The One With The River Floaters

It’s no secret that one of my favorite types of articles to write are travel pieces, especially family travel, since it affords my husband and kids the opportunity to also tag along on my work adventures. A few years ago, I did a travel piece for Richmond Family about the city of Lynchburg (home to the Amazement Square children’s museum, Liberty Mountain Snowplex Centre, and a host of other family attractions). Lynchburg’s tourism department enjoyed that article so much they reached out and asked me to write a travel blog for their website. Lynchburg has a lot of fabulous places: The Craddock Terry Hotel, which used to be an old shoe factory; Percival’s Island, where you can walk or bike along the river; and lots of great shops and restaurants including Bootleggers for burgers and beer on the Bluffwalk; My Dog Duke’s Diner for breakfast any time of day; and MayLynn’s Creamery, which is famous for its rolled ice cream. On our most recent trip to the city over the summer, we visited Old City Cemetery, which has many beautiful gardens and is well-known for its roses (best experienced in the springtime); stopped in for a drink and a game of cards at Three Roads Brewing Company, which is housed in an old Ford Dealership building; then met up with some friends for dinner at Fifth& Federal Station, a BBQ and whiskey joint that opened in a renovated gas station. But perhaps our favorite part of that trip was a visit to James River State Park, which is about an hour from Lynchburg. We spent the next morning there floating on the river in inner tubes and had a little moment of peace, quiet, and bliss surrounded by nature. We went early and were the only ones on the river the entire time. What serenity! We enjoyed a picnic lunch and a little hike afterward before heading home. If you love being on the water, be sure to check James River State Park out. My kids have already asked to go back and float on the river.