The Robins Nature Center

 

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Themed “Run of the River,” The Robins Nature Center highlights the remarkable ecology of the James River located along Maymont’s southern border in Richmond. The experience also emphasizes the natural history of the area and environmental stewardship opportunities for the community.

 

Guests who present an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card can receive free admission for themselves and three others through our participation in Museums For All. (Walk-up only)

The exhibit is self-guided and typically takes approximately 45 minutes. Tickets are non-refundable.

 

 

Birthday Party at the Maymont Farm

Feed the friendly farm animals. Party rate includes:

  • Farm party room for 90 minutes
  • Bucket of animal feed
  • Up to 20 goody bags
  • A special gift for the birthday child
  • 20 child maximum / 45 total person maximum

Questions? Call 804-525-9000 or email us at birthdays@maymont.org.

 

 

Birthday Party at The Robins Nature Center

Create an “otterly” awesome party in The Robins Nature Center. Party rate includes:

 

Questions? Call 804-525-9000 or email birthdays@maymont.org.

 

 

Toddler Time

 

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Connect with the wonder of nature at Maymont. Your child will meet animals, make crafts, sing songs and learn stories, all while playing and exploring with Maymont’s educators. Your toddler might even make a few new friends!


For ages 18 months to 4 years; adult must accompany child.

 

Additional Information

Free parking is available. (View map

If you have any questions, please email us at registrar@maymont.org or call 804-358-7166, ext. 304.

Homeschool Days

 

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Maymont’s field investigation programs are a great option for homeschooled students! Enrich your student’s environmental science, history and social studies with hands-on experiences and interactive learning tools that take advantage of Maymont’s new facilities as well as the historic 100-acre landscape.

 

Additional Information

Free parking is available. 


For questions, contact the Programming and Community Engagement Coordinator or (804) 358-7166, ext. 304.

Historic Garden Tour

Explore the Italian Garden and the surrounding landscape as Sallie Dooley envisioned! In addition to learning about the gardens, this tour will also give you a glimpse into James and Sallie’s lives and the influences that shaped their ideas for this estate.

Raccoon Rangers (Grades 2nd - 3rd)

 

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For 2nd – 3rd Grades

Treating each day as a new adventure, children will experience the seasonal changes at Maymont through fun, hands-on activities like science experiments, nature walks, playing in the active sculpture, looking at critters in the creek and more. They will learn about plants and animals and how they survive. Another day, they may visit the historical stone barn and learn about Maymont’s history as a home and a public space.

Additional Information

Free parking is available at the Maymont Farm located at 1001Spottswood Road.

For questions, email Maymont or call 804-358-7166, ext. 304.

Terrific Tadpoles (Grade K-1st)

 

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For Kindergarten – 1st Grade


This is a fun opportunity for your child to make friends while participating in fun adventures throughout Maymont. The day is filled with animal encounters, winter walks and fun games to encourage discovery. 


Additional Information
Free parking is available at The Robins Nature Center located at 2212 Shields Lake Drive. 


For questions, email the Maymont Foundation or call 804-358-7166, ext. 304.

Wreath Workshop

 

MAYMONT MEMBERS — Click "Sign In" in the top right corner of this page to access your benefits or join today to enjoy membership benefits.

 

Just in time for the holidays, learn to create a beautiful evergreen wreath with guidance from the Maymont staff. Bring a friend and enjoy a festive and fun workshop complete with wreath forms and a variety of freshly cut evergreens, plus refreshments. Bring your own clippers and gloves and take home a lovely decoration for the season!


Participants must be 21 or older. Bring photo ID for alcohol (21+).

Additional Information
Free parking is available at Hampton Street lot. Please meet at the Garden Hall.


If you have any questions, please email us or call 804-358-7166, ext. 304. 

Garden Glow presented by Kroger

MAYMONT MEMBERS — Click "Sign In" in the top right corner of this page to access your benefits or join today to enjoy membership benefits.

 

Discover the unexpected at Maymont during Garden Glow presented by Kroger, October 16 – November 10. New light sculptures will sprout up along the expanded Glow Path and the Japanese Garden presented by Colesville Nursery will be transformed by color and lighting effects into a mesmerizing experience for 22 nights this fall. More nights means more evenings with discounted admission, and Maymont members enjoy free admission on three evenings, October 16, 22 and 29. Delight in the wonder of Maymont’s most popular annual event, a chance to revel in the great outdoors with friends and family. 

New this year: The experience begins at The Robins Nature Center, where the Glow Path winds past creative light installations by international artists along the Kinsale Trail. At the Glow Village, gather around a fire pit or some glow furniture and enjoy some food and drink from the Glow Bar. Have fun with the new Glow Swings, the Shadow Wall presented by Juno Financial Group, or the popular Big Bright Mega Light. Then venture down the Woodland Trail into the enchantment of the colorful Japanese Garden presented by Colesville Nursery. 

 

Museums for All participants: tickets are available for purchase in advance at The Robins Nature Center or Stone Barn Welcome Center, Fridays-Sundays, 10am-5pm or at the gate for $3 (adults) and free (child). You must present your EBT/SNAP card.

Event Location & Parking
The experience begins at The Robins Nature Center (2201 Shields Lake Drive, Richmond, VA 23220). Free parking is available at The Robins Nature Center, in the Hampton Street lot and street parking where available. Directions can be found here.

Accessibility
This is a self-guided walking experience with moderate hiking and inclines. Limitations of the pathways to and throughout the historic gardens prevent wheelchairs, strollers and other assistive devices from accessing some portions of the event. The Glow Village, including the food trucks, Glow Shop, fire pits and Glow Bar are located on the Carriage House Lawn, and generally accessible by self-propelled mobility aids. Strollers are discouraged. Transpiration will be provided to the Japanese Garden presented by Colesville Nursery for those who cannot walk the Woodland Trail. 

Cancellations and Refunds
Garden Glow presented by Kroger is a rain or shine event and will occur as scheduled in rainy conditions. Tickets may be rescheduled as capacity allows — please send your transfer request to info@maymont.org with your confirmation number and the new date/time you would like to attend. All inquiries will be responded to as soon as possible and may take up to two business days. In the case of event cancellation, ticket holders will receive refunds and an email notification will be sent out.

 

Proceeds benefit Maymont; no refunds. 

Family Night Hike

 

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Ever wonder who stays awake while you sleep? Meet some of Maymont’s nighttime residents and learn about their nocturnal adaptations through experiments, games and a hike of the grounds for James River Week! Owls, bats, frogs and many other creatures of the dark will help shed some light onto their mysterious ways. Ages 4 and older; adult must accompany children ages 18 and under.

Additional Information

Free parking is available at The Robins Nature Center, 2201 Shields Lake Drive. 

For questions, contact the Programming and Community Engagement Coordinator at registrar@maymont.org or (804) 358-7166, ext. 304.

Merry Market

 

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Make your holidays brighter at Merry Market, December 7 & 8 from 12-5pm. More than 70 talented local artisans will offer an amazing variety of hand-made gifts for all tastes and interests in a festive setting on Maymont’s Carriage House Lawn. Working in every medium imaginable, these craftspeople transform wood, clay, yarn, leather, glass, metal and natural materials into imaginative gift items that will delight anyone on your gift list. 


The whole family will enjoy a chance to visit with Saint Nicholas, ride on a holiday train, and make-your-own craft activities. Refuel with a cup of hot cocoa and a sweet treat around a cozy fire pit, enjoying the sounds of holiday tunes and the ambience of historic buildings draped in fresh evergreen wreaths and garlands. 

Additional Information
Event parking is available at the Hampton Street Entrance and The Robins Nature Center, in addition to street parking. The primary entrance is through the Hampton Street Entrance at the south end of the Historic Estate parking lot.

Tickets are non-refundable. Merry Market is a rain or shine event, except in case of severe weather. If you are unable to attend the event, please consider your ticket purchase as a donation.

Architecture Audio Tour

Explore the architectural design of a turn-of-the-century estate built on 100 acres of rolling hills overlooking the James River.

The Dooleys chose the highest ridge of the property to build their 33-room home, at the crest of a long, tree-lined drive. The mansion was built in 1893 by local architect Edgerton Stewart Rogers, who had been trained in Rome, and blended two trendy architectural styles of the day: Romanesque Revival and Queen Anne.

The buildings along the service road leading from the wrought iron gates to the Mansion were designed to evoke the charm of an Old World village, despite their utilitarian functions. Designed by another prominent local architectural firm, Noland and Baskervill, they include a caretaker’s cottage, a barn, a carriage house and a renovated garage. Completing the tour are a neoclassical mausoleum and a charming red-roofed gazebo, both overlooking the river.

The tour offers insight into the American Gilded Age, an era of rapid economic growth and technological advances, from 19th century gas lighting and horse power to 20th century electricity and automobiles.

 

Tour Location
Enter Maymont through the Historical Estate Entrance at 1700 Hampton Street, Richmond, VA, 23220. Directions to the Historical Estate Entrance can be found here. Once you enter the gates, follow the path straight to the Stone Barn Welcome Center. Please allow a few minutes to check in with a staff member. Please note, tour devices must be returned to the Stone Barn by 5pm.

Parking
Free parking is available in the parking lots located at 1700 Hampton Street and 2201 Shields Lake Drive. Street parking is also available. Please note Maymont has three entrances. Directions to the Historical Estate Entrance can be found here.

Accessibility
Maymont is a well-preserved 100-year-old estate that has limited accessibility to the historic gardens. The original garden pathways were not designed to be accessible to strollers or mobility aids, but they can be accommodated. Please ask staff for assistance.

Cancellations and Refunds
Reservations for the Architecture Audio Tour are nonrefundable.  If you need to reschedule a tour date or have any questions, please email us at info@maymont.org or call 804-525-9000. 

Estate Walking Tour

 

MAYMONT MEMBERS — Click "Sign In" in the top right corner of this page to access your benefits or join today to enjoy membership benefits.

 

This walking tour explores the gardens, outbuildings and other estate features that made Maymont a showplace without equal in Gilded Age Richmond. Guests will learn about the design of the Italian garden, the arboretum comprised of rare specimen trees imported in the 1890s, and the uses of the various outbuildings.
 
 
Additional Information

Free parking is available at Historic Estate Entrance (1700 Hampton Street). The tour will start at the Stone Barn Welcome Center. 

For questions, contact the Programming and Community Engagement Coordinator at registrar@maymont.orgor (804) 358-7166, ext. 304.

CoStar Group Glow Row Add Ons

Call Federal Garden Glow presented by Kroger

NOTE: This special ticket is for Call Federal Members Only.

Discover the unexpected at Maymont during Garden Glow presented by Kroger. New light sculptures will sprout up along the expanded Glow Path and the Japanese Garden presented by Colesville Nursery will be transformed by color and lighting effects into a mesmerizing experience for 22 nights this fall. Delight in the wonder of Maymont’s most popular annual event, a chance to revel in the great outdoors with friends and family. 

New this year: The experience begins at The Robins Nature Center, where the Glow Path winds past creative light installations by international artists along the Kinsale Trail. At the Glow Village, gather around a fire pit or some glow furniture and enjoy some food and drink from the Glow Bar. Have fun with the new Glow Swings, the Shadow Wall presented by Juno Financial Group, or the popular Big Bright Mega Light. Then venture down the Woodland Trail into the enchantment of the colorful Japanese Garden presented by Colesville Nursery. 

Event Location & Parking
The experience begins at The Robins Nature Center (2201 Shields Lake Drive, Richmond, VA 23220). Free parking is available at The Robins Nature Center, in the Hampton Street lot and street parking where available. Directions can be found here.

Accessibility
This is a self-guided walking experience with moderate hiking and inclines. Limitations of the pathways to and throughout the historic gardens prevent wheelchairs, strollers and other assistive devices from accessing some portions of the event. The Glow Village, including the food trucks, Glow Shop, fire pits and Glow Bar are located on the Carriage House Lawn, and generally accessible by self-propelled mobility aids. Strollers are discouraged. Transpiration will be provided to the Japanese Garden presented by Colesville Nursery for those who cannot walk the Woodland Trail. 

CoStar Group Glow Row

Off-Site Education Outreach