Alison, ‘12

                After deciding that we were quite tired of spending our lives eating, sleeping, and doing work, Sarah and I planned a mid-week excursion of sorts. We went to Maymont and had a Chik-fil-a picnic on a grassy hillside, surrounded by small children and the less-than-appetizing smell of manure from the Children’s Farm.

                Maymont is about a fifteen-minute drive from campus, unless you’re incapable of using a GPS in which case it can take roughly forty-five or fifty minutes. I bet you can’t guess who was brilliant enough to accidently request directions to Maymont the office complex instead of Maymont the garden and wildlife-filled park! My personal failure to work “Charlotte” (Sarah’s GPS) cost us a fairly decent chunk of time for walking around and our exploration was limited to the barn area. Needless to say, our charming combination of silliness and narcissism led us to take an excessive amount of photos within the hour and a half we spent there. We got a number of stares from young mothers, many of whose expressions indicated an intense fear that our noisy/spastic behavior posed some kind of threat to their children’s safety. I assure you it did not – ha ha.

I’m a big farm animal fan

baby goat!! <3

                The park was originally a large estate, and the old houses and stables are maintained to this day. The main home has been preserved in its original condition and made into a museum. Other than the Children’s Farm, which as you can see is simply a petting zoo, Maymont has a number of small sanctuaries for injured wildlife. There are a number of paths and walking trails that weave through the park, and most of them feature small enclosures with deer or birds that have been injured and are unable to return to the wild. The park also features well-kept gardens, small waterfalls, and creeks to relax by. These scenic paths make it an ideal place to walk and talk or to exercise. Maymont is very, very kid-friendly and incredibly popular, so weekday visits are best if you’re interested in going but are looking to avoid a crowd.

I’ve never EVER seen the bear so close before…and I’ve been going to Maymont literally since I was born.

                We all recently received an email reminding us to keep up regular posting because all of you have a very important decision to make in a very short amount of time (sorry to keep bringing it up, but its true)! I just want to remind you all that if you have any questions, feel free to e-mail myself or one of the other diarists. We’re all eager to answer them…it’s kindof our job, ha ha. One thing I remember about applying to Richmond was the personal attention and swift response I got from the admissions office. They’re happy to help and would really love to see you here J Until next week…good luck!