Dinosaur Run

On a sunny spring day off, Elijah and Kim struck out on a one-day adventure to Martinsville's Virginia Museum of Natural History, one of those places on the "been meaning to visit there" list. The museum, small but glowing with newness, was a fun place for a toddler visit. There's an indoor playstructure called Discovery Reef on which Elijah enjoyed climbing, and the dinosaur skeletons on display wowed him.

In the main lobby, you'll find several large fossil exhibits, and off to the side, the best permanent stop seems to be a gallery of taxidermied animals. There are also view-able paleontology labs, and while there was no work being completed today, Kim can imagine fascinated elementary children staring in the window. Downstairs, there are a few live animals in the teacher resource center. Elijah most enjoyed Shelton the turtle who he quickly described as "turtle swimmin'".

If you are heading there with a young child, we recommend going NOW. A nifty animal exhibit called Animal Secrets is about to go off-display, and while we are sure that the next exhibit will be fun, too, the current display is very child-friendly. Elijah amused himself in the exhbit space for quite a while, particularly playing with the river model and the "life size" Eagle's nest. The exhibit changes May 7--go while you can!

Relevant links:
Virginia Museum of Natural History

Alleghany's Best Bridge

Looking for something laid back and slightly outdoorsy, we headed to Humpback Bridge, Alleghany County's covered bridge. The bridge wayside was a great place for Elijah to get out and run around--an in less fickle weather, it makes an excellent picnic spot, too. Even on a blustery day, there were folks fishing, and in the summer, you'll find folks swimming, too. It's also an interesting place to read local graffiti. While we opted for a quick trip and were then on to visit family, it would be easy to combine a trip to the bridge with a trip to Falling Springs Falls or Gathright/Lake Moomaw's recreational areas.

If you go, you'll be driving just beyond Covington past the Rosedale area. If you need to GPS it, use an easier address such as the nearby Covington Episcopal Boys' Home. While you are in the area, eat at our favorite restaurant in that neck of the woods: Cucci's. You must have some of the turnover sauce!