Located less than nine miles from Mechanicsville, the Science Museum of Virginia (smv.org) is a hands-on interactive science museum in Richmond, Virginia. The museum features an Imax Dome Theater for larger-than-life educational presentations. Exhibits at the museum include Electriworks, which shows kids how electricity is conducted and the Imagination Playground, which lets children create their own play environment using items such as blocks, foam square and wagons. Nearby, the Children's Museum of Richmond (c-mor.org) emphasizes learning through play. Highlights of the museum are the Dino Zone, where children can dig for prehistoric fossils, the Living Tree House, a multistory jungle gym that helps kids explore nature and the Water Play exhibit, which features a miniature version of the James River that flows through Richmond.
The Lewis Ginter Winter Botanical Garden (lewisginter.org) in Richmond features a Children's Garden that teaches children to appreciate nature. The garden offers self-guided family activities for children and parents to do together, such as their Kidquest treasure hunt and learning how to garden. The Children's Garden features seasonal activities such as their Jammin' program, which has the children on their feet dancing to kid-friendly music. The Children's Garden also hosts birthday parties and offers a summer camp as well. For indoor play, take toddlers to Romp N' Roll Gym (rompnroll.com) in Mechanicsville, which allows children up to 6 years old to play on child-friendly gym equipment. Open gym allows the children to run around and play at their leisure. There are also structured classes available, such as mommy & me for babies and themed classes for toddlers such as a pirate class and a science fun class.
The Mechanicsville area offers several casual dining establishments that welcome children, including Mexico Restaurant (mexico-restaurant.com), which offers authentic Mexican cuisine. The children's menu offers a variety of items that kids tend to like, such as chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese. They also have a Mexican children's menu to introduce children to Mexican food that includes options such as beef tacos and cheese quesadillas. Awful Arthur's Seafood Company (awfularthurs.com) offers a wide variety of fresh seafood and features a large raw bar. Kids, who often are not seafood fans, can choose from items such as pasta, chicken tenders and fried shrimp on the kids menu. Other child-friendly local establishments include Mimmo's Restaurant (mimmosrestaurant.com) which features simple Italian food and Aunt Sarah's Pancake House (9010 Brook Rd., Glen Allen, Virginia), just a few minutes away.
Mechanicsville is home to several festivals and fairs held throughout the year. The Hanover Tomato Festival (co.hanover.va.us/parksrec/tomatofest), held every July in Pole Green Park in Mechanicsville, celebrates the local tomatoes grown on area farms. The festival features live bands, tomato food contests and tomato costume contests for kids. Other kid-friendly entertainment at the festival includes a petting zoo, rides, face painting and arts and crafts. The Mechanicsville Rotary (mechanicsvillerotary.org) club hosts a Christmas parade each year through downtown. The parade, which is held in early December each year, features Christmas-themed floats, bands and Santa Claus himself.
