I recently visited Bluebird Gap Farm in Hampton and it was a great experience. It is free to enter…read moreand offers a fun, educational environment for all ages. They have a wide variety of animals, including goats, cows, horses, alpacas, peacocks, and ducks. The grounds are well-maintained and the facilities are clean. For groups, there is a covered pavilion with BBQ grills and picnic tables, as well as a playground for children. There is also a vending machine area located by the welcome center. It was not crowded and served as a great way to decompress in nature. I highly recommend visiting this hidden gem.

This petting farm is Free to visit! Has good parking space. They have a great variety of animals,…read moreincluding sheep, goats, llamas, donkeys, horses, pigs, chickens, birds, and even a beautiful white peacock. There's also a nice play area for kids, plenty of picnic tables, clean bathrooms, and a lovely garden. It's a wonderful place to spend the day with family, enjoy a picnic, and get up close with the animals. Overall, a beautiful and well maintained place. Highly recommend!

Clean and new, routes look beginner friendly. It's annoying that half of the auto belays are being…read moreworked on during business hours, so I didn't get to use those. Front desk staff is less to be desired, not friendly at all. I felt like I was an inconvenience to their flow. I have been to at least 5 climbing gyms in a different state but this place probably has the worst customer service in my opinion. Climbing gyms that I've been to usually have a fun vibe, friendly atmosphere. I did use Groupon for this one( so glad I did!!!) not sure if it had something to do with that, I sure hope not. Anyways, still worth a try for those that haven't been to one.

I've been to Send It Climbing a few times with One Summit, a nonprofit I work with, and every visit…read morehas been fantastic. The staff here are truly amazing--so patient and kind with the kids, many of whom are going through really tough times. They make sure everyone feels comfortable, from helping with harnesses to cheering them on as they climb. It's clear they genuinely care, and they work seamlessly with our group to create a welcoming and supportive environment. You can tell they go the extra mile to make the experience special for the kids. The gym itself is super clean, and the climbing routes offer something for all skill levels. I've recommended it to friends and honestly can't wait to come back on my own time to try climbing myself. Whether you're a seasoned climber or a beginner, this place has a great vibe. Big thanks to the staff for all they do. you guys rock (pun intended)!

You've come a Long way baby! WOW! I used to come here as a kid and it was nothing like it is now!…read moreTalk about a glow up! The beaches were pristine and even had a buggy driving on the beach picking up bits of debris, but mostly you didnt see any trash on the beach or in the park. The pavilions were clean too! There's a huge playground for the kiddies with plenty of shade! There were lifeguard stations at regular intervals, as well as emt & police patrols making this a safe haven for beach goers! We checked out the lighthouse in the center of the park, the historical marker. There were regular benches and lounge benches at various spots so you could chill if you forgot your beach chairs. Speaking of which, there was a stand/kiosk that rented beachy items - umbrellas, tents water activities, etc. and also sold sunscreen, sunglasses, and other sundries and necessities. Also, we found a sweet swing set near the boardwalk where you can just melt away into the horizon. The beach wasn't crowded and the water was calm and beautiful. Such a relaxing vibe. We will definitely come back to this beach, way more chill than VA beach and cleaner than colonial beach. Plenty of parking too, come during the week if you can! Saturdays get pretty packed. It's only about 1 1/2 hours from Richmond. We saw a couple girls with a big dog on the beach, I think it was a boxer or a Rottweiler- a lifeguard nicely told them that dogs weren't allowed. They were compliant. I appreciated the way that was handled. The park was lovely with picnic tables, lots of trash receptacles to keep the area clean. Great family spot!

Stopped at the beach while I'm the area for a conference. Absolutely unprepared. Rented a tent and…read morechairs, bought a couple waters and had a nice relaxing time for what it's worth. Parking was free and close to the beach. Bring your bug spray. Dogs are allowed, there is a playground and bathrooms are nearby.

A relaxing place to walk and enjoy nature. There is complimentary bugspray on the porch at the main…read morebuilding by the parking lot. The sights and sounds (and even smells) are some of the best Mother Nature has to offer. I love coming here to soak it all in and level up my mental health game. Breathtaking! Btw, there are portable restrooms near the parking lot.

I'm so happy to find this gem hidden in a community. The hours are currently limited with the…read moregate's closing at 4pm, but I don't know if the hours will change for Spring/Summer. From the notification it appears to have ticks and it was noted at a moderate level. While not a fan I would expect it in a natural environment and will wear tick protection next visit. No dogs allowed.

Coming from Philly with the oldest zoo in the nation, I have to give credit where it is due…read more The VA zoo is a nice little zoo. Limited with their animals but a worthwhile experience. Laid out in zones with boardwalk style pathways you will find zebras, a bear, lions, rhinoceros, orangutans , giraffes, meerkats, reptiles, tortoises, turtles and more. While there are no elephants, hippos, camels, or larger primates they do have a nice assembly of animals. The otters and meerkats were especially active during our visit, playing and put on quite a show for us. It took us roughly 2 hours or so to walk the zoo and could have easily stayed longer if the heat was not so oppressive. Many of the animals were seeking relief from the heat as well and hiding so we missed out on the red pandas, cheetah, and some others. While vacationing it's important to know where your excursion dollars are going and what value the experience will hold. The VA zoo receives a two thumbs up and recommendation from me

The Virginia Zoo is a great way to spend a few hours with the family. If you are local to Hampton…read moreRoads I highly suggest purchasing one of their memberships. The zoo offers discounted tickets to special events for members and even has an event where you can bring your dog! I really enjoy that this zoo offers plenty of different species of animals and wide open areas for kids to explore. A train is normally running and the exhibits have wide trails with plenty of viewing platforms and windows. The staff is always friendly and they have a robust gift shop. I haven't personally ever tried their food but they offer a few cafes and dipping dots throughout the park.

Good mix of free weights and machines. It wasn't crowded (Mon @ 1300) but there was also equipment…read morearound the basketball courts you could use. Nice location just a quick jog from the piers with a track on the floor above the courts if you need more cardio.

Much cleaner, more equipments, more classes, nicer racket ball coat, ... I prefer this gym…read more I also like their green liquid soap in a shower somehow. I wish less ppl worked out here. Their sauna is always packed! I spent lots of energy and am starving now...

We searched online for a boat rental company for the Hot Springs Area and Great White Rentals was…read morethe first site to come up. We read the reviews and assumed since they were all so good and their website looked good they were a legit company. We called and talked to a nice lady on the phone a week prior to us coming to visit for a week long vacation with 6 of our grandkids. Let her know we had a pontoon and would like to rent a nice boat to spend 2-3 days on the lake tubing, skiing, and riding around while we were here. I asked about the two nicer boats on the website and she said they had some really clean boats and she could get us 8 in one no problem. So reserved the premium one over the phone. When we arrived the next week they called the day before and requested to be paid the of the amount in cash. I thought this was strange for a company, but agreed and went to back to get cash for the next morning. (First red flag) When they arrived with the boat it was a 22 year old tri-toon, very weathered, and let's just say, well used. (Second red flag) Seats ripped, awning held together with bungee cords and straps, rear ladder was bungee strapped up, horn was broken, so we have a whistle, interior lights broken lenses, radio didn't work, the anchor was an 8 pound mushroom anchor you would use for a johnboat, would certainly not hold a 24' pontoon. The life vest they provided were just as old as the boat. We only had 4 we could use old of the 10 they sent. There's no tow bar to pull from, so the drivers says yeah you will have to tie onto one of the toons, really??? I expressed my frustration with the delivery driver, which went no where, I called the office and talked to a lady who said she had only been answering phones for a few months and had never actually seen the boats. (Third red flag). I asked at this point was this a company or was this just individuals renting out their boats and cabins? She answered just individuals, they don't have an actual office. She advised she would get with the owner of the boat to see if they can do anything but they didn't have any other boats available. By now I'm frustrated but I have 6 grandkids ages 13-8 looking at me excited to go boating and waiting to get on the boat. They could care less what it looks like or if it's going to leave us stranded, they just want to go. lol I go ahead and take the boat and make the best of what we have throughout the day. When they pick up the boat I was expecting a little humility and at least an half ass excuse, but all I get was "sorry this wasn't what you expected, thank for re ring with us though". We check on other rentals in the area the next morning and found that they actually have newer boats and are quite a bit less expensive. I also went back and reviewed their website to see if I missed anything and over reacted. What I found was a couple of the reviews were from the delivery guys family, the delivery driver is actually in the pictures. So I wonder if the 23 reviews are actually real at this point. Moral of the story, don't stop doing research when you find a good website or good reviews. Keep checking around, we paid 730 dollars for a 22 year old worn out boat and motor for 8 hours and could have gotten a 2 year old boat with a bigger motor, for 520 dollars at 2 other rental places right down the road. If you're renting your own equipment that's great, just be upfront about it !

Ok, I wish I had checked HELP before my visit. I was prepared to give them a 2nd chance, it the…read morecomments here ring true to my experience. It appears that this is normal for them and not a fluke. Unfortunate. The biggest problem with this organization is communication. When we arrived? 2 men asked us if we had reservations. We said Yes, a d they drove away with us sitting on the parking lot. After 15 minutes they returned, but turned around to drive off again without giving us any information. I had to flag them down. When I did, we were told to go down to the booth to check in. But there was no one to check us in. There was another family waiting who had been there nearly an hour. Fast forward 30 minutes more and we are finally on the jet skis. They get me on 1st, but they didn't have a life jacket for my wife, so she took lo her as they located one. The young man working there began to yell at me that I had to go on out without my wife. "You have to go!" He just kept yelling! It was no use, because no way was I turning my back and motoring out into the Bay while people i don't know are struggling to get my wife prepared. I don't do that. Eventually she was ready. I gave her plenty of space, which from their yelling appeared to be the concern, and we went out. We had 3 more incidents of conflict with this same guy over the course of the ride. Had the day not been perfect and the tons of dolphins not escorted us, he would have ruined our trip with is mouth. So the ride was a 5 but the customer service was a 1. I'll likely go so where else next time.

The student rec center is a HUGE sports center that caters to students and members of the community…read moreof all abilities. All activities are scheduled so don't forget to check the ODU web site before venturing over. From the pool to the locker rooms everything is kept neat and clean. There is ample parking here but it may be a short walk to the facility. There is so much to see and do at the SRC. There is always a practice, or game happening. The students, employees, and volunteers are friendly and very helpful if you need help navigating the SRC. Happy Sporting Yeeps!!!

I usually go to the rec centers in VB cuz I live in VB area but since I'm an Odu student and the…read moremembership is included in my tuition, so why not use it you know. I'm not sure if there's a parking lot near this place but I just park at the garage where the parking office is, it should be a 5-10 min walk(Walking with friends talking gossip stuff maybe 20 mins lol). The check-in process was fast, for first-timers, you'll have to go to the desl and they'll show you how to register, as I remember you have to put your hands on the check-in thing 3 times then you're good to go. Well they'll teach you. After that you just have to punch in your UIN then put your hands on the check-in thing then you're good to go. I didn't have time to use the machines but they look amazing and new, and there is a big variety of machines. There's also a track on the secomd floor for people to jog. And there's a swimming pool, a climbing wall(not always open, look for the schedule online), many rooms for classes(some of them are free, look for them online), squash rackets etc. There's a place where you can rent all the equipment to play, I came here to play basketball so I rent a basketball, and it is a Nike. The reason I took one star off is because of the basketball court. Although it is huge and I like how they put a thing to block the farthest court so the intense games on the other side won't worry about us the chill people having our ball rolling into their court, the floor is slippery, which means it is dirty. The floor is also weird because the ball won't bounce back, I guess they are some cheap materials. Overall, it is a good recreation center to workout, especially it's free for students so you cannot ask for more.

1* If it's still closed, with excuses. 4* if it's open. It's…read moreabout time. This pier provides QOL for so many.

Its secured till further notice been like that for a very long time.read more