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Maymont welcomes all for 2024 Dominion Energy Family Easter events

Free Press staff report | 3/21/2024, 6 p.m.
Maymont invites local families to celebrate spring at Dominion Energy Family Easter on Saturday, March 30, from 9 a.m. to …

Maymont invites local families to celebrate spring at Dominion Energy Family Easter on Saturday, March 30, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

This year’s event will more than double in size, with dozens of different activities and games stretching from the Carriage House Lawn to The Robins Nature Center and Maymont Farm, plus three stages of live entertainment, two Golden Egg Hunts, and a chance to pose for photos with the Easter Bunny presented by Ukrop’s Homestyle Foods. All three entrances and parking areas will be open for the “eggs-travaganza” this year, with popular local food vendors offering tempting options for family picnics.

Admission is $5 per person — free for Maymont members and Museums for All participants — and includes three activity tickets for Easter-themed games such as the life-size Candy Adventure, the Carrot Pull and Hen House Hoopla, plus inflatable sports games, bonnet-making and other spring crafts, the Planting Station and temporary tattoos. Activity tickets also gain entry to The Robins Nature Center, featuring the “Run of the River” experience and a new otter. Many activities earn small prizes or Easter eggs, so families should bring Easter baskets to take home the bounty. For “eggs-tra” fun, families can purchase more activity tickets for $2.

Included in admission are live performances by Jonathan the Juggler and a showcase of local talent from the SPARC Touring Ensemble, the Jump Rope Squad, and more. Other activities included are the Hopstacle Course, the Chalk Zone, the Dance Zone with a live DJ, a chance to Pet an Alpaca, and Creature Features presented by Maymont educators.

This year’s Community Zone will expand as well, filled with public service heroes and helpers along with their fire engines, emergency vehicles and utility trucks, as well as local sports mascots, family-friendly businesses like Publix and Soccer Shots, and area nonprofit groups. And the Golden Egg Hunt doubles in size this year, with even more chances to solve riddles and earn a prize-filled egg at each surprise location around Maymont. It’s a fun way to “eggs-plore” Maymont’s many gardens, animal habitats and historic features across the 100-acre grounds.

“We are expanding Dominion Energy Family Easter this year to welcome more members of the greater Richmond community to come out and celebrate the season together,” said Parke Richeson, Maymont’s president and CEO. “It’s a special way for families to have fun and share this unique public green space, while event proceeds help us care for Maymont and keep it open and accessible for all, year-round.”

Advance reservations are recommended, with a choice of entry times — morning (9 a.m.–12.p.m.) or afternoon (12–3 p.m.) — and everyone can stay and play all day. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Maymont.org. Event proceeds benefit Maymont.

The event is rain or shine, and tickets are non-refundable, except in the case that Maymont cancels the event. Event admission also may be purchased in person in advance on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays by visiting The Robins Nature Center or Stone Barn Welcome Center between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Museums for All participants may reserve free event admission for themselves and up to three guests by presenting an EBT card at these locations or at check-in on the day of the event. Volunteers are welcome, too; find details and sign-up forms at maymont.org.

Free parking is available by the Hampton Street entrance, The Robins Nature Center, and Maymont Farm, as well as on-street parking. The grounds are open only to event participants until 4 p.m., when Maymont will reopen to the general public until 7 p.m.