We received Kings Dominion tickets in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own. #KDFirstTimer
My birthday fell on a Saturday this year and it was the perfect reason to head North to Kings Dominion. I love having a spring birthday. The weather is cool, and the flowers are blooming, painting the barren ground with vibrant colors.
We woke up early and seated ourselves for the drive, listening to Mr. Limoncello’s Library, and dreaming of our own adventure. It was our first time at Kings Dominion, an amusement park in Doswell, Virginia–just 75 miles south of the Nation’s capital.
We took a few photos inside the entrance gate while everyone made sure they had what they needed for the day’s celebration and then we headed for the Eiffel Tower. Miss M is about all things Parisian so this was a treat for her.
We also took a few moments to study the map and come up with our action plan to take the park by storm–seeing and doing everything we wanted!
First stop, the Eiffel Tower.
From the parking lot, the kiddos thought it was pretty neat. Standing under all 332 feet of it, WOW!
Add to the excitement of just seeing it, the fact that it is actually a ride and suddenly, Mom and Dad are “the best parents ever!”
We took the elevator ride to the top and the weather was perfect and the views were breathtaking.
Once back down to the International Strip, Li’l Man reminded me that there was a Moon Tree here.
Across from the Eiffel Tower, there is an Old Time Photo attraction.
Next to the attraction is a small wooded area.
Inside that small wooded area is the Moon Tree.
A tree, that grew from one of 500 seeds that orbited the moon 34 times and came back to Earth. It was part of the Apollo 14 project. The seeds were the personal item taken by Astronaut Stuart Roosa.
I would like to encourage Kings Dominion to get a plaque for this tree. It was truly one of the highlights of our visit and my children were disappointed it doesn’t have more recognition.
Between now and May 15, the Spring Bloom Festival is taking place at Kings Dominion. I love food, so I was ready for the internationally inspired food and drink pairings under their 1/3 scale Eiffel Tower.
It’s not just any food! Executive Chef Paul Maloney puts his spin on four countries (Ireland, Switzerland, Germany, and Italy) and their cuisine using all locally sourced ingredients.
My family decided to each choose one country. The person who chose that country would select one item from the menu and we would all taste it. The kiddos loved this idea and we divvied up the countries.
I chose Ireland.
No one could wait to get a taste of the Irish bangers and spinach mashed potatoes topped with Legend Porter onion gravy and crispy onions.
Miss M chose Germany, a country they have been learning about in school.
While I will always question my daughter’s decision-making–she did NOT choose the Black Forest ham and Havarti on a pretzel bun with apple butter, whole grain mustard, sliced cucumber and green leaf lettuce. Nor did she choose the German Potato Salad. Instead, we ate Apple Sticky Bun Pudding.
AND it was delicious! The caramel sauce was oh, so good!
My husband selected Switzerland.
He went with the charcuterie and cheese offering with seasonal marmalade, fruit, and crostini. As he spread the marmalade on the crostini my daughter winced and demanded to know why he was “ruining perfectly good salami with jelly”? Then she tasted it and wanted to know why her snack plates at home didn’t come with a side of marmalade!
Li’l Man chose Italy.
Again, my children should not have been left with decision-making. We did not get the Spring Pesto Orzo Salad with Bocconcini (mini mozzarella balls) heirloom tomatoes and marinated artichokes. Not even after the Germany judgment call. We even tried bribes to no avail.
Instead, we tried:
The Prosciutto Melon Wedge.
One child didn’t like the cantaloupe and the other wanted to know why they didn’t cook the bacon!? And so Mom got this deliciousness to herself and to celebrate I kicked back the Honey Dew Hard Cider. Oh, boy was it tasty!
One by one we ate our way through four countries under the Eiffel Tower.
It was fun to make our choice and then get our “passport” stamped. Each stamp represents the country, which was a fun way to pull the theme together.
Our favorite was Ireland. Who doesn’t love bangers and mash? Though Miss M still contends the Apple Sticky Bun Pudding was what we all should have gotten our own helping of–so she wouldn’t have to share!
The least favorite was Italy. I am certain it was the choice. My kiddos just weren’t refined enough to enjoy the cantaloupe with prosciutto. I thought it was very good.
After all that eating, we headed to the height checker to make sure everyone could ride, or set the expectation. I loved this feature. While my children were each tall enough to ride all the rides, I was prepared to talk to them about not being disappointed should they have fallen short this time.
Kings Dominion also has the MOST attractions over 300-feet in the United States. My kiddos rode most of them:
Eiffel Tower:
The Windseeker:
and the Intimidator 305. The Fastest Rollercoaster!
Just so we’re clear. There’s a lot to be intimidated by with this rollercoaster. Standing at 305 feet (93 m) tall and reaching speeds of 90 miles per hour, it is the second Giga Coaster to be built in North America
Rain chased us out before they rode the Drop Tower.
Miss M was brave enough to try the park’s newest ride addition, the ‘Delirium.’ This 90-second ride takes riders 115-feet high and rotates 360 degrees in the air!
We spent time in Planet Snoopy. I loved just walking around and looking at all my favorite characters.
The kiddos rode a couple of rides, including Joe Cool’s Driving School.
The one ride that my kiddos were too afraid to take on was The Volcano.
As we left the park, Li’l Man turned and said, “This summer, I’m coming for you, Volcano!”
We’ll be coming back. There’s plenty of things to look forward to at Kings Dominion:
- Memorial Weekend Salute (5/28-5/30)
- Star Spangled Celebration (7/2-7/4)
- KidsFest (7/16-7/24)
- BBQ and Brewfest (8/6-8/21)
- Great Pumpkin Festival (9/19-10/30).
Sabrina Carpenter’s Eyes Wide Open Tour lands at Kings Dominion May 14–her concert is free with paid Kings Dominion admission.
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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company in conjunction with Blog Meets Brand, and I have been compensated for my participation. All opinions are my own