“Wine” down for the weekend
If you’re the tailgating type, there’s still fun to be had out of your trunk in the summertime. At Stinson Vineyards, Thursday nights from 6 to 9pm through Labor Day are Tailgate Thursdays. It’ll have its wines chilled, its grills fired up, and live music set up so that all you need to bring are the dogs, the kids, some food, picnic blankets, and lawn games for admission-free summer fun. You can even call ahead (823-7300) to have some Free Union Grass Farm beef or chicken thawed out for you.
Bloopity bloop bloop
Frozen yogurt’s become one cut-throat treat. Two years ago, Sweet Frog leapt into the pond with local mainstay Arch’s. Now Bloop, another self-serve pay-by-weight place with toppings galore, has entered the marketplace. Here, they’ve wisely set up in Pantops just past the Montessori school—a relative dead zone for comestibles—but they’re also in Lynchburg and have plans for elsewhere in Virginia and North Carolina. More than a dozen flavors rotate monthly and include plenty of non-, low-, and reduced-sugar, dairy, and fat options.
TGIF
Reclaim some of that spontaneity that you lost when you became a parent, and enjoy a night out that doesn’t require lining up a sitter weeks in advance. On Friday nights beginning this week, drop your 5- to 12-year-olds off between 5 and 8pm at Downtown’s Main Street Arena. For $30 (or $50 for two), they’ll get pizza, drinks, and plenty of fun activities—from sports to crafts—from which to choose. CPR-trained and certified babysitters are in charge until you pick up the kiddos at 9pm. Visit mainstarena.com/downtown-date-night/ for more info and to sign up.