Hi all,

My family (with boys, ages 8 & 4) will be overnighting in Richmond next week, following a wedding at Smith Mountain Lake State Park. We'll have an afternoon/evening Monday and most of Tuesday before our flight out.

I'd love some suggestions about good things to do. Unless the weather is really beastly, I'd prefer to stay out of the science museum and children's museum - they look great, but we have that sort of thing here at home.

It sounds as though a walk around Belle Isle is a good idea. What else? Are there any spectacular ice cream parlors (or similar treat-oriented places) that should be on our list? Or great food? (I looked at the Comfort site - sounds delicious.)

The boys are pretty well-behaved in terms of nicer restaurants and activities, but we'd love to find somewhere for them to let off some steam as well. Selfishly, I'd love to poke around Carytown (?), and I suspect that my clan would put up with it if it's for a limited time.

In case it helps, we'll be staying at the Sheraton West.

For your first night, there is a very kid friendly restaurant in the Fan called Kuba Kuba. It is, duh, Cuban food, sort of, but they are happy to make up an order of pasta and cheese or whatever. There is a good playground across the street where the boys can work off energy.
It is an interesting neighborhood, probably 20 minutes from your hotel, and you and your husband will enjoy driving/walking around.

Next day, assuming husband is less wild about shopping than you, take him and the boys to Marymount Park, where there is a petting zoo and lots of other kid oriented stuff.

Carytown is right across the Interstate from Marymount Park.

Be back when you promised.

If the boys were older, I would have them drop you and then go to some Civil War sites, but they are too young for that.

It's Maymont Park, not Marymount (sorry, just don't want them unable to find it) and I agree it's a good place for kids. I also like Belle Isle, you take a pedestrian bridge suspended over the river, under a highway bridge, which your kids might find cool, and they might enjoy the walk along the river too.

Carytown also has at least one cool toy store the kids might like, plus other interesting shops. I don't know if you like Thai food, but two of my favorite Thai places are in Carytown -- Mom's Siam and Thai Diner II.

Bev's Ice Cream in Carytown would be a good place to stop with the kids and then walk through Carytown and see the shops (they will love World of Mirth).

Bottoms Up Pizza is down near Shockoe Slip and is a fun and delicous place for pizza. They have any kind of pizza you can imagine, and I think nightly music (which ends up being an adult crowd) but in the early part of the night, I think it is still okay for the kids.