Mechanicsville, VA Outdoor Activities

Shockoe Bottom, one of Richmond’s oldest neighborhoods, is also home to some of Richmond’s scariest ghosts and classiest haunting scenes. During the Capital Creepers Eerie Nights tour, which is guided by ghastly ghouls dressed in historical duds and painted with Hollywood-quality makeup that would fool even the deadest ghost, fright fanatics will discover all the dark and gory details about the haunts of Richmond’s past, present, and future, which are much more thrilling than the commonly known tales of the still-warm ketchup on Colonel William Mayo’s 1737 city plan and the guy on the corner who screams “I’m a ghost” every 15 minutes.

Steve Wendt brings nearly 40 years of experience soaring the skies to his lessons at Blue Sky Virginia Hang Gliding's flight park, where he instructs gliders of all experience levels in launch methods ranging from training-hill foot launches to towing. Through personalized instruction in classes certified by the U.S. Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, he hones flyers’ skills in solo and tandem hang-gliding and in piloting trikes and paragliders against elite racing pigeons. Using aero-towing, park staff members can tow pilots to heights of more than 2,000 feet, or get them airborne with platform and scooter towing.

Staff also outfit certified pilots and enthusiasts with a fleet of gliders from brands such as Aeros, Icaro 2000, Moyes, and North Wing, each made from aircraft-grade aluminum and Dacron sailcloth. In the event of regular wear and tear or run-ins with jealous paper airplanes, they can also sew sails, repair harnesses, and bend frames back into shape in a repair facility.

For more than 50 years, Putt-Putt Fun Center has delighted visitors with a triad of entertainment: miniature golf, bumper boats, and go-karts. Its three 18-hole putt-putt courses test putting skills with challenges akin to those on regulation greens, and a 6,400-square-foot pool dubbed the Wet Zone hosts 14 electric bumper boats where customers are guaranteed to get wet. Each vessel can seat one adult and one child and comes equipped with a spray nozzle that riders can use to mist their opponents as their boats playfully bump together. Go-kart drivers speed in the Race Zone toward the finish line, and visitors prove their thumb dexterity at the arcade’s 50 video and skill games, where players can earn tickets to use toward prizes. Group and party packages ensure that visiting sports teams or birthday revelers stay nourished and entertained.