Things To Do around RVA over Holiday Breaks
- The West End Mom
- Dec 18, 2024
- 9 min read
Updated: Feb 8, 2025
Looking for fun things to do with your family over winter break? This guide is for YOU!
I've rounded up some of my favorite activities, sporting events and exhibits that are going on right now in Richmond -- these are perfect for the whole family! While some of these are holiday themed, others are family-friendly pop-ups, exhibits, events and new places around town.
Here are 12+ activities and events to try over your kiddo's holiday break this year!
Follow @thewestendmom on Instagram for things to do with kids in Richmond!
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This guide is brought to you by River Run Law!
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Serving the Richmond area community since 2020, River Run Law has helped the RVA community recover from a range of injury related case -- Car, Truck & Motorcycle Accidents to Premise Liability and Wrongful Death.
I got to chat with Sarah Bloom about ways to beat boredom over school breaks. To see my full interview on RVA Parenting with NBC 12, click here!
1.Kick off winter break with a FREE cupcake at Cameo Cakery and Cafe.
Any kiddo 17 and younger can get a FREE holiday cupcake at Cameo Cakery and Cafe on 12/20/24 if they have my Christmas Bucket List printable. Make sure you have it printed off to grab this deal.
2.Go see RVA’s LEGO Exhibit: Traveling Bricks
Traveling Bricks: An Exhibition of LEGO® Bricks is on view at Virginia Museum of History and Culture through January 5, 2025!
Virginia History's new exhibit features 100+ models of iconic land, air, sea & space vehicles. And it’s comprised of nearly 1 million LEGO® bricks! After viewing the exhibition, YOU can build anything you want with thousands of LEGO® bricks in the BRICK PIT !!
Admission costs $12 per adult, $10 per senior/student/military/veteran, $8 per child (8-17), and children 5 and younger are free. Admission is also free for EBT/SNAP cardholders.
This activity is perfect for all ages and extended family.
Showing movies since 1928, the historic Byrd Theatre is the oldest, surviving movie theater in RVA. The theater has 1,200 seats, box seats & a balcony. The opulent chandeliers, rich marbles & theater mural paintings will make you feel like you’re at a movie palace — not a movie theater! It even has a theater organ. If you visit on Saturdays, you may be lucky enough to watch organist Bob Gulledge play the Mighty WurliTzer before the film, too!
Family Classics & Sensory Friendly movies cost $5 per person on weekends. You can purchase tickets online or when you arrive. The concession stand sells items for $2.50 to $7.50, including drinks, candy & popcorn.
This activity is perfect for all ages and extended family.
Upcoming Schedule:
12/18 @ 7pm: Elf ($9 pp)
12/19 @ 7pm: The Grinch ($9 pp)
12/20 @ 7pm: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation ($9 pp)
12/21 @ 10am: The Polar Express ($5 pp)
12/21 @ 7pm: Elf ($9 pp)
12/22 @ 2pm: White Christmas ($9 pp)
12/23 @ 10am: Home Alone ($5pp)
12/23 @ 7pm: It's a Wonderful Life ($9pp)
12/24 & 12/25 @ 7pm: It's a Wonderful Life ($9pp)
12/28 @ 10am: Frozen ($5 pp)
*Check here for my review of The Byrd.
4.Ride a snowboard at The Science Museum of Virginia.
The Science Museum of Virginia's newest exhibition MathAlive! is open now through January 12, 2025.
This kid-friendly, hands on exhibit will make your Science Museum of Virginia visit count! Showcasing fun and unique ways that math shapes sports, weather & more, your family will learn so many new aspects of "math" and have a lot of fun. For example, you can ride down a snow-covered mountain on a 3D snowboard race, race your friends on a bicycle, sequence robots on Mars, and study weather data like a meteorologist.
It costs $17.50 per adult (13-59), $14.50 per senior (60+), $14.50 per youth (6-12 years old), and $10 per preschooler (3-5 years old) to visit daily. Children 2 years old and younger can visit for free. Teachers can visit the museum for free with their teacher ID.
The Science Museum of Virginia also participates in Museums for All. This means the Science Museum offers a discounted daily admission & reduced-rate membership for limited-resource families.
The Science Museum of Virginia is perfect for all ages and extended family. It's stroller friendly, and it has activities for all ages.
5.Step into a Painting at The Van Gogh Immersive Experience.
The Immersive Experience is open in Short Pump. This 20,000 square foot exhibit lets you step inside of Van Gogh’s paintings & be surrounded by his work! It has 3D art, digital art, sound effects & more. This multigenerational exhibit is ADA accessible, stroller friendly & kids under 4 years old can visit for free.
When you finish the exhibit, there’s a color experience. It’s perfect for all ages - you can create your own masterpiece or color one of Van Gogh’s.
Admission costs starts at $30 per person. Kids under 4 years old can visit for free. For an addition cost, you can add on the VR Experience. You get to walk alongside Van Gogh during a visually rich journey into the inspiration behind some of his iconic works!
*Check here for my review of Van Gogh.
6.Attend a College Basketball Game.
We are so lucky to have both VCU and UR right here in Richmond, and their basketball games are really fun with kids. Both VCU and UR have concessions with family-friendly food, adult beverages, and sweet treats. At University of Richmond games, you can also let your children play in the Family Fun Zone. This area has basketball hoops and lots of yard games.
Upcoming UR Womens's Basketball Games:
12/20 @ 2:15pm vs. Tennessee
12/29 @ 2pm vs. Dayton
Upcoming UR Men's Basketball Games:
12/21 @ 6pm vs. VMI
12/28 @ 6pm vs. FGCU
12/31 @ 4pm vs. GW
Upcoming VCU Women's Basketball Games:
12/21 @ 1pm vs. LIU
1/2 @ 6pm vs. Duquesne
1/5 @ 1pm vs. Dayton
Upcoming VCU Men's Basketball Games:
12/22 @ 2pm vs. William and Mary
1/8 @ 7pm vs. Fordham
*Check here for my review of UR's women's basketball, and check here for my review of UR's men's basketball.
7.Make a Day Trip to Colonial Williamsburg
This 301 acre living-history museum is filled with holiday traditions & special events in December. You can listen to ensembles sing holiday music, follow the Yule log to Market Square & watch fireworks!
Colonial Williamsburg is hosting three Grand Illumination nights , and you still have the opportunity to attend the event on December 21, 2024. It also has a firework displays . The ice skating rink stays open through the end of February. During our recent visit to Colonial Williamsburg, we loved finding the every day items on the handmade Christmas decorations & watching the sheep trim the grass on the Palace Green!
This activity is perfect for all ages and extended family. It's stroller friendly, and there are plenty of places to stop as you explore.
*Check here for my review.
Located on 600 acres, Boar’s Head Resort is the only 4-diamond resort around Charlottesville. It’s known for its southern hospitality, a luxury spa & plenty of recreational activities… and it is decked out in Christmas cheer! You can even enjoy their annual holiday light show without being a resort guest.
Winter Wander is open NOW through January 4, 2025. This half-mile walking trail is illuminated with lights & displays synchronized to music. You’ll see 12-foot tall boar-faced nutcracker, illuminated archways, a fountain of lights & TWO Tunnel of Lights. New this year, you can either watch Wander In Motion Winged Dancers or Elevation Illumination Drone Show!
This activity is perfect for all ages and extended family. It's stroller friendly, and there are plenty of places to stop along the way!
*Check here for my guide and my discount code!
9.Try Rock Climbing.
Want to try rock climbing in RVA? Check out Peak Experiences for the top rope routes & bouldering… and their facilities are INSIDE! They have climbing instruction every day of the week, including drop in yoga classes. Peak Experiences also has one of the largest adaptive climbing programs in Virginia.
As a family, we do the 3 Peaks Climbing Sampler. This is perfect for kids, families & beginners because you get an instructor. Our climbing instructor Sean guided us through the gym & helped up climb 3 routes on ropes terrain. This class is available every day from 10am-4pm & it costs $25 pp.
*Check here for my review of climbing with kids!
10.Go Tubing!
Liberty Mountain Snowflex Centre’s is open ALL year for winter sports - no snow or cold weather necessary.. This mountain top rec center has ski slopes, mountain tubing & a sledding hill. The mountain is covered in Snowflex - a special surface that’s slippy & grippy, essential for snow sports.
All ages are welcome & you can even schedule a beginner lesson for any of the snow sports.
*Check here for my review of Liberty Mountain Snowflex.
11.See a million lights at Garden Fest!
GardenFest of Lights fills Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden with more than a million of lights and it was voted Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights in the US by USA Today!
This walk-through experience has illuminated displays & interactive light features… plus a Jingle Bar & Grill! While it’s mostly outside, you can warm up inside watching model trains or by the fire with s’mores. The garden is ADA accessible, and it’s a beautiful multigenerational event!
GardenFest of Lights is open to the public from November 18-January 5, 2025.
If you have a SNAP/EBT card, you can visit for $1 per adult and all children 17 & younger are FREE!
Members can visit for FREE between December 30 and January 5, 2025.
12.Learn about reptiles at My Three Chambered Hearts.
My Three Chambered Heart is the FIRST Reptile Natural History Museum in The United States! And it's in Virginia! Located about 30 minutes from Henrico and Midlothian, MY Three Cambered Heart is the perfect place to visit with your future herpetologist (ICYDK: a herpetologist is someone who enjoys studying reptiles and amphibians!)
At this reptile natural history museum, you can see over 65 different species of reptiles and natural history specimens like fossils & skeletons. The expert herpetologists will teach you, and children of all ages, about this often misunderstood class of creatures through games, activities and exhibits. For example, did you know some snakes do not have fangs?! African Egg Eating Snake is one of them, and she is one of the snakes that lives at My Three Chambered Heart.
My Three Chambered Heart also has reptile meet & greets and feedings throughout the day! This means you can actually hold a snake, like the African Egg Eating Snake, if you want to!
13.Try out a new playground.
Libbie Mill Midtown just opened a brand new playground at the end of November! This play area is open to the public from dawn to dusk. The best part?! It’s completely fenced in with gates! You will also find a dog park and paved walking + fitness trails near the play space. AND Libbie Mill Library is just across the street!
This new play area includes: a large, spider web climber, a small merry go round, a play set with steps, slide, climbers, swings - 2 swings & 2 saucer swings, 2 “bug” springers, a balancing rope, and 2 picnic tables & 3 benches!
14.Complete my Christmas Bucket List!
My 2024 Christmas Bucket List has 25+ free activities to try around Richmond. Many don't even need a reservation, so you can add a little Christmas magic into holiday season at the spur of the moment too! If you're looking for paid holiday experiences, my top picks for 2024 will go out shortly - make sure you are subscribed to my newsletter so you have first access!!
If you would like my printable Christmas Bucket List guide, CLICK HERE!!
If you're looking for more Christmas fun, check out my guide on finding Santa around RVA!
For more things to do with kids around Richmond, follow @thewestendmom on Instagram!
