Camp out at Maymont!

Notice: Comments that are not conducive to an interesting and thoughtful conversation may be removed at the editor’s discretion.

1. Daniel on March 13, 2014 7:49 AM said:

   That sounds so awesome that I hope it’s still a thing in four years when my kid is old enough!
2. Pkote on March 13, 2014 8:15 AM said:

   “I’d bet god money” That’s serious ;)
3. Willis on March 13, 2014 8:34 AM said:

   This does sound awesome but $40? That’s $120 for just me and my two kids. With that kind of money you could travel to one of the nearby national forests, serve up several huge meals, and spend an entire weekend away. One of the things I hope for my children to grow up learning about being outdoors is the beauty is free (or cheap) and always there to enjoy.
4. Nick on March 13, 2014 9:45 AM said:

   It does sound awesome but the price is absurd
5. AJ on March 13, 2014 10:00 AM said:

   $30-40/person? That must be a misprint. Those prices per family would seem more reasonable.
6. Maybe $20 a tent on March 13, 2014 10:00 AM said:

   That price is crazy. If you’re going to charge that much, at least position it as raising money for a specific purpose. Otherwise, I’ll go stake out my spot next to Willis and go to a national or state park for the fraction of the cost.
7. DW on March 13, 2014 10:51 AM said:

   The children of minimum wage-earning parents don’t stand a chance, do they?
8. ET on March 13, 2014 11:21 AM said:

   “The price may seem steep ($120 for a family of 3), but remember you’ll make s’smores (max $2.00), have a continental breakfast (toast and eggs! $10 max), be led on a morning hike (free!?), and more (?????).”

   Come on, Maymont.
9. Jan on March 13, 2014 12:01 PM said:

   Great idea, but agree the price is ridiculous. I went to the website and it is indeed per person. $200 for 2 parents and 3 kids? Sheesh.
10. Scott on March 13, 2014 12:31 PM said:

    Well, if someone thinks it’s too expensive there is always the option of not taking advantage of the offer…
11. Courtney Mathias on March 13, 2014 1:01 PM said:

    Wow, that’s close to $250 for my family…. Pocahontas park, you could get a campsite & water pass for under 25$ a night, without having to count the # of people. Ridiculous.
12. JB on March 13, 2014 1:39 PM said:

    You guys aren’t even thinking about event insurance, security, staff expenses, transportation….maymont might be making a buck a person….
13. Carla Murray, Maymont on March 13, 2014 1:47 PM said:

    In regards to the cost of the Maymont camp-outs, please consider that this fee covers 4 to 5 hours of evening and morning activities led by our environmental education staff in addition to s’mores, breakfast and coffee (and a total of 15 hours overnight on the property). We carefully considered the fee and researched similar events at comparable facilities. Every program that Maymont offers, including the camp-outs, helps to keep Maymont open year-round and supports animal care, historic preservation, flowers in the gardens and much more. Maymont Foundation must raise almost $3.5 million each year to maintain and operate Maymont, and less than 20% of that amount comes from combined government funding from the City of Richmond, Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico. Your support through program participation, donations in the donation boxes, animal adoptions and other sources is greatly appreciated and truly does make a difference for this Richmond treasure. And if you aren’t able to give, you can still enjoy many of the wonders of Maymont admission-free year round.
14. outside the gates on March 13, 2014 3:10 PM said:

    Greetings rich folks, for only $40 per person you too can camp inside our gated community. Will be a diverse crowd, I’m sure…
15. Richard on March 13, 2014 3:43 PM said:

    SCHOOLED!

    Hopefully a lesson to folks to consider all the angles before becoming incensed.

    Also, Maymont, thank you for being FREE all the time. We love you.
16. Anna on March 13, 2014 4:02 PM said:

    Camp out in my backyard; free for all to come! Bring stuff to make s’mores and hike led in our neighborhood, ha! This cost is nuts. I know this is way over charging.
17. Felicia on March 13, 2014 6:56 PM said:

    love the idea, will come to one of the two later events when the weather is more predictable. love tbe park and i know the fee is to cover the cost and upkeep on the property. people need to prioritise thier spending for entertainment, and save enough to make one of these great events. i am drivng in from Norfolk.
18. Grace on March 13, 2014 9:12 PM said:

    Maymont is free for us to enjoy all the time. It’s an extremely beautiful escape from the city that we take for granted. Why not give back to the people that work there and get a little something out of it? If you don’t want to pay, don’t do it. If you love the park and want to give back, then go. It’s not just camping, it’s camping in a beautiful space that is a huge part of our great city.
19. Zeke on March 13, 2014 10:42 PM said:

    Such drama.
20. Andrea on March 13, 2014 11:19 PM said:

    “Maymont is run by a private foundation, they can charge what they want.”

    yes, Scott Burger they do…and its $0. free…everyday. this is a special event that has costs associated with it. not everything is a conspiracy.
21. Stuart on March 13, 2014 11:28 PM said:

    Some people like to complain…. If you do not want to support maymont via this program… Then turn the page and look for another way to support them… Negative comments are not positive…
22. Scott on March 14, 2014 7:16 AM said:

    Andrea,

    You’ll never get Burger to listen. In his mind everything is a conspitacy…
23. Scott Burger on March 14, 2014 7:33 AM said:

    People are either dense or purposely maligning me.
    I am not complaining about Maymont or saying it is a conspiracy. I am just comparing it to other situations that Richmond is facing….

    Maymont covers a huge area- it is understandable that the City leases it to a private foundation to manage. However Monroe Park, again, one of the oldest PUBLIC parks in the country, is what, 10 small acres. The City can certainly afford to maintain and improve it for all of its citizens. It does not need to lease Monroe Park to a PRIVATE ‘conservancy’.
    Furthermore, we can see from Venture Richmond’s case that the City, in the last twenty years or so, has not managed ‘public/private partnerships’ very well. It has sold out public interests time and time again.

    Right now, the City government is considering lease agreements that are very different from Maymont’s situation. Here is a statement I wrote on behalf of the Sierra Club that may help folks understand what is at stake:

    To Mayor Jones, members of City Council, members of the City Planning Commission,

    Monroe Park, the James River and Kanawha Canal, and Shockoe Bottom are three of the most historically and environmentally sensitive sites in Richmond. We are alarmed that it appears that these sites are under siege and that vast city resources are being devoted to plans that would cause a degradation and damage to these important sites with little regard for obvious and prudent alternatives. The City of Richmond should respect its important historic and environmental resources and evaluate development plans by considering how these plans support and reinforce these resources.

    We are very concerned that the City of Richmond is considering the 30 year lease of Monroe Park, the city’s oldest public park, to a private conservancy made up primarily of VCU and City administrators. Through the wording of this lease, the city parks department would no longer have any supervision of the care of the trees of the park, which is a vital green space of the city. The proposed lease would grant VCU the total authority to remove trees and shrubs at will. We are aware that in the past VCU has proposed removing 20% of the mature trees in the park. There is concern that the city park may be cooped by VCU as the University’s quadrangle. The proposed conservancy offers no representation to the surrounding neighborhoods that rely upon this green space, nor does it offer representation to the city parks department or organizations such as the Sierra Club and the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden that are devoted to fostering the city’s environment. We urge that the lease of the city’s oldest and arguably most historic park be rejected in favor of reconstituting the Monroe Park Advisory Council with representation from the surrounding neighborhoods and city parks department.

    The City of Richmond possesses an invaluable resource in the James River and Kanawha Canal. This canal, proposed and founded by George Washington, offers an opportunity for creating a transportation and scenic tourist magnet for our city. We believe that the historical importance of this 18th century canal far outweighs Venture Richmond’s need for an amphitheater because Richmond already has many outdoor venues. We are very concerned that Venture Richmond’s proposal to lower and remove a substantial portion of the towpath embankment for an amphitheater will compromise the opportunity to restore the canal and jeopardize the historical integrity of George Washington’s canal. We urge the City of Richmond to be a good steward of the canal and take all necessary steps to protect the canal from damage.

    Likewise, the Falls of the James Sierra Club also urges appropriate stewardship of the city’s Shockoe Bottom property. Any proposal to build a baseball stadium in Shockoe Bottom must weigh the historical significance of the site and the environmental benefits of recycling the existing stadium site on the Boulevard. Every effort should be made to renovate and repair the existing stadium before committing vast resources toward demolishing the stadium on the Boulevard and creating an environmental nightmare by building a new stadium set 28 feet below ground in the floodplain. A stadium on the Boulevard does not involve building in an historic or flood-prone area and would therefore be far preferable. Traffic tangles would result from a Shockoe stadium and negatively impact mass transit planning. Shockoe Creek should be given more consideration, not buried under more concrete.

    Finally, the Sierra Club Falls of the James emphatically supports the conservation easement proposed for Bandy Field Park. Citizens have worked very hard over the years to create, preserve, and improve this park. Charles Price and the Friends of Bandy Field should be congratulated and commended for their work, which should serve as an example and model for other City parks. This public park deserves full public support, just as Monroe Park and the James River Park does. These parks and places are crucial to Richmond’s quality of living. Thank you for considering the entirety of this statement.

    On behalf of the Executive Committee of the Sierra Club Falls of the James group,

    Thank you,

    Scott Burger
24. Michael on March 14, 2014 11:17 AM said:

    Is this real life?
25. Squibby on March 14, 2014 12:51 PM said:

    I, for one, welcome the guidance of our business overlords!
26. Chris on March 16, 2014 5:54 PM said:

    Remember this is a fundraiser people. It’s not supposed to be a competitively-priced alternative to the state campgrounds.