natural Landmark. 70-minute guided walking tours are offered daily, suitable for families with children ages 3 and up. The cave maintains a cool 54°F year-round, making it a perfect summer escape from summer heat as well as an all-season attraction.

Beyond the cave, the park offers hiking trails, a riverside walk, mini golf, a playground, picnic shelters, and spelunking adventures for those wanting a more intense underground experience. It’s a full half-day — pair it with a stop at one of the Shenandoah Valley wineries on Route 151 on the way back for a perfect day out.

💡 Practical Tips: Reservations are strongly recommended. Bring a light jacket — 54°F feels cold after a few minutes. Children under 3 are not permitted. No strollers or wheelchairs inside the cave. About 50 minutes from Crozet heading west through Waynesboro.

Once owned by Thomas Jefferson — who bought it from King George III for 20 shillings in 1774 and called it “the most sublime of Nature’s works” — Natural Bridge is a 215-foot natural limestone arch carved over millions of years by Cedar Creek. It became a Virginia State Park in 2016, and is now a National Historic Landmark. The main Cedar Creek Trail takes you right under the bridge and on to Lace Falls, a 30-foot cascade, and Salt Peter Cave. The park also has a wonderful Children’s Discovery Area — an outdoor nature classroom where kids can build forts, play on log drums, act in a mini amphitheater, and draw on a blackboard — all in a natural woodland setting. Natural Bridge State Park is also designated as an International Dark Sky Park, so ranger-led stargazing programs and lantern tours of the bridge at night are offered seasonally.

🗓 Pair It. Natural Bridge is in the same direction as Hull’s Drive-In in Lexington — consider combining both for a spectacular full day: bridge and trails in the afternoon, drive-in double feature that evening under the stars.

The Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton is one of the most unusual and genuinely engaging outdoor history museums in the United States — and it’s only about 55 minutes from the farm. The museum is a working open-air site featuring authentic historic farms and structures transported piece-by-piece from West Africa, Germany, Northern Ireland, England, and early Virginia, reconstructed in the Shenandoah Valley to tell the story of the people who shaped American frontier culture. Costumed interpreters work at each farm, demonstrating 18th and 19th-century skills — blacksmithing, cooking, animal husbandry, and more. Children are often invited to participate. A full half-day easily. Staunton itself is a beautiful historic town worth exploring before or after; there is a farmers’ market downtown on summer Saturdays.