Enjoy a local daytrip filled with activities and downtime with your kids during the holiday school break.
Board games, movies and hot chocolate beget a cozy couple days over the holidays. But cabin fever inevitably kicks in, and soon parents wonder where to go and what to do with the kids. If the holidays are wet and cold, the great outdoors loses a bit of charm, so we’ve set out a fun indoor daytrip for you and the kids all within Sterling.
9:30 a.m. Let your kids climb someone else’s walls. Sportrock Climbing Center in Sterling offers surefire fun with the choice of rock climbing or bouldering. Over the next two weeks, Sportrock in Sterling will offer an open climb for beginners in which trained instructors teach your kids the ropes and how to scale the walls. The open climb is first come, first serve, so show up before the 10 a.m. start time to guarantee a spot. You can fill out the required paperwork online beforehand.
Indoor benches, couches and four picnic tables provide a place for you and the kids to have a snack, and if you forget to bring food, Sportrock sells snacks like Clif Bars, candy bars and Gatorade.
The reviews online are phenomenal with testimonials like: “These guys are GREAT!! The staff is extremely friendly. I work for a daycare and we have taken our Summer Campers here for the past couple of years and the staff are great with the kids. I would highly recommend them to anyone!”
Noon After two solid hours of rock climbing, it’s time to fuel up. If you packed lunch, drive 1.5 miles to Claude Moore Park’s covered pavilion. Parking is only 150 feet from the picnic tables. If you’re interested in buying lunch, Cascades Marketplace is just 2 miles away and truly has something for everyone with a choice of anything from seafood to smoothies and pizza to Asian cuisine. And while you’re there, pop over to Giant to pick up something quick to cook for dinner so you’re able to relax once you get home.
1:30 p.m. Walk over to the Loudoun County Library. Although closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, it offers a children’s room and holiday programs for kids. And you can settle down with a magazine or the newest fiction on Loudoun County Library shelves.
2:30 p.m. You still have a couple hours until dinner, book time and lights out for the kids, so let them burn off the last of their holiday wiggles at Claude Moore Park’s recreation center pool just 2 miles south. There is a leisure pool, giant water slide, a free swim area for your kids to play and an area for smaller children.
4:30 p.m. Head home with tired but happy kids. Heat up that quick dinner from Giant and post a few of your favorite photos from the day on Facebook.
Once the kids are asleep, settle back with cider and a cookie and watch these latest Netflix offerings. Happy holidays!
