For real, brewery trips with our three kids are one of our favorite things to do on a weekend afternoon. Brewery patrons are usually happy and laid back, probably because they are also usually drunk. Drunk people tend to care less about my two year old singing/screaming “Let It Go” at top volume. Hell, they don’t even notice! What’s unacceptable at a restaurant, ie. running around with your shirt pulled up over your head, is totally cool at a brewery. Well, it’s cool if you’re an adorable five year old, not if you’re a thirty-six year old mom of three with sad boobs, but, as usual, I digress.
I think you get the idea. Here are my five favorite breweries to spend an afternoon with kids in tow:
1. Midnight Brewery
2410 Granite Ridge Rd, Rockville, VA 23146
Midnight may seem like it’s far away out there in Rockville, but it’s really just a few minutes north of Short Pump. Their beers, whether light, dark or hoppy, are all delicious. They always have live music and a food truck on the weekends. They have lots of board games for kids and adults alike, and they have free juice boxes behind the bar. It’s a family-run brewery and they make you feel like family when you visit.
2. Center of the Universe Brewing Company
11293 Air Park Rd, Ashland, VA 23005
COTU recently got an update. Though, I personally feel like the place has lost some of its comfy low-key charm, (Control freaks don’t do well with change.) they now have several pinball machines in the main taproom and lots of board games. My favorite place here is their outdoor beer garden. It’s a spacious area with lots of picnic tables. When they aren’t having live music outside, our kids love to run around on the large stage and no one bats an eye. The crowd here is older and very chill.
3. Strangeways Brewing 
2277 Dabney Rd, Richmond, VA 23230
Strangeways definitely wins the contest for the most artistic taproom. They also have a fun and varied selection of board games and old school arcade games in the back room. We’ve only brought our kids here a few times, but the last time the bartender came over and brought us juice boxes and small bags of Goldfish crackers for each kid without us even asking. I was really impressed. The staff is definitely hipper than my husband and I, but, even though they make me feel old, they’re so friendly and genuine that I don’t hold it against them.
4. Three Notch’d Brewing Company-RVA Collab. House
2930 W Broad St, Richmond, VA 23230
This is the Charlottesville brewery ‘s Richmond taproom. I really love their beer, but I also love how open the taproom is. They have high ceilings and the acoustics in there mean it’s always loud. This might not be great for intimate date nights (Wait, what are those?), but it’s a perfect place to bring your rowdy hooligans! Here’s more great news: The Dog Wagon has a kiosk right inside the brewery so you can fulfill your need for cured meats without having to leave the premises!
5. Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery
4100 Knolls Point Dr, Goochland, VA 23063
Lickinghole Creek has a playground. Need I say more? Geez, ok, if you really need another reason to go; on Saturdays and Sundays in July you can walk right into their field and pick as many sunflowers as you can carry. Though it’s a solid forty minute drive outside of Richmond, and though I can never say their name without giggling like a twelve year old boy, their beer and the views definitely makes the trip worth it.
Baby N got the best view of Lickinghole’s sunflower field.
Now go get your drink on! Because, kids.
🙂 Erin
Top photo credit: richmondstickers.com
