The Farm Life
What kids don’t like getting down and dirty on the farm? Experience Loudoun's rich agricultural tradition at Great Country Farms in Bluemont, a working farm where activities include strawberry and apple picking, tractor rides, a mine sluice, a corn maze and even fishing. Enjoy their delicious homemade apple cider donuts, too. North of Leesburg, at Temple Hall Farm Regional Park, kids can pet farm animals while the not-to-miss Leesburg Animal Park south of town is an interactive facility where kids can see or pet a range of exotic creatures such as sloths, zebras, hedgehogs, camels and even African cats. Over in Sterling meanwhile your little ones can learn about the agricultural history of Loudoun at the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum.
Adrenaline Adventures
With school out, kids tend to sleep late. Why not wake them with some adrenaline-filled action? Harpers Ferry Adventure Center in western Loudoun has a seven-stage zip-line course that includes a heart-in-mouth descent from a 100-foot sky bridge. Those who prefer to keep their feet on the ground should hike a stretch of the Appalachian Trail north of Round Hill to or from Bear’s Den Overlook above Bluemont. Next up, improve their aim – and Vitamin D count – with an afternoon in the sun at Pev’s Paintball Park south of Leesburg, a 48-acre venue with 14 themed playing fields. Nearby, Hogback Mountain Paintball is a 70-acre park with 14 themed courses. Prefer to get in the water? Volcano Island Waterpark in Sterling is a tropical island themed summer park with waterslides, splash pools, dumping buckets and more.
Ashburn Village Kids Triathlon
Get your running shoes, bicycle and swimming trunks ready… Saturday, August 8 kids aged six to 15 can take part in the Ashburn Village Kids Triathlon, a mini triathlon entailing a swim in the Ashburn Village Sports Pavilion pool, a bike around the village lake and a run on a marked course starting and ending at the Pavilion at Ashburn Village. The event is broken up into four age groups – 6-8, 9-10, 11-12 and 13-15 – each of whom swim, run and cycle different distances. Participants must have their own bikes. Talk about getting your kids active and outside!
Young Chefs Camps at The Conche
All kids love chocolate, so why not have them learn to make it? Celebrated Chef Santosh Tiptur hosts a series of three-day Young Chef Camps for budding junior chefs and chocolatiers at his restaurant and chocolate studio The Conche in summer. Sessions run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and each day focuses on a new discipline, from working with chocolate and crafting desserts to preparing savory dishes. In the chocolate class kids will learn how to make bon bons and truffles, how to sculpt chocolate into elaborate shapes and how to create an intricate dessert good enough to be served in a restaurant. Best of all they eat lunch at the restaurant and are able to take home their creations to share with the family. Santosh also runs shorter “Mommy and Me” and “Cake Pop Workshops”, all available for purchase on Eventbrite.
Kids Concert Series at One Loudoun
One Loudoun, the stylish lifestyle precinct in Ashburn, is not only for adults. Every Monday between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. from Jun 1 through August 31 the little ones can enjoy this free Kids Concert Series on the plaza. Rocknoceros, the fun trio of musical best friends who have entertained fans throughout the country for more than a decade, will play an hour-long show. Let the little ones wiggle, dance and jump up and down as Coach, Willie Bob, and Boogie Woogie Bennie perform their clever turns of phrase and lively melodies. Rock on little ones!
