Ex-landfill has good, clean fun - Exploring Virginia Beach

Ex-landfill has good, clean fun

Mount Trashmore offers summer fun from films to fireworks, all for free

Friday, Jun 08, 2007 - 12:01 AM Updated: 01:05 PM

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Watch out. You might get dinged by a low-flying kite at the top of Mount Trashmore.

Or bump into hordes of children scrambling through Kid's Cove, a play area with enough nooks, crannies, twists and turns to excite restless toddlers for hours.

More than 250 landfills in the United States have gone from "dump to destination," say authors of a scholarly paper on landfill conversions. Mount Trashmore, converted from a city dump to city park in 1973, has become one of Virginia Beach's most popular recreational sites.

The 165-acre park is popular with skateboarders, kite flyers, picnickers and families just looking for a place to spend an afternoon.

Park admission is free, and so are parking lots, which can fill up fast.

A number of special events are planned for Mount Trashmore in the weeks to come. They include:

July 4th Celebration -- 4-10 p.m. Live entertainment, children's activities, food, fireworks.

Artisans in the Park arts-and-craft festival -- 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 4, and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 5. More than 100 artisans, live entertainment, children's activities and food.

SK8R Bash -- 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sept. 8. Competition at the newly renovated skate park. Live music.

Movie Nights -- Free movies at 7:30 p.m. June 22, "Akeelah and the Bee;" July 20, "Charlotte's Web;" and Aug. 17, "Over the Hedge." -- Tammie Smith