The heat is on in our river city, and we are here with another fantastic issue of RFM, bringing you ideas, advice, tips, and tricks, plus a ton of things to do across the region – all to help you make the most of summer in RVA.
I’m writing this during what is always the busiest time of year for me, and this year was truly an over-the-top crazy June, with a graduation (congrats, Will!), a family reunion in Maryland, a sixteenth birthday celebration (yay, Scott!), and two annual trips that both fell early this summer. Shew! I am looking forward to spending these next two months right here in Richmond, exploring the city, hitting the fantastic summer exhibits at area museums, and chilling on the back deck with a tall glass of iced tea and a good book (hey, a girl can dream of having that much spare time, right?!).
There’s a lot to love in this issue, including an inside look at the tourism industry in Richmond (page 26). Spoiler – it’s going gangbusters! Paula Peters Chambers caught up with Richmond Region Tourism’s brand-new president, Katherine O’Donnell, to get her take on where the area is headed, plus Paula checked out an exciting new sports and entertainment complex in Henrico and got the scoop on what’s on the horizon in Chesterfield County. It’s all a big win-win for residents and visitors alike!
Just in time for summer day trips and weekend getaways, RVA Family Fun’s Lindsay Garrison takes us on a deep dive inside four of her favorite local-ish Virginia State Parks (page 40). She really goes in-depth with her highlights of each park, what to pack, what to expect, and more. You’re going to want to hang onto this article for future reference (and get an annual VSP parking pass!) and plan to explore one or all four of these parks this summer. Maybe I’ll see you at one of them since she definitely inspired me to plan a few day trips!
This issue’s Real Parent, Kevin Keogh, has such great advice for how to make a hybrid work schedule and environment work for your family (page 20). Love it or hate it, it’s definitely a new world in 2024, with work from home seemingly here to stay for many of us, at least some of the time. I especially appreciated his advice to take time for our own well-being, and I heeded it just this morning, asI chose to take an early Jazzercise class before hitting the home office to write this note (it really helped me organize my thoughts, too!).
There’s something for everyone in this issue, including book recommendations for all ages, recipes you’ll want to cook for your crew (brand name copycats – they sound so good!), tips on what to do when those inevitable summer injuries occur, how you can support a fabulous local nonprofit for girls, as well as important information about Virginia’s SNAP program and tips for getting the chore train rolling in your household.
Happy summer from all of us at RFM!
