Swamps get a bad rap for being hot, humid, and stinky and a terrible place to be in summer. But don't believe it! Swamp Stomp at First Landing State Park this summer has been a blast. For those who aren't familiar with the concept: the program involves a short hike through the woods, under trees laden with Spanish moss. The park ranger hauls up big netfuls of muck from the bottom of the swamp and spreads it on the boardwalks. Then you root through it to search for the water bugs, amphibians, and invertebrates that live there.

This event is super hands on, and kids are encouraged to touch and explore, to gently hold and examine the things they find and compare them to pictures and information provided by the ranger, who does her best to make sure that everybody finds something! Anouk found a tadpole (with legs, halfway through metamorphosis!) and a couple of water scorpions and man, you would have thought she'd found gold nuggets. I love to see her getting less squeamish with bugs and squiggly things and to learn about the landscape that she lives in.




Besides learning about swamp life, we also heard, as we hiked, some fun facts about the dune ecosystem of the park, the variety of trees and vegetation (did you know this is the farthest north Spanish moss can grow?), and water quality (did you also know that the tannins in leaves make the swamp water super pure to drink? -- but I'm not going to try it any time soon).

Swamp Stomp is held at the park every Tuesday and Friday throughout the summer and is only one of the fantastic programs that First Landing puts on. Check out the full roster of offerings here.

PS: BUG SPRAY. We've found picaridin to be the best against mosquitoes, ticks, and those awful biting flies.

Do you LOVE Norfolk Botanical Garden but find yourself visiting the Children's Garden, Butterfly House, and Airport Overlook over and over again? If you haven't had the chance to ramble, and making your way through the map seems a little daunting here is a quick list of five of our favorite kid-friendly places at NBG.

Baker Overlook: The coolest place in the whole of NBG, in my humble opinion. Literally and figuratively -- it's always five degrees cooler there than anywhere else. There's a two-tier deck/tree platform in a giant oak that makes you feel like Swiss Family Robinson, comfy padded porch swings, and a view of the waterway, to watch the tour boats go by. (The photos in this post were taken at Baker Overlook on a Sunday Pokemon hunt a few weeks ago.)

Hunter Savage Colonial Garden: Part ornamental garden of the 18th century, part medicinal and culinary garden. The walkways are paved in oyster stones, and each herb and plant is marked with tiny handmade markers. We love to run our hands over the herbs and name each smell. Speaking of scents...

Fragrance Garden: Located next to the main building, each plant in this garden was selected because of its scent. Each season has something to stop and smell, from Allspice in summer to Bayberry in winter. We like to do a sensory tour of the garden and find as many different things to touch, smell, and see in this spot as we can.

Tropical Display House: the Tropical Display House is a riot of color year round. It's a steamy spot (going in there always makes Anouk's hair extra curly), which is nicer in winter than in summer. BUT there is so much to see in there, palm trees, birds of paradise, strangler figs, and even that kid-friendly fave: BANANAS. A good place to practice your monkey sounds. Be careful of wet floors.

Enchanted Forest: Two easy trails wend through this secluded spot (one is paved for strollers). Among the tall trees, it's almost possible to pretend that you're somewhere else entirely. There's a picturesque footbridge, whimsical tree-stump benches, and a magnificent fountain spiraling up into the middle of Lake Whitehurts! One of the best places in the Garden to look for turtles.

Honorable mention (Anouk told me to add this, so it's straight from the horse's mouth): Fern Glade, which can be found adjacent to Baker Overlook. "It looks like there are elfs there, Mom."

The Chesapeake Arboretum! What a cool place to be on a spring day. Not literally -- it was pretty hot and muggy when we took our walk -- but despite that the arboretum was a wonderful place to experience nature.

If you look at the arboretum on the map it is surrounded by neighborhood on all sides. So we expected it to be pretty manicured. Instead, we found a pleasantly maintained mulched path and jumble of wild greenery. Whenever we did catch sight of a house through the leaves it was almost a surprise to see it there.

We took the longest path option which is about two miles of flat and easy terrain, even for Gus's little legs. There are shorter routes available, too. (Find the map here). When we went, back in early April, some of the sections of trail were under construction and a couple of the bridges were out of commission or missing guardrails. So it might be best to check with arboretum staff to make sure the routes still lead where they are supposed to before setting out! We had an issue with a bridge leading to nowhere but it was easily solved by walking out to the neighborhood while James went back for the car and picked us up.

Anouk's favorite part of the walk was climbing on every tree and fallen long she could find and there were tons. There was also so much wildlife to see on this trip! On our two hour hike we saw rabbits, frogs, turtles, butterflies, all kinds of birds, and even a couple of SNAKES. If you're into that, keep your eyes peeled. (If you're not, same).

We plan to go back when the farmhouse is open and when the leaves turn in the fall!

James's new goal is to hike the entirety of the Appalachian Trail, and he's been doing a section here and a section there when he has the time. This past weekend, Gus, Anouk and I (and some of our friends) joined him for part of one, a hike up to Humpback Rocks in Waynesboro. It's about a three hour drive west on 64, almost to Charlottesville, so we decided to leave after breakfast and pack a lunch to carry up to the rocks with us.

It was a strenuous hike for little legs. Not impossible for a four, five, or six year old to do, but it's going to be a good challenge for them. The hike up to the rocks is only about a mile but it involves basically hiking straight up the side of a mountain, climbing stairs, and then picking your way over rocks. It took us about an hour each way with a 3 year old, two five year olds (and a toddler in a carrier on my back). But there were a lot of interesting things to see on the way -- lichens, fall foliage, caterpillars, caves. And the view from 2643 ft. was spectacular, so worth it.





After we got back down to flat(tish) ground, we walked back to the visitor center and explored the farm museum, a few old houses and grounds recreated from the 1850s. It was especially interesting for me and Anouk because we have been reading Little House on the Prairie lately and there are a lot of descriptions of the house that Pa built the family. We were able to see how the logs were notched and split, how pegs were used instead of nails, and how the walls were chinked with mud. Now when we read we feel like we can see it even better!

With all of these beautiful mild days this winter we've had to really search for new places to go for family "hikes" (I use quotes because it's virtually impossible to actually hike in the Hampton Roads area, the best you can hope for is a nice flat pretty walk). But one of the prettiest nice flat walking places we've found on our travels is Hoffler Creek Wildlife Preserve, in the Western Branch area of Portsmouth.

Right in the middle of Hoffler Creek revolves is Lake Ballard. A trail that winds around the lake, with littler trails peek off from the main one like spokes. To explore each one would take the better part of an afternoon. During our last visit, we visited the kids trail, where A. had fun looking out for the yellow blazes that marked the path, a bird blind overlooking the river, and the Oyster Pier, where we saw baby oysters resting in protective baskets as part of a restoration project. There's also the homestead trail, leading to the site where the Ballard family used to live, and a Bluebird Trail, which is popular with birders.



Hoffler Creek is set up to get kids excited about nature, offering guides that point out native plants and giving kids the chance to look out for wildlife and mark them on a wildlife sighting map. An interactive play area is in the works. For bigger kids (with adult supervision), kayaks can be rented for a fee.

There are some exciting events coming up at Hoffler Creek this spring, including a volunteer work day (keep our area beautiful!) and a Spring Tasting Tour which will teach you to identify and cook with edible plants around the preserve. Read more and register here.

Would it surprise you to learn that one of the prettiest and remote beaches in the HRVA area is just a few minutes from Downtown Hampton? Grandview Nature Preserve starts out with a walk down a gravel path that begins in a neighborhood but by the time you reach the beach, a half mile away, you have left it all behind. The two-mile stretch of beach is pristine, covered with driftwood and shells and clean fresh sand. You hear the cheeps of birds and the grasses moving in the breeze but not much else. It's like a world into itself.

Grandview wasn't always so remote. Back in the 1800s, Grandview was a swinging social destination. There were parties and dances in the glow from the old lighthouse and dozens of painters set up their easels to paint it. You can walk to what remains of that old lighthouse from when it finally succumbed to erosion and disrepair in the '50s, a lonely pile of rocks standing a few yards offshore. It's kind of eerie to look at them -- if you stare long enough you can almost see the old light standing up from them again.

The nature preserve covers 475 acres of salt marsh and wetlands, and there is excellent canoeing through the inlets. Besides that, it's a good place to observe migratory birds and sea turtles (be sure to save this number in your phone before you go  -- it's not out of the ordinary to see wildlife stranded and in need of help). In summer the swimming is great but the walk down to the beach may be too far for very little ones in the heat.

To read another local blogger's take on Grandview (and see her gorgeous pics), click here! Have you been to Grandview Nature Preserve? How did it compare to other area beaches, in your view?