National Kids To Parks Day 2013

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Published: 05/17/2013

As part of the "Let's Move" initiative to raise a healthier generation of kids, the National Park Trust is hosting National "Kids to Parks Day" on Saturday, May 18, 2013. You can sign up on their website to let them know you pledge to take your kids outside and to a park on May 18th, and over 120,000 people have pledged so far! We have some awesome park options right here in Prince William County, including some fun, local events! Here's a list of PWC, and surrounding area, parks that have special Kids to Parks Day events on Saturday:

Leesylvania State Park in Woodbridge, VA - Let nature ignite your imagination! We'll read Fairy Houses by Tracy Kane and spend a day outside making fairy houses with natural materials from around the park. See if you can discover what fairies and wildlife have in common.

Location: Visitor Center

Address: 2001 Daniel K. Ludwig Drive, Woodbridge, VA 22191.

Contact for more info: 703-583-6904.

Occoquan Regional Park in Lorton, VA will host the Occoquan River Fest from 10am-4pm. There will also be events in the town of Occoquan from 12-5pm.

Address: Occoquan Regional Park, 9751 Ox Road, Lorton, VA 22079.

Mason Neck Park in Lorton, VA has a variety of special programs and events.

Birding 101 (10am): Meet with a ranger on the back porch of the Visitor Center. Sit and watch the birds at the bird feeders and learn basic identification skills. Please bring your own binoculars.

GPS Adventures (11:30am-12:30pm): Come join us on this one mile hike with park GPS units. We'll experience nature while searching for hidden caches! This program is most appropriate for ages six and up. Maximum of 10 people. First come, first served.

Mammals of Mason Neck (2pm): Meet a ranger in the picnic area to learn about some of the local residents here in the park. Test your identification skills and learn something new about these furry park residents.

Rockets (3pm): Come watch as we demonstrate the power of air pressure. We will be launching rockets made from 2 liter soda bottles using air, and water. Help us pump up the pressure in the bottles and guess which one will fly the farthest.

Awesome Eagles (4pm): Meet up at the Visitor Center for an informative talk about our national emblem, the Bald Eagle. Come learn about these amazing birds and look for them as they soar along the bay.

Address: Mason Neck Park, 7301 High Point Road, Lorton, VA 22079.

Contact for more info: 703-339-2380

Lake Anna State Park in Spotsylvania County (our favorite camping/boating spot!) has some special programs.

Fishing 101 (10-11am) $2/person $6/family. Learn the basics of fishing and put it to the test! *Limited Space; Register at the Park Office*

Orienteering 101 (1-2pm) Join a ranger and discover how to orienteer with compass and map.

Gold Panning (3-4pm) Join Matt for a fun filled program featuring the history and basics of "Panning for Gold just like the prospectors."

Address: Lake Anna State Park, 6800 Lawyers Rd, Livingston, VA 22551.

Daily parking fee applies $5 per car. Contact for more info: 540-854-5503.

The Town of Vienna - The Town of Vienna Parks and Recreation Department and Club Phoenix Teen Center proudly present “Teens on the Green” at the Vienna Town Green on May 18, 2013. The local talent will awe and amaze as we highlight three fantastically talented teen bands on two stages. The concert is free and open to the public. Please contact the Vienna Community Center for more information, 703-255-6360.

Address: Vienna Town Green, 144 Maple Avenue E, Vienna, VA 22180

Contact for more info: Town of Vienna Parks and Recreation 703-255-5721.

Sky Meadows State Park in Delaplane, VA has some fun programs and events scheduled.

Tyke Hike (10am-12pm): Meet at the Lost Mountain Parking Area This discovery hike is an easy walk, for children ages 4-6 and caregivers. Bring water and snacks, and wear sturdy footwear.

Town Ball (12-2pm): Meet at the Picnic Area Play an inning or more of this historic game that evolved into our National Pastime.

Life on the Farm: Planting a Vegetable Garden (1-3pm): Meet near the Visitor Center Help us plant our vegetable garden. All farm hands will get to take home seeds.

Nature Journaling (2-4pm): Meet at Turner Pond Learn the basics of recording your nature observations and receive your beginner's journal. Location: Meet at Blue Ridge Trailhead

Address: Sky Meadows State Park, 11012 Edmonds Lane, Delaplane, VA 20144.

Contact for more info: 540-592-3556

Also, the National Park Trust has some great children's activities on their Buddy the Bison website. You can check those out here.

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Stribling and Hartland Orchards

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Published: 09/17/2012

Markham, VA is about 15 minutes from the Prince William County/Fauquier line, and it's the location of two fruit orchards. In the past, we've always gotten off 66 at the Markham exit and turned right to go to Hartland Orchard, which we love for apples and peaches, especially. However, this fall we got to check out Stribling, too!

STRIBLING ORCHARD:

StriblingOrchard.com

Last Friday, though, our friends invited us to break with tradition and hang a left over to Stribling Orchard. This involved a fun hairpin turn and some railroad tracks, which my kids thought were fantastic. Hooray for adventures. Stribling Orchard is a lovely location with a long gravel driveway up to some very historic looking buildings on the left side. A friend who came with us said that you can arrange an educational tour and they take you around the property. Incidentally, we saw Christ Chapel Academy (also from Woodbridge!) there enjoying a tour!

Like every orchard we've ever been to, you have the option to drive your car right up into the fields to pick your fruit, or you can park by the checkout area (in this case, an actual storefront) and hoof it on up. There are also lovely picnic areas around the property for those who would like to pack a lunch. I typically wait until October to go apple picking, since some of my favorite varieties aren't ready until later in the season, including Granny Smiths, which I use for my Thanksgiving pies. Yum! However, even in September you can get some delicious eating apples (especially if you're a fan of the red varieties).

Picking baskets are located on the side of the main building near the bathrooms and are a big help for shorter pickers!!

The staff was friendly and helpful, and gave out maps. The trees here are a little more mixed than at most locations we've picked fruit at, but the trunks are typically marked with spray paint to indicate the variety, and using the guide on your map you can determine what looks good for eating. Stribling was lovely, and I love that they offer tours, but the prices were much higher than we were used to, and the apples were coated with white film from the pesticide. (I know we're not paying for organic, but I still don't want to see whitish apples!) However, I know many people love this orchard and go every year! $25 a half bushel is steep for me, because with 3 kids picking, we usually leave with APPLES! Typically we pick a bushel and a half when we go, although this particular day we only did one half-bushel because $75 of apples isn't happening! I did appreciate that Stribling takes Visa/Mastercard/Discover because most orchards take only cash or checks, and it's nice to not have to remember to stop at the ATM! Local cider and honey are available, too.

HARTLAND ORCHARD:
Hartland Orchard is our go-to pick your own place. In the fall, they also have a corn maze, pumpkin fairy, pumpkin chunking and more. I didn't realize it before visiting another orchard, but at $12 a half bushel, I love them for their prices. A lot. Our typical bushel and a half of apples here is $36. Whoohoo!

The pumpkin fairy, from HartlandOrchard.com. The pumpkin fairy is available to visit most weekends, and Hartland is great about answering their phones if you want to call and check before leaving.

Hartland's fields are generally organized by variety, although you'll find the occasional random yellow tree in the midst of the reds. Our fruit has always been delicious, including the Granny Smiths, which are sweet and tart at the same time and make excellent pies. Last year was the only year we ever had an issue, and it wasn't really their fault- it was the Stink Bugs!! Those little suckers LOVE apples and were all over the place boring holes into the fruit and flying kamikaze-style at your face! However, the population is much more under control this year and while you may see a few bugs, it's not like the 9th plague or anything :)

This is the same little guy working the apple-picker in the Stribling pictures his first time picking apples at Hartland. He was 18 months old and had a grand old time on daddy's shoulders.

The only problem with apple picking (especially at $12/half bushel) is what to do with all those apples!! We peel, slice, and freeze a lot of ours to use in crisps or pies all winter (pre-measure into Ziplock bags for your favorite recipes!), and we also make applesauce (mix up a bunch of varieties in the crock pot with 1/2 cup of OJ or Apple Juice/Cider, a cinnamon stick, and sweetener of choice if your want it on low until everything is soft and delicious!) Another favorite in our family is chicken salad with red and green apples, pecans, celery, onions, craisins, and raisins. Yummy!

No matter where you decide to go pick apples (and you should go- it's fun!) be sure to:
1) Bring bug spray/sunscreen
2) Be prepared to drive into the orchard- pick a car that can handle mud/rocks/gravel. If your car can't, then park and walk
3) Grab a map, an apple picker, and visit the bathrooms BEFORE you head to the fields
4) Pack a picnic and make a day of it!

Do you have a favorite apple orchard to use? Perhaps a favorite apple recipe? Share in a comment below!

These reviews were unsolicited and represent the views of PwcMoms.com only.

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