Meet Tom Zydel, this week's guest editor! Tom is the Vice President of Advancement and Engagement at Maymont. He has a decade of experience in nonprofit management and leadership, including roles at renowned institutions like Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His dynamic approach to community engagement has seen him spearhead initiatives such as expanding the Maymont Membership program and relaunching the Adopt an Animal program. Originally from New Jersey, Tom now proudly calls Richmond home, where he resides with his family in Chesterfield. They enjoy outdoor adventures and exploring museums together, all while savoring the hunt for authentic New Jersey-style pizza across the metro area.
Take it away, Tom...
Family Easter at Maymont
The ultimate Easter weekend in Richmond starts with Dominion Energy Family Easter on Saturday at Maymont, and is capped off with Easter on Parade on Monument Avenue. Every spring, Maymont invites the entire community to come out and meet the Easter Bunny, pet some baby goats and alpacas, play games, and meet Nola the river otter, the latest rescued resident of The Robins Nature Center. There’s room for everyone, with activities on the 6-acre Carriage House Lawn, by The Robins Nature Center and at Maymont Farm.
Vitals:
Dominion Energy Family Easter, Saturday, March 30th, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm, $5 per person, free for members and Museums for All; all three entrances open for the event: 1700 Hampton Street, 1001 Spottswood Road, and 2201 Shields Lake Drive
Chesterfield Restaurant Week
This week marks the first-ever Chesterfield Restaurant Week, with over 40 restaurants that prove you CAN find good food out in the ‘burbs. My favorite is Sergio’s Pizza’s chicken parm; my Sicilian-American mother endorses the veal parm. My family also adores Pakwaan Indian Cuisine. So good.
Vitals: Chesterfield Restaurant Week / March 29 - April 7, check participating restaurants for special offers, event proceeds support the Chesterfield Food Bank Outreach Center
Take a Hike!
No youth sports this weekend with the holidays, but Richmond has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to outdoor adventures, all within easy reach. From the James River Park System to Pocahontas State Park, there are trails to explore and trees to climb. We love going to Pocahontas, which just happens to be Virginia’s largest state park, with 90 miles of trails, three lakes and an aquatic center.
Vitals:
Pocahontas State Park, open daily 7:30 am – dusk, $7 per car ($10 weekends, April - October), 10301 State Park Rd., Chesterfield
More About Maymont.
Built in 1893 for James and Sallie Dooley, Maymont has been a public park and house museum since 1925, when the 100-acre estate was bequeathed “for the use and pleasure of people of the City of Richmond.” A nature center and farm animals were added in the late 1950s, and in 1975, the city appointed the Maymont Foundation to assume responsibility for its restoration and ongoing operations. Funded primarily by individual donations, the nonprofit organization has restored the entire property, and maintains it as a public greenspace, open daily without admission, along with programs and events to engage the entire community.
As Maymont approaches its 100th anniversary as a public park, the Foundation is undertaking a $11.75 Million campaign, Maymont 2025. With a combination of public and private funds, Maymont is restoring the roof of the Maymont Mansion using a red slate that comes from the same quarry as the original roof designed in 1893. Another exciting component of the project is reconfiguring the habitats for the rescued native wildlife – connecting the pathways more fluidly and adding two new species, coyote and porcupine – to reopen in 2025 as The Virginia Wildlife Trail. The vast majority of Maymont’s rolling landscape will remain open daily during construction, and the events calendar is packed with fun community gatherings.
