Virginia is for fun lovers Familyattractions abound in the north of Dixie

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Parents looking for a wide variety of family entertainment while vacationing should consider heading south – about 800 miles south.

That’s where Virginia lies. The former heart of the Confederacy is the perfect location for history buffs to visit. But the temperate state is also packed with attractions for families, including amusement parks, museums and zoos.

Here’s a selection of what’s available in Virginia for families with young children, going across the state from west to east.

King’s Dominion

This Paramount amusement park is located off Exit 98 (Doswell) of I-95, 75 miles south of Washington D.C. and 20 miles north of Richmond. With more than 200 rides and attractions, including 12 roller coasters and the 305-foot Drop Zone Stunt Tower, it offers something for everyone. Also part of the considerable admission fee is the 19-acre WaterWorks water park.

One new attraction this year is Scooby-Doo and the Haunted Mansion, an interactive ride in which families climb aboard Mystery Machines and attempt to capture the most ghosts and Scooby Snacks. Coming in mid-August is Nickelodeon’s Celebration Parade, which features the children’s cable channel characters in person daily.

Children can enjoy their favorite characters at Nickelodeon Central, taking rides such as the Rugrats Toonpike or the Space Surfer and meeting such Nicktoons as Blue, Dora the Explorer and Jimmy Neutron at special times throughout the day. Parents can reminisce at Kidzville, which features rides based on Hanna-Barbera characters, some long forgotten. There’s also the Kidz Construction Company play area, which includes a full-size dump truck and cement mixer.

King’s Dominion is open daily through Labor Day, then weekends through Halloween. WaterWorks closes on Labor Day. For information, call (804) 876-5000 or access www.kingsdominion.com.

Busch Gardens

A little over another hour to the east, located off of Interstate 64 near Williamsburg, is another all-day attraction. With a European flavor, this theme park, which has admission fees similar to King’s Dominion, features dozens of rides, 10 main stage shows, a variety of authentic foods and shops, and animal attractions.

One plus at Busch is that the attractions for younger children are spread throughout the park, not isolated to child-specific areas like at King’s Dominion. This allows park visitors to explore more of the site. The different countries can be reached via the sky-ride monorail that crisscrosses the park.

Located next door, with a separate admission, is Water Country USA, the mid-Atlantic’s largest family water play park. It features state-of-the-art water rides and attractions all set to a 1950s and ’60s surf theme.

Busch Gardens is open daily through Labor Day, then weekends through Halloween. Water Country USA is open daily through Labor Day, then weekends through Sept. 19. For information, call (800) 343-7946.

Virginia Air and Space Center

A half-hour east is this modern three-story structure, located off I-64 on Settlers Landing Road in Hampton. The center covers the gamut of flight, from a replica of the 1903 Wright Flyer to a space shuttle landing simulator.

A child can sit at the controls of a DC-9, or ride in a World War II bomber with a B-24 motion simulator. For fans of spacecraft, there is the Apollo 12 command module and the Apollo Lunar Excursion Module Simulator.

The center also houses a 3-D IMAX theater with a five-story screen, and is now showing “NASCAR 3-D,” “Space Station 3-D” and “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.”

A special treat this summer is the traveling exhibit “Strange Matter,” 6,000 square feet of hands-on exhibits which examine what modern materials are made up of.

The Virginia Air and Space Center is open daily year-round. For information, call (757) 727-0900 or access www.vasc.org.

Virginia Zoo

This 53-acre site, located on Granby Street in Norfolk, can be reached from either I-64 or I-264. Norfolk is the next city to the east of Hampton.

The zoo, adjacent to Lafayette Park, features nearly 400 animals, as well as eight botanical gardens. In addition, a prairie-dog town exhibit is planned to open in September.

A popular feature at the zoo is The Compass Rose Plaza, featuring six fountains and a Kugel Ball. The 17,000-pound solid granite ball, with a globe etched on its surface, was handcrafted in Germany. It rotates on a thin stream of water and can be stopped and controlled with some effort.

The Virginia Zoo is open daily year-round. For information, call (757) 441-2374 or access www.virginiazoo.org.

Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center

Located on General Booth Boulevard in Virginia Beach, 15 minutes further east, this 45-acre location is set up in two buildings connected by a 1/3-mile nature trail that winds through the Owls Creek Salt Marsh.

River otters and an outdoor aviary are featured at the Owls Creek Marsh Pavilion. Highlights at the main Atlantic Ocean Pavilion building include a 70,000-gallon sea turtle aquarium and the 300,000-gallon Norfolk Canyon, which houses sharks, stingrays and other large ocean dwellers. The latter can be viewed through the portholes in the control room of a submarine.

Special exhibits this year include the Harbor Seal Splash, in which visitors can interact with those marine animals, and “A-Mazing Sea: An Underwater Adventure,” where visitors can enjoy two walk-through mazes featuring colorful ocean creatures and a sea-themed toddler play area. There’s also an IMAX theater to break up a visit.

The Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center is open daily year-round. For information, call (757) 425-3474 or access www.vmsm.com.

Dale McGarrigle can be reached at 990-8028 and dmcgarrigle@bangordailynews.net.