Trying to plan a week of family fun for Spring Break, preferably without spending all your time in the airport or car? You’re in luck: Central Virginia has dozens of fun, family-friendly Spring Break day trips near Charlottesville, all of them only a short drive away.
These tried-and-true selections are seven of our favorites. We’ve also provided you with some helpful tips on planning a day trip that will keep your family organized, entertained, and fed along the way.
Six Steps for Planning a Successful Spring Break Day Trip
1. Contact the Venue
When planning your day trip, make time to call ahead or check the official website of your destination. The hours, admission fees, and activities at popular spots can can change, especially due to weather or seasonal events. Contacting the venue ahead of time is the best way to avoid disappointment when you arrive.
2. Make the Most of Your Route
Once you’ve picked your destination, take a few minutes to research points of interest along the way. Virginia is filled with historic battlefields, scenic parks, and charming small towns that make excellent stops for stretching your legs, grabbing a sweet treat, or enjoying a family picnic.
Instead of pulling off at a highway rest stop, consider packing lunch and visiting a nearby state park, lake, or historic landmark. These hidden gems can add fun and learning to your day without adding much travel time.
3. Be Prepared
Before setting out, take a few minutes to check that your identification and paperwork are up to date, including your driver’s license, registration, and insurance. We know this may sound tedious, but there’s nothing like getting a ticket to really put a damper on the day.
Try to get a good night’s sleep the night before leaving and have your kids do the same, so everyone is well-rested and ready to enjoy the day. And don’t forget to check the weather, too! If it’s supposed to rain and you’re planning on visiting an outdoor attraction, you can decide whether to save that destination for another day or to pack’s everyone’s in rain gear and go for it anyway.
4. Pack Smart the Night Before
A little preparation goes a long way. Packing your day trip bag the night before helps reduce stress and ensures you don’t forget anything important on your way out the door. Use a sturdy backpack and include essentials like:
- Individually packed snacks, both for the drive there and the drive back
- Water bottles
- Diapers and wipes (if needed)
- Extra clothes for young kids
- Sunscreen, bug spray, and sun hats
- A small first aid kit
- Drawing supplies and fidget toys for quiet entertainment in the car
- Clothing for the weather, such as rain boots or winter coats (you never know what spring break weather will be like!)
If you’ll be in the car for more than a couple of hours, you can also pack an activity bag with toys that encourage movement, like a jump rope, sidewalk chalk, or inflatable balls. Pull it out when you stop for a stretch break at a rest stop or park, and let the kids burn off some energy before you get back in the car.
5. Make the Car Ride Part of the Fun
Even if your destination is over an hour away, the drive doesn’t have to be dull. With a little creativity, the ride itself can be a fun part of the day. Here are some great car ride entertainment ideas:
- Activity books with word searches, mazes, or Sudoku
- Crayons and coloring books
- Analog toys, such as an Etch a Sketch or Rubik’s cube
- Portable DVD players or in-car entertainment systems (check out free DVDs from the library!)
- Loaded tablets with educational games
- Audiobooks from the library (use the Libby app!) or your favorite family-friendly podcasts
- A playlist of the whole family’s favorite songs (if you’re feeling ambitious, make two: one to hype everyone up, and one to calm everyone down)
Need a few more ideas for the car trip? Try some of these classic car games to keep everyone entertained at the end of the day.
- I Spy
- 20 Questions
- Scavenger Hunt
- License Plate Alphabet/Road Sign Alphabet
- Mad Libs
6. Give the Kids a Job
For older kids, add an element of responsibility by giving them a role for the day:
- The Navigator helps with directions
- The Banker keeps track of spending or snacks
- The Photographer documents the day’s highlights
These roles not only keep children engaged but also help teach valuable life skills like budgeting, planning, and teamwork.
Seven Favorite Spring Break Day Trips Near Charlottesville
Ready to hit the road? Here are seven of our favorite Charlottesville day trips that are perfect for Spring Break.
Amazement Square (Lynchburg)
Drive from Charlottesville: 1.5 hours
Contact: amazementsquare.org, (434) 845-1888
Amazement Square is an award-winning children’s museum that the whole family will love. Located in downtown Lynchburg, Virginia, this hands-on, interactive museum is designed to make learning fun for kids of all ages.
From climbing walls and colorful slides to creative art stations and science exhibits, there’s something new to discover around every corner. Kids can explore four full floors of educational play, including a giant indoor play structure called The Amazement Tower. The museum also offers seasonal exhibits, sensory-friendly programs, and art workshops that make every visit feel special.
Have a skateboarder in the family? Bring along their board and let them practice their ollies at the adjacent 14,000-square-foot Rotary Centennial Riverfront Skatepark. Helmets, pads and skateboards are available for rent if you don’t want to bring along your own.
For even more adventures to fill the day, stop by nearby attractions, including the LOVEwork sculpture, Riverfront Park, and Blackwater Creek Bikeway. For a bite to eat on Lynchburg’s historic waterfront, you can stop by the Depot Grille or Waterstone Pizza.
American Shakespeare Center’s Blackfriars Playhouse (Staunton)
Drive from Charlottesville: 1 hour
Contact: americanshakespearecenter.com, (540) 851-1733
Travel back in time to the 16th century at The American Shakespeare Center, located in Staunton. Here, you will find an internationally acclaimed theater company that performs Shakespeare’s works—among others—under their original staging conditions.
The stunning 300-seat Blackfriar’s Playhouse is the world’s only recreation of Shakespeare’s original indoor theater. On a simple stage, without elaborate sets, you will feel like you are a part of the play. If you are lucky, you might even be chosen to sit on stage with the actors and actresses.
Plays are typically performed Wednesday through Sunday. The main floor is reserved seating, while the second floor is general seating, so arrive early as seats are first-come, first-served.
Busch Gardens (Williamsburg)
Drive from Charlottesville: 2-2.5 hours
Contact: buschgardens.com, (800) 343-7946
Looking for an exciting Spring Break day trip? Just about two hours from Charlottesville, Busch Gardens Williamsburg offers nonstop family fun with thrilling rides, play spaces for littles, live shows, and more.
Busch Gardens is home to some of the best roller coasters on the East Coast. Popular thrill rides that big kids and teens will enjoy include:
- Alpengeist, an inverted coaster that reaches speeds up to 67 mph and climbs over 195 feet
- Apollo’s Chariot, Griffon, and Tempesto, which are all high-speed favorites
- Mach Tower, a dramatic 240-foot drop for families who love a challenge
For younger children, the park’s KIDsiderate® attractions are perfect. Don’t miss:
- Land of Dragons
- Sesame Street Forest of Fun
- Prince Elmo’s Spire and other age-appropriate rides
Whether your family loves coasters, swings, or character-themed areas for little ones, Busch Gardens delivers a full day of Spring Break excitement.
Frontier Culture Museum (Staunton)
Drive from Charlottesville: 1 hour
Contact: frontiermuseum.org, (540) 332-7850
Discover the stories of the people who migrated from the Old World to America and of their life in the Shenandoah Valley at this living history museum. Come explore a 1600s English Farm, meander on over to a 1700s Irish Forge, and wander through an Early American Schoolhouse. Hands-on exhibits and experiences, costumed interpreters, and real animals, and live demonstrations make the Frontier Culture Museum a great time for the whole family.
The outdoor exhibits are located in two separate areas: The Old World and America. The Old World exhibits show rural life and culture in four homelands of early migrants to the American colonies, including England, Germany, Ireland, and West Africa. The American exhibits show the life that colonists, enslaved workers, and their descendants created in Virginia.
Guided tours are available, or you can stroll around the property and visit the exhibits at your own pace. The walking paths and trails all have water stops and shady rest areas. If walking isn’t your style, shuttle carts run continuously, or mobility scooters and golf carts can be rented for a nominal fee. The museum also hosts special events such as demonstrations on historic clothing, domestic tools, and traditional music. Be sure to check the website to see what is on the schedule.
Have some history lovers in the family? Check out some of our favorite family-friendly historical sites around Virginia.
Henricus Historical Park (Chester)
Drive from Charlottesville: 1.5-2 hours
Contact: henricus.org, (804) 748-1611
Henricus Historical Park is home to a re-creation of an actual English settlement circa 1611. With costumed interpreters, you’ll be able to experience what life was like for the first English settlers living along the James River. The land, which had been inhabited by the Native Americans known as the Arrohateck, was also the place where Pocahontas resided at Rocke Hall and was later courted by John Rolfe.
The park preserves the colony’s legacy, which included many New World firsts: the first hospital (Mt. Malady), the first college, the first tobacco fields, and the first privately owned land. Visit the re-created Arrohateck village located directly on the riverbank, and then enter the Citie of Henricus filled with several buildings, gardens and a visitor’s center.
The park is also home to hiking trails. Or, for an additional fee, you can take a James River boat tour aboard the Discovery Barge II.
Luray Caverns (Luray)
Drive from Charlottesville: 1.5 hours
Contact: luraycaverns.com, (540) 743-6551
Need an unusual adventure for Spring Break? Take your family to explore the Luray Caverns, the largest eastern U.S. cavern and a National Landmark. The Caverns are full of spectacular rock formations, but you won’t be uncomfortable seeing them. Tour guides lead guests along lighted, paved walkways, through caverns with 10-foot-high ceilings, including the famous Cathedral Room.
Remember to bring a light jacket for that cooler breeze and be sure to rub the “fried eggs” on your way out! Outside the Caverns, you can also explore the garden maze. Be sure to check the schedule of the Singing Tower’s carillon of bells recitals. For a tasty treat, a cafe and coffee shop are onsite.
Got a car buff in the family? Stop by the Car and Carriage Caravan Museum, which covers the evolution of transportation from 1725 to 1941. You’ll see jewels such as an 1892 Benz, an 1840 Conestoga Wagon, a 1908 Baker Electric, a 1913 Stanley Steamer, and the 1925 Rolls Royce that belonged to one-time Hollywood heartthrob Rudolph Valentino.
Metro Richmond Zoo (Moseley)
Drive from Charlottesville: 1.5-2 hours
Contact: metrorichmondzoo.com, (804) 739-5666
The Metro Richmond Zoo is a great Spring Break day trip for Charlottesville families. Kids can feed giraffes, barnyard animals, deer, and birds in the Budgie Aviary and petting barn. Stroll along the boardwalk trail to see zebras, camels, and the world’s fastest antelope, the pronghorn.
For extra fun, ride the Jungle Carousel or Safari Train, or let kids run wild on the playground. Older children and teens will love the Junior Explorer and Treetop Zoofari Courses, with zip lines and climbing obstacles—even over the creek.
Don’t miss a visit with Kumbali the cheetah and his best friend Kago the rescue dog, who make occasional appearances near the kangaroos.
Looking for more fun day trips? Find local aquariums and zoos, explore these scientific day trips, or visit the many dinosaur attractions around Virginia.
Ready for a Charlottesville Spring Break Day Trip?
You don’t have to travel far to plan a Spring Break your family will love. It’s just as fun to play tourist close to home as it is to travel, and it’s a whole lot easier! Take advantage of the many great adventures around Virginia by staying in Charlottesville and exploring one of the many cultural, historic, or just plain family-friendly destinations within driving distance. We know you’ll create some great memories along the way!
Looking for what’s next for your Cville kids? CharlottesvilleFamily has you covered with birthday party planning guides, private school insights, and after-school sports and classes. Plus, explore local events and festivals.
Keep it all at your fingertips: sign up for our free CharlottesvilleFamily e-Mag. And don’t miss the chance to get to know the great local businesses we feature.
KATHARINE PALJUG is a freelance writer and novelist. She lives in Charlottesville with two busy kids and proudly owns an unreasonable number of books. Find her on Instagram as @katharinewrites.