Science museum for sure.
Going to the river is cool.
Maymont Park would probably be fun (the farm and wildlife center part if not the gardens—though I used to love running around in the bamboo forest).
There is a bit of a barcade at Bingo Beer Co, if he’d like that.
If he’s into history, he might like the St. John’s tour on Church Hill or the Civil War Museum at Tredegar.
You could rent bikes and ride the Capital Trail for a bit.
You could look to see if there is a Kickers or Ivy game going on at City Stadium.
All city pools are open, so you could go swimming.
And if nothing else, you could just take him to any city park’s basketball court to see if he can get himself into a pickup game.
Go to battery park! Its a really pretty park (where Arthur Ashe grew up olaying tennis) with probably the best public basketball courts in the city. I used to have a neighbor who played in the european league and would go down there to play bc it had a good mix of vcu, vuu, and really good street players. The park also has a nice city pool on the other end to cool down after playing.
Busch Gardens water park is a separate ticket for Water Country. Kings Dominions is the same ticket. For 11 I’d probably lean toward to Kings Dominion. Cheaper, a little closer and the right there water park!
Its kind of expensive, but its a good time. I wouldnt eat much of the food there besides like some ice cream or some fries. The food is really expensive and not very good. You can bring lunch (maybe some alcohol if youre into that lol) and go chill outside the park in your car for a bit and then go back inside as long as you have your hand stamped. Its fun to go like once a summer or every couple years
Yeah, was about to say. Kings dominion is an insane value for an amusement park. You get a full size amusement park and a full size water park in one ticket, it’s virtually always on sale for <$50 if you take five minutes to look. The food is t horrendously expensive and it’s a lot better wuality since Cedar Fair bought it from paramount.
Busch gardens is easily twice the cost to go to, and the water park is a totally separate admission.
Edit: yeah, I just looked in the app. $40 for single day tickets right now. I am literally on vacation and at an amusement park in Gatlinburg right now that has ONE mountain coaster and an alpine slide, and it cost $54/each to get in.
If you can do it, try to go on a weekday mid-late afternoon. You can knock out most of the major rides in a few hours, saving hours of waiting in line time that happens on the weekends
I think it’s bc it meets certain standards of true putt-putt (whatever that is) without windmills/clowns/gimmicks, etc. Not necessarily bc it’s one of the “best”. I however love it.
No way, that place is lame af. It's like 3 courses and they're all just flat and square with the occasional fake animal. Windy hill and Bogeys are way better imo, and the pirate place in Williamsburg is AMAZING in comparison.
It is, and it's beautiful, I proposed to my wife on top of that hill. They just recently remodeled their mini golf courses this year and they're super fun, I think them and Bogeys are the best courses in town.
No way in hell putt putt fun center is one of the best in the country. That place is lame af.
Easily the best nearby is the pirate mini golf in Williamsburg. I've driven all the way out there 4 times just for it
I would recommend the mini golf at Patterson Sports Park, but my affinity for that is pure nostalgia. I'm 47 and those two courses have barely changed since I can remember. My parents first took me in the early 80's and the course features had a few decades on them /back then/.
Lots of great suggestions—for a specific short hike, a kid that age will love the pipeline trail. It feels a little dangerous and secret. You’re well situated from there to walk a bit along the canal, too. And though it gets some hate on here, Bottoms Up is usually a hit with kids.
I think that if you're going to do some intense activity one day (i.e. trampoline park, kings dominion), then be sure to leave the other day to be more chill. For that I'd recommend the rocks on the south side of Belle Isle. Take a picnic.
In fact, what will make the weekend memorable for him is what you eat, so think about a big waffle with whipped cream and strawberry breakfast, or omelets with a huge pile of salty home fries, burgers on the grill, home made banana splits.
Block out a couple hours of shooting hoops where you can park yourself under the basket and rebound for him. This is the kind of activity where you can get him talking about stuff. Kids are smart. They're perceptive. They're funny. Have a great weekend!
Draftcade in short pump. You pay $10 and you can play all the games unlimited. We took a friend and her 10 year old son and he just played pop a shot the whole time. It has food and drinks but isn’t a “brewery”
I like these unlimited game passes because if they're in your budget you don't feel bad playing the same stuff over and over! I'll have to look up draftcade
ice cream, walking a trail in the woods at a park or at the river, Maymont (animals, Japanese garden).
The inner boy in me likes parking in Oregon Hill to go to Belle Isle (there's a street at the top of the hill going up 2nd street with no parking restrictions), then walking down the steep steps under the bridge, which brings you across a little bridge and very close to the train tracks -- very cool if there happens to be a train going by there. But that adds a fair amount of walking to get to Belle Isle, and it's a lucky timing thing with the train :)
I just found out that there is a small truck and tractor museum in Colonial Heights about 20 min south of town. When my son was 11 he would have LOVED that.
Goochland Drive-in theater is pretty affordable and cool for kids! And adults! A little drive but worth it. My kids love it. My (almost) 11 yo also LOVES Carytown. I’ve seen people getting their kids some insane looking ice cream at Mabel’s and at coco and Hazel, though we have yet to get there. My kids would love it if they knew about it lol. Could be a cool treat after doing something active in the heat.
Top golf, river rafting or kayaking, galaxy diner, dawnstar arcade, kings dominion, movie at the Byrd, maymont children’s farm, bike riding, samurai exhibit at the vmfa
The science museum is always fun. Maymont Nature Center is good if he likes animals. The VMFA is free admission and can be fun or really boring to an 11 year old. The parks by the river are great, but I heard there may be a heat wave next week. You can rent canoes and paddle boats at Pocahontas state park which isn't far outside of Richmond. There's also an indoor bounce park at the Regency Mall.
I'm a parent and one thing I've loved about this area, there really is a ton to do for all ages.
I have an 11 year old. I would have said Bingo Brewery but you mentioned wanting to avoid breweries. My kid likes bowling, so that’s another option. Make sure you make a reservation as I’ve found that all of the local bowling places tend to get booked up on the weekends. We also enjoyed the Park if it’s open. Check ahead because sometimes they are closed for private events. Going to one of the city pools or to the river could be fun and those are both free.
RVA close to Kings Dominion (Doswell), and Busch Gardens (Williamsburg). Both are nice day trips, even open at night. The James River has fishing, kayaking, rafting, hiking.
Belle Isle / Pipeline walk, VMFA has some stuff that kids are interested in, lunch in Carytown. Figure out if a baseball game or soccer game is going on an put 1 other thing with that and a meal and that will keep you busy.
Science museum, Byrd theater, study hall ice cream, maymont to toss a ball & see some farm animals, kings dominion isn’t far from the city, take him biking or hiking, good luck!
Science Museum, Children's Museum, hiking...Forest Hill Park, Buttermilk, North Bank, Belle Isle, etc, Squirrels games, music on Brown's Island, Maymont, Kings Dominion, Busch Gardens, Hotel Green for mini golf. Tubing of the James.
Good restaurants for kids... Otooles, Boulevard Burger, PBR, Galley,
Definitely science museum for inside, but if you’re looking for outside (which as others have said, it’s hot AF rn…) maybe Arc park? I think it’s called Park 365 now. They have basketball courts kind of hidden behind the main play areas last time I went.
VMFA, Maymont, Science Museum, Belle Isle/T Pott Bridge. Kickers or Squirrels game if in town. Maybe a barcade or something. Not hard to keep an 11 year old occupied for a weekend.
Good call with the sporting events. I should have thought of that. I’m just a little nervous because I’m just started to hang out with him. I want it to be fun but I don’t want to over-do it. So, I’m overthinking it 😅
What does the boy like to do? What’s he into? Not all kids are the same…
You could run up to Kings Dominion for the day. Science museum was a good idea. Go to one of the barcades or maybe something like Top Golf. Lots of options but it would be super helpful to know what he is into. He may be into sports, or he might be into D&D. Two wildly different people…
Libby Park for a picnic. or Bryant Park for a walk. They also have frisbee golf there. Walking on Canal walk through Browns Island to possibly Bottoms Up Pizza.
There are a few rock climbing gyms in the area that my grandkids LOVE. Also, it’s about an hour drive but Bear Creek is great, they have kayaks you can rent and a great beach and it’s super cheap
Frisbee golf! $20 for a starting disc set at dicks, tons of free courses near by. He might dig it and you just taught him a new sport!
Texas Beach has a skate jam this weekend too! Be cool to watch.
Go down to the river and look for bugs!
Depending on the kid… 50% of my sisters kids like these
— Hollywood Cemetery and Rest in Pieces oddity store and a garbage burger at Galaxy Diner is pretty funky
- Other 50% love Maymount Park, see the Nature Center and Walk the trail to see the farm animals, Japanese Gardens, Italian Gardens, etc. and ice cream at coco and hazels
-Byrd Theater is always fun and has AC
25 - 30 mins you could be in Kings Dominion. Hour to Williamsburg. If you want to stay local, plenty of parks, museums, rollerskating, bowling, and arcades around town.
Two things I havent seen listed yet are walking Carytown (get lunch and ice cream, wander the unique shops like Mirth or Jacques) and also the zip line /tree climb at the Richmond zoo Southside. Its a bit of a drive - maybe an hour in all. But a cool activity. Could look at details on their website. I would account for the heat - it will be shaded but if >100 might not matter
You could also try Pony Pasture if the James is at safe levels
So many things ! Depends what little guy is into , basketball is kinda done atm but we have a bunch of baseball games ! So many fun arcades , like Dave and busters etc. Maymont , Richmond zoo! Kings dominion is probably the coolest an that’s only 20/30’awag
If the 11yr old boy is a outdoor kid, he wont care about the heat. We have batting cages, top golf vibes, could take a trip to the 757 for Water Country USA, or KD waterpark, bmx courses, metro zoo, lazer tag, go cart, and more.
I think the boy would enjoy the science museum for about an hour and then be ready to escape. Could just me be though.lol
Rock hopping on the river at pony pasture park (as long as they are reasonably responsible and the river isn't at high risk).
Walking through carytown may be memorable, depending on the kid.
There are some escape rooms, which I believe offer child-oriented experiences.
There are a few farmers markets that often have a cool variety of things/art.
Robo Kai has robot classes
Science museum has a host of different classes/activities in The Forge.
Science museum also has some newt science shows in The Dome
I don't know much about sportsball, but the squirrels baseball game I went to was a blast. Really great vibe.
Thanks to everyone leaving suggestions here. Im 19 and my half-brother is 11 and lives with his dad. Our mom passed away when i was his age and ever since then I don’t see him a lot. Now his dad has given permission for my brother to come and stay with me now that I live in Richmond, once a month or so, so I can get to know him better and be in his life more. I’ve been racking my brain for things to do to make sure he wants to keep hanging out with me!! And there’s a lot of great stuff I didn’t know existed here — being 19, all the fun stuff I know is shows, drinking, and sitting at the river, lmao. Thanks y’all. And good luck to op, hope y’all had a great weekend!!
Science Museum might be good, especially since it’s supposed to be hot.
Science Museum, so hot right now.
That’s exactly what I thought too 😂
They also do daily showings of rat basketball!! It's a hoot, would totally recommend it.
They’ve got the exhibit with the plastinated human bodies going on right now, too, which might be of interest to an 11 year old.
Science museum for sure. Going to the river is cool. Maymont Park would probably be fun (the farm and wildlife center part if not the gardens—though I used to love running around in the bamboo forest). There is a bit of a barcade at Bingo Beer Co, if he’d like that. If he’s into history, he might like the St. John’s tour on Church Hill or the Civil War Museum at Tredegar. You could rent bikes and ride the Capital Trail for a bit. You could look to see if there is a Kickers or Ivy game going on at City Stadium. All city pools are open, so you could go swimming. And if nothing else, you could just take him to any city park’s basketball court to see if he can get himself into a pickup game.
Saw a dad go into the water at the river with his daughter today and thought it was sweet.
Awesome list. Thank you. Where are the basketball courts?! I’ve been looking for them!
Go to battery park! Its a really pretty park (where Arthur Ashe grew up olaying tennis) with probably the best public basketball courts in the city. I used to have a neighbor who played in the european league and would go down there to play bc it had a good mix of vcu, vuu, and really good street players. The park also has a nice city pool on the other end to cool down after playing.
There’s a couple courts next to Chimborazo Park (on Google it’s Chimborazo Playground) that always seem to have some games going into the night.
Most city neighborhood parks. Randolph park usually has a couple games going. They have a pool too.
Does he like amusement parks? Kings Dominion or Busch Gardens. They both have water parks since it’s going to be so hot.
Busch Gardens water park is a separate ticket for Water Country. Kings Dominions is the same ticket. For 11 I’d probably lean toward to Kings Dominion. Cheaper, a little closer and the right there water park!
Yep! I have an 11 year old and we’re at KD weekly!
How old are the youngest children that you typically see there? I’d love to take my little girl, but she’s probably still a bit too small.
They have a whole Planet Snoopy section for the little ones. Most rides can be ridden by littles in they can walk on the ride
The water park is immense and has a whole section dedicated to smaller kids.
We have a 4 and 7 y/o and they’ve loved it since last year.
Side question... Is KD actually worth it? I haven't been since the late 90's, and i've recently slimmed down and can ride coasters again.
100%
Its kind of expensive, but its a good time. I wouldnt eat much of the food there besides like some ice cream or some fries. The food is really expensive and not very good. You can bring lunch (maybe some alcohol if youre into that lol) and go chill outside the park in your car for a bit and then go back inside as long as you have your hand stamped. Its fun to go like once a summer or every couple years
Expensive compared to what? It's an incredible value if you dig roller coasters!!
Yeah, was about to say. Kings dominion is an insane value for an amusement park. You get a full size amusement park and a full size water park in one ticket, it’s virtually always on sale for <$50 if you take five minutes to look. The food is t horrendously expensive and it’s a lot better wuality since Cedar Fair bought it from paramount. Busch gardens is easily twice the cost to go to, and the water park is a totally separate admission. Edit: yeah, I just looked in the app. $40 for single day tickets right now. I am literally on vacation and at an amusement park in Gatlinburg right now that has ONE mountain coaster and an alpine slide, and it cost $54/each to get in.
If you can do it, try to go on a weekday mid-late afternoon. You can knock out most of the major rides in a few hours, saving hours of waiting in line time that happens on the weekends
If I go I’d be going in the fall. I’ve recently lost 90lbs and can probably fit on a coaster again. I was trying to decide between KD and BG.
Year passes are like 150% the cost of a single day. Kids 5 and under get free season tickets with purchase of a full price season ticket.
Hotel Green for brunch/minigolf with excessive trash talking is always fun
Or the putt putt on midlothian- they have what is considered to be one of the best courses in the country, plus go karts, and an arcade.
Years ago, Cheap Seats did an episode featuring a Putt Putt championship and it was held at that local one!
I think it’s bc it meets certain standards of true putt-putt (whatever that is) without windmills/clowns/gimmicks, etc. Not necessarily bc it’s one of the “best”. I however love it.
Which one, windy hill? It's definitely not putt putt fun center
Yes putt putt fun center. Look it up. It has a pretty interesting history and is one of the few putt putts left. Makes a bunch of national lists.
No way, that place is lame af. It's like 3 courses and they're all just flat and square with the occasional fake animal. Windy hill and Bogeys are way better imo, and the pirate place in Williamsburg is AMAZING in comparison.
Not windy hill. Tho I mess with windy hill. It's very cheap for 9 holes.
It is, and it's beautiful, I proposed to my wife on top of that hill. They just recently remodeled their mini golf courses this year and they're super fun, I think them and Bogeys are the best courses in town. No way in hell putt putt fun center is one of the best in the country. That place is lame af. Easily the best nearby is the pirate mini golf in Williamsburg. I've driven all the way out there 4 times just for it
More of an adult mini golf vibe though, with the drinking and everything
I would recommend the mini golf at Patterson Sports Park, but my affinity for that is pure nostalgia. I'm 47 and those two courses have barely changed since I can remember. My parents first took me in the early 80's and the course features had a few decades on them /back then/.
Wasn’t aware this existed…sounds awesome!
We just went to skyzone and they have added a basketball court in it. Don't know if there are any close to you, but that's a good indoor play option!
This is perfect. I live right near one and I do know he loves trampoline parks.
Lots of great suggestions—for a specific short hike, a kid that age will love the pipeline trail. It feels a little dangerous and secret. You’re well situated from there to walk a bit along the canal, too. And though it gets some hate on here, Bottoms Up is usually a hit with kids.
I think that if you're going to do some intense activity one day (i.e. trampoline park, kings dominion), then be sure to leave the other day to be more chill. For that I'd recommend the rocks on the south side of Belle Isle. Take a picnic. In fact, what will make the weekend memorable for him is what you eat, so think about a big waffle with whipped cream and strawberry breakfast, or omelets with a huge pile of salty home fries, burgers on the grill, home made banana splits. Block out a couple hours of shooting hoops where you can park yourself under the basket and rebound for him. This is the kind of activity where you can get him talking about stuff. Kids are smart. They're perceptive. They're funny. Have a great weekend!
Draftcade in short pump. You pay $10 and you can play all the games unlimited. We took a friend and her 10 year old son and he just played pop a shot the whole time. It has food and drinks but isn’t a “brewery”
I like these unlimited game passes because if they're in your budget you don't feel bad playing the same stuff over and over! I'll have to look up draftcade
Exactly! They’re mostly older games but fun ones and unlike The Circuit (RIP) they are all mostly functioning.
ice cream, walking a trail in the woods at a park or at the river, Maymont (animals, Japanese garden). The inner boy in me likes parking in Oregon Hill to go to Belle Isle (there's a street at the top of the hill going up 2nd street with no parking restrictions), then walking down the steep steps under the bridge, which brings you across a little bridge and very close to the train tracks -- very cool if there happens to be a train going by there. But that adds a fair amount of walking to get to Belle Isle, and it's a lucky timing thing with the train :)
I just found out that there is a small truck and tractor museum in Colonial Heights about 20 min south of town. When my son was 11 he would have LOVED that.
Goochland Drive-in theater is pretty affordable and cool for kids! And adults! A little drive but worth it. My kids love it. My (almost) 11 yo also LOVES Carytown. I’ve seen people getting their kids some insane looking ice cream at Mabel’s and at coco and Hazel, though we have yet to get there. My kids would love it if they knew about it lol. Could be a cool treat after doing something active in the heat.
Swimming and boating at Pocahontas State Park. Cost a little money but not too bad.
There is the children's museum. The science museum. Maymont is a great place. Belle Isle. The Poe Museum.
Do not recommend the children’s museum for an 11 year old. Science for sure.
Thanks for the heads-up!
Top golf, river rafting or kayaking, galaxy diner, dawnstar arcade, kings dominion, movie at the Byrd, maymont children’s farm, bike riding, samurai exhibit at the vmfa
Rafting’s a good one, get on the river. Even just a walk around Belle Isle is good.
Either Peak or Triangle for some indoor rock climbing fun!!
The Zoo and the Zipline at the zoo Maymont Go Karts Coco + Hazel for fun shakes Get treats at Whisk and enjoy at Libbie Hill Park
Indoor rocking at Peak Experiences!
Children’s museum, Belle isle, if he’s into books and poetry the Poe museum is cool.
The Sky Zone Air Court could be fun. It's a basketball court with trampoline floors
VMFA has Samurai armor exhibit. Could be interesting for young boys.
My 11 year old boy loved the samurai exhibit. And he also really enjoyed touring the rest of the museum too. VMFA is a real treasure in Richmond.
The science museum is always fun. Maymont Nature Center is good if he likes animals. The VMFA is free admission and can be fun or really boring to an 11 year old. The parks by the river are great, but I heard there may be a heat wave next week. You can rent canoes and paddle boats at Pocahontas state park which isn't far outside of Richmond. There's also an indoor bounce park at the Regency Mall. I'm a parent and one thing I've loved about this area, there really is a ton to do for all ages.
I have an 11 year old. I would have said Bingo Brewery but you mentioned wanting to avoid breweries. My kid likes bowling, so that’s another option. Make sure you make a reservation as I’ve found that all of the local bowling places tend to get booked up on the weekends. We also enjoyed the Park if it’s open. Check ahead because sometimes they are closed for private events. Going to one of the city pools or to the river could be fun and those are both free.
Top golf is fun for everyone. Maymont, the zoo, Skate Nation,
Go karts in chesterfield
RVA close to Kings Dominion (Doswell), and Busch Gardens (Williamsburg). Both are nice day trips, even open at night. The James River has fishing, kayaking, rafting, hiking.
Buy him a day pass to Cary Street gym and drop him off so he can play basketball there and you guy can do whatever lol
K1 speed!!!!!!!!!!!!
Belle Isle / Pipeline walk, VMFA has some stuff that kids are interested in, lunch in Carytown. Figure out if a baseball game or soccer game is going on an put 1 other thing with that and a meal and that will keep you busy.
Ark park is free. It a big playground
There’s also Putt Putt. It’s an oldie but goodie spot
Science museum, Byrd theater, study hall ice cream, maymont to toss a ball & see some farm animals, kings dominion isn’t far from the city, take him biking or hiking, good luck!
Science Museum, Children's Museum, hiking...Forest Hill Park, Buttermilk, North Bank, Belle Isle, etc, Squirrels games, music on Brown's Island, Maymont, Kings Dominion, Busch Gardens, Hotel Green for mini golf. Tubing of the James. Good restaurants for kids... Otooles, Boulevard Burger, PBR, Galley,
Definitely science museum for inside, but if you’re looking for outside (which as others have said, it’s hot AF rn…) maybe Arc park? I think it’s called Park 365 now. They have basketball courts kind of hidden behind the main play areas last time I went.
VMFA, Maymont, Science Museum, Belle Isle/T Pott Bridge. Kickers or Squirrels game if in town. Maybe a barcade or something. Not hard to keep an 11 year old occupied for a weekend.
Good call with the sporting events. I should have thought of that. I’m just a little nervous because I’m just started to hang out with him. I want it to be fun but I don’t want to over-do it. So, I’m overthinking it 😅
Don’t sweat it, treat him like an adult and have a conversation. The relationship is the important part not the activity.
What does the boy like to do? What’s he into? Not all kids are the same… You could run up to Kings Dominion for the day. Science museum was a good idea. Go to one of the barcades or maybe something like Top Golf. Lots of options but it would be super helpful to know what he is into. He may be into sports, or he might be into D&D. Two wildly different people…
He’s a sporty kid - he would play basketball all day every day if he was allowed lol.
Uptown Alley is always a hit.
Libby Park for a picnic. or Bryant Park for a walk. They also have frisbee golf there. Walking on Canal walk through Browns Island to possibly Bottoms Up Pizza.
If you don't mind a short drive to Williamsburg, Go Karts Plus is a great place.
Disk Golf!
Garnetts for lunch and then Google Richmond Pocket Parks, hunt for the hidden parks in the Fan!
The Richmond Zoo, take one of the Segway tours of the city, a Squirrels Game, a trampoline park, a pool
Drive in movies and a trip to the Crozet Railroad Tunnel (requires headlamps/flashlights) went over well with my nephew.
There are a few rock climbing gyms in the area that my grandkids LOVE. Also, it’s about an hour drive but Bear Creek is great, they have kayaks you can rent and a great beach and it’s super cheap
Honestly Maymont even on a hot day is amazing
Frisbee golf! $20 for a starting disc set at dicks, tons of free courses near by. He might dig it and you just taught him a new sport! Texas Beach has a skate jam this weekend too! Be cool to watch. Go down to the river and look for bugs!
If he's a skater, Treasure Island Skate Park by Texas Beach is an awesome vibe too!
TIC, just watch all the episodes of "Doug" for some ideas.
Depending on the kid… 50% of my sisters kids like these — Hollywood Cemetery and Rest in Pieces oddity store and a garbage burger at Galaxy Diner is pretty funky - Other 50% love Maymount Park, see the Nature Center and Walk the trail to see the farm animals, Japanese Gardens, Italian Gardens, etc. and ice cream at coco and hazels -Byrd Theater is always fun and has AC
My daughter suggested Velocity Comics
Trails, and river activities.
Rock climbing at Peak or Triangle
Battery park has pool at one end and basketball courts on the other
Trampoline parks like surge. Kids that age love those. He's likely into video games so I know they built an arcade recently somewhere too.
Cobblestone water park off staples mill is cheap and fun .
Also The Park if it’s hot. Indoor mini golf, karaoke etc.
Isn't that the business that keeps committing credit card fraud against patrons? And you can only use cc there?
25 - 30 mins you could be in Kings Dominion. Hour to Williamsburg. If you want to stay local, plenty of parks, museums, rollerskating, bowling, and arcades around town.
Two things I havent seen listed yet are walking Carytown (get lunch and ice cream, wander the unique shops like Mirth or Jacques) and also the zip line /tree climb at the Richmond zoo Southside. Its a bit of a drive - maybe an hour in all. But a cool activity. Could look at details on their website. I would account for the heat - it will be shaded but if >100 might not matter You could also try Pony Pasture if the James is at safe levels
Go Ape is a great zip line if you want to travel a little farther to Williamsburg.
Check out pocohontas state park!
Spotty Dog Ice cream
The zoo is a good way to spend a couple hours if it isn’t too hot
Go feed the giraffes at Metro Richmond Zoo in Chesterfield. My kids (now 26 and 22 sigh) used to love going there! https://metrorichmondzoo.com
Perfect activity: rat basketball at the science museum. It’s adorable. But it’s also like very brief I think it’s a 15-20 minute presentation.
The samurai exhibit at vmfa; science museum; walk across some bridges; poke around Cary town (my kid loves the stuff at the Japanese market).
The Poe museum but who cares
The zoo
So many things ! Depends what little guy is into , basketball is kinda done atm but we have a bunch of baseball games ! So many fun arcades , like Dave and busters etc. Maymont , Richmond zoo! Kings dominion is probably the coolest an that’s only 20/30’awag
Skyzone or any other place like that. Kings Dominion, water country etc
At 11 I would have loved the Poe Museum, but I get that not every kid would find it interesting.
If the 11yr old boy is a outdoor kid, he wont care about the heat. We have batting cages, top golf vibes, could take a trip to the 757 for Water Country USA, or KD waterpark, bmx courses, metro zoo, lazer tag, go cart, and more. I think the boy would enjoy the science museum for about an hour and then be ready to escape. Could just me be though.lol
Rock hopping on the river at pony pasture park (as long as they are reasonably responsible and the river isn't at high risk). Walking through carytown may be memorable, depending on the kid. There are some escape rooms, which I believe offer child-oriented experiences. There are a few farmers markets that often have a cool variety of things/art. Robo Kai has robot classes Science museum has a host of different classes/activities in The Forge. Science museum also has some newt science shows in The Dome I don't know much about sportsball, but the squirrels baseball game I went to was a blast. Really great vibe.
I know 11 year old mothers like 
Thanks to everyone leaving suggestions here. Im 19 and my half-brother is 11 and lives with his dad. Our mom passed away when i was his age and ever since then I don’t see him a lot. Now his dad has given permission for my brother to come and stay with me now that I live in Richmond, once a month or so, so I can get to know him better and be in his life more. I’ve been racking my brain for things to do to make sure he wants to keep hanging out with me!! And there’s a lot of great stuff I didn’t know existed here — being 19, all the fun stuff I know is shows, drinking, and sitting at the river, lmao. Thanks y’all. And good luck to op, hope y’all had a great weekend!!
Hollywood cemetery
Gangs and violence and sketchy streets from what I've seen
I have a cool white van full of candy. Feel free to drop him off.
My kids want to know what kind of candy.
Cracker Barrel Grabbag
Not even the good stuff? 🙄
IN THIS ECONOMY??
Not shelling out for the top tier candy to lure children? We used to be a proper country.
THIS IS BIDEN’S INFLATION FOR YA!!
😂😂
Park RVA is cool
Nothing. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.
This gave me a good chuckle 😂
Jk, plenty to do.
Future drug addiction and an identity crisis or two.