This post is sponsored by Cedar Fair in conjunction with Blog Meets Brand. As always, all opinions are my own.
Summer is on its way, and with it comes all the things we’ve been missing out with the cold – warmer temperatures, pools, and amusement parks. Last year, we introduced Abbie to Kings Dominion and she had the best time. When we told her we were going back again last weekend, she was beyond excited. The bigger she gets, the more fun we have on family outings.
Without traffic, Kings Dominion is just over an hour from our house, which makes it a great day trip. We headed down on Sunday and got there just before lunchtime, heading straight to Planet Snoopy and the kids’ rides. Ella hung out with me in her stroller while Chris and Abbie started in on the rides. Abbie loved them all, but her favorite is the Great Pumpkin Coaster.
After a few rides we headed over to the Taste of Virginia Festival for lunch. Until May 21, Kings Dominion is hosting Taste of Virginia every weekend, featuring foods from all the regions of Virginia. Even after living here for nearly 30 years, it’s still interesting to see all the varied foods from each region of our state. There were menus from the Tidewater region, the Chesapeake, the Blue Ridge Mountains, a Colonial menu, and the Piedmont region, all with their own unique dishes.
I am a sucker for crab, so I headed straight to the Chesapeake booth for some crab cakes and crab mac and cheese. They tasted even better than they looked!
Chris chose to head to the Blue Ridge Mountains station and got Fried Chicken with Creamy Dumplings. I would tell you how it was… but he didn’t even let me try any! Dessert was Peanut Butter Fudge with Glazed Roasted Pecans. I wish I could have tried everything!
In addition to all the food, the Taste of Virginia Festival also had local vineyards and breweries represented, as well as distilleries. While we were there, Filibuster Distillery was doing tastings. I loved seeing so many local producers represented – I really like to buy local when I can and love the option of eventually visiting where everything is made. It always seems to surprise people that Virginia has a lot of vineyards! Chris and I opted to share an apple cider rather than wine, and I’m definitely picking that up when I get a chance. We’re much more beer than wine people in our house. Maybe it’s the last name?
We rounded out our day with a ride on the Merry-Go-Round and a few more trips on the kids rides for Abbie while I fed Ella. It was a great day with perfect weather and I can’t wait to go back! Now, if only Taste of Virginia would stay there the whole summer, right? If you’re local, make plans to head to Kings Dominion before it closes on May 21! I’ll just be here dreaming about that peanut butter fudge.
One Response
We were there on the same day! We live so close that we will sometimes just go for an evening. The dining plan is great and saves me from having to cook for a change. Roxy loves the Woodstock express and avalanche. The best part about her having a baby brother is that she gets to ride anything that requires a parent to sit with her twice! That parent switch policy is awesome. I think she’ll be sad when her brother is big enough to ride with her.