Holiday Happenings: Creating One Final Memory for 2013

By Matt Berman

The holiday season is coming to a close at the Virginia Discovery Museum, and it's been a packed month! Here's the fifth and final part of our Holiday Happenings blog series, which will usher us in to the new year with a look at VDM's participation in this year's First Night Virginia celebration.

Another year is nearly in the books, but before we bid adieu to 2013 and ring in the awaiting 2014, join the Virginia Discovery Museum in celebrating the year that was during Charlottesville's 32nd annual First Night Virginia on Dec. 31.

This Tuesday only, the museum is extending its hours of operation to 8:30 p.m. to stay up late for the festivities! From 3 to 7:30 p.m. on New Year's Eve, the museum will transform into the Creation Station, where First Night Virginia participants can engage their imaginations in a series of unique crafts that can then be worn during the evening's processional on the Downtown Mall.

Started in 1982, First Night Virginia is the Charlottesville community's annual family-friendly celebration of the arts and is the second oldest event of its kind in the country. Entertainment and activities include musical performances, magic shows, comedy skits, and more.

If You're Going ...

• Admission: First Night Virginia wristbands provide access to all events on the Downtown Mall. Wristbands can be purchased at the Discovery Museum, as well as at several other locations around town or online until Dec. 30. On Dec. 31, wristbands can only be purchased at the First Night Virginia headquarters in the Omni Hotel Atrium and Paramount Theater.

• Cost: Until Dec. 30, wristbands are $15 for adults and $5 for children ages 6 to 15. A Family Pack of two adult wristbands and two child wristbands costs $35. On Dec. 31, prices increase to $18 for adults, $7 for children, and $43 for the Family Pack. Children 5 and younger get in free because they're just so darn adorable.

• Have a question? There's a good chance there's an answer for many of your questions here on the First Night Virginia FAQ page: http://www.firstnightva.org/fnv_faq.html

The Discovery Museum will also be open to non-First Night Virginia visitors for regular play time during Tuesday's extended hours. VDM admission is $6 per person for adults and children over 1. Children younger than 1 get into the museum for free. Visitors who show their AAA or AARP card or a valid military ID receive a $.50 discount per person. VDM is a member of the ASTC Passport and ACM reciprocal programs, as well.

On behalf of the Virginia Discovery Museum staff, enjoy the rest of the holiday season and have a happy New Year!

Matt Berman is the Exhibits and Marketing Manager at the Virginia Discovery Museum. Reach him at exhibits@vadm.org or marketing@vadm.org.

Holiday Happenings: Christmas Closings

By Matt Berman

The holiday season is in full swing at the Virginia Discovery Museum, and there's so much going on! To help you keep track of it all, here's part four of a five-part blog series called Holiday Happenings, which will detail some of the major events taking place at the museum through January 1.

Even during this season of mirth and merriment, there are still those downer topics that manage to make their way into our discourse: That ugly Christmas sweater you received last year. That fruitcake that's been re-gifted again and again. Working during the holidays.

Ugh. There goes my holiday cheer.

In the same vein, nobody wants to hear about their favorite local nonprofit children's museum (wink, wink) shutting down for Christmas. But like that fruitcake, it's something that needs to be addressed. (Seriously, just throw it away. Or use it as a door stop.)

So ... bad news, good news.

First, the bad: The Virginia Discovery Museum will be closed this week on Tuesday and Wednesday. We hope you enjoy Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with your friends and families as our staff spends time with our own. There will be no drop-in programs this week, and they will not resume until the new year.

The good news? We're only closed those two days! We're open today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., so if you're not busy traveling for the holidays, stop by to see us for some pre-Christmas play time. After the two-day hiatus, we'll resume regular business hours on Thursday.

From all of us at the Virginia Discovery Museum, we wish you safe travels and a very merry Christmas! We look forward to seeing you again soon.

Looking Ahead: Check back on Sunday when our Destination: Discovery blog wraps up the Holiday Happenings series and takes a look at VDM's participation in First Night Virginia.

Matt Berman is the Exhibits and Marketing Manager at the Virginia Discovery Museum. Reach him at exhibits@vadm.org or marketing@vadm.org.

Holiday Happenings: Santa Claus Came to Town!

Posted by Matt Berman

The holiday season is in full swing at the Virginia Discovery Museum, and there's so much going on! To help you keep track of it all, here's part three of a five-part blog series called Holiday Happenings, which will detail some of the major events taking place at the museum through January 1.

One of our little guests was decked out in his Sunday finest -- a bow tie and sports coat
-- to see Santa. After he and his family enjoyed breakfast at their table in our log cabin
exhibit, the little gentleman had the opportunity to meet St. Nick face-to-face.
(Photos submitted by VDM member)

Santa Claus is coming to town, or so the popular Christmas tune goes. But for more than 20 families, the cheerful chum's visit came a little earlier than expected. The festive fellow in red stopped by the Virginia Discovery Museum's inaugural Santa Pancake Breakfast on Sunday morning to visit all of the tiny attendees as he passed through Charlottesville to make final checks on his Naughty or Nice list.

As families arrived to the event -- which saw a turnout of nearly 65 people -- they were seated at their own private tables throughout the museum and perused personalized menus of food, which included choices of pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and apple slices. While waiting for breakfast to be served, guests also enjoyed an array of hot and cold beverages like hot chocolate, apple cider, milk, and orange juice (as well as coffee and mimosas for the adults!).

As tasty as the morning meal was, though, nothing could compare to the excitement over the guest of honor's arrival once the plates had been cleared. Peering over and around their chairs -- some even standing on their tip-toes -- kids throughout the museum craned their necks to catch a peek of St. Nick as he stopped at every table and spent several minutes chatting with each family one-on-one.

Counting the tables that remained until his turn with the jolly old elf -- "First he will visit that one, then he'll visit that one ..." -- one little boy could no longer contain his excitement over Santa's impending arrival at his seat.

"... and then he's coming HERE!" the boy exclaimed, emphatically slamming his fist down on the table and sending the chocolate sprinkles he had used to decorate his pancakes flying in every direction.

Thank you to all who joined us Sunday morning for such a fun, friendly (and unabashedly enthusiastic!) holiday meal. We look forward to continuing our Santa Pancake Breakfast next year, and hope you'll join us again!

 

Later this week: Check back on Friday for part four of our Holiday Happenings series, which will take a look at VDM's hours and closings next week.

Matt Berman is the Exhibits and Marketing Manager at the Virginia Discovery Museum. Reach him at exhibits@vadm.org or marketing@vadm.org.

Holiday Happenings: Give the Gift of Membership

Posted by Matt Berman

The holiday season is in full swing at the Virginia Discovery Museum, and there's so much going on! To help you keep track of it all, here's part two of a five-part blog series called Holiday Happenings, which will detail some of the major things taking place at the museum through January 1.



About 50 people attended the adults-only Holidays at the Museum party on Dec. 11.
Guests enjoyed tasting a variety of apples from Chiles Peach Orchard in Crozet.

This past week has been a wild roller coaster of weather. Overcast skies. Flurries. Freezing rain. A wintry mix. Snow. More rain. Sunshine.

But there's been one constant throughout: It's been cold!

Despite the near-freezing temperatures last night, though, about 50 guests ventured out to the Virginia Discovery Museum's adults-only Holidays at the Museum party to warm up at our hot chocolate and cider bar, enjoy an apple tasting by Chiles Peach Orchard in Crozet, nibble on fare catered by Bashir's Taverna of Charlottesville, and learn new ways they can support the museum's continued mission to provide a safe and fun environment for children in the community to explore, create, and grow. The museum would like to extend special thanks to all of the event's sponsors, including Charlottesville Parking Center and BAKED by Kathy, for helping to make the evening a success.

If you weren't able to make it out for the festivities, there are still many ways for you to partner with VDM during the holiday season:

• Participate in one of the museum's holiday giving campaigns:
  We discussed our Giving Tree campaign on the Destination: Discovery blog last week. This week, I'd like to introduce you to another campaign VDM just unveiled: Give the Gift of Membership!
  
  This year, give the gift of a VDM membership or admission to a family on your list. Each ornament on the Membership Giving Tree in our front window lists one of our three levels of membership or a specific monetary admission value. Simply take an ornament from the tree with the value you'd like to give and see the front desk attendant.
  
  If you are giving the membership or admission to a specific family, you will receive a gift certificate for the amount paid to pass along. However, donors also have the option of specifying that their donations go toward supporting VDM's free admission program. This program funds admittance for more than 20 local nonprofit groups and their constituents, allowing VDM to remain accessible to everyone in the community.
  
  For the month of December, each person who gives the gift of membership or free admission will have his or her name printed on an ornament to help decorate the Membership Giving Tree in the front window.

• Check out our wish lists online:
  From technology upgrades to new exhibit pieces to supplies the museum uses on a daily basis, VDM is always trying to improve the quality of the experience our museum provides to visitors. Large or small, these gifts are vital to our mission. If you have specific questions about any of the items on our wish lists, email VDM Executive Director Amy Wicks-Horn at executivedirector@vadm.org.

• Make a one-time donation:
  It's quick and easy to make a monetary contribution to the museum online using a credit card or PayPal account. You can also make a donation over the phone using a credit card or stop by the museum in person and speak to the attendant at the front desk.

The Virginia Discovery Museum is a 501(c)(3) organization, and all contributions are tax deductible. We appreciate your support and wish you a happy, healthy holiday season!

Matt Berman is the Exhibits and Marketing Manager at the Virginia Discovery Museum. Reach him at exhibits@vadm.org or marketing@vadm.org.

Holiday Happenings: The Giving Tree

Posted by Matt Berman

The holiday season is in full swing at the Virginia Discovery Museum, and there's so much going on! To help you keep track of it all, we're rolling out a five-part blog series called Holiday Happenings, which will detail some of the major things taking place at the museum through January 1.

The Virginia Discovery Museum Giving Tree is located in the museum lobby, near the
entrance. Partner with the museum in giving the gift of creativity and imagination this
holiday season by taking an ornament and committing to donating the supplies listed on it.

The giving season kicked off this past Tuesday as part of the second annual #GivingTuesday, a growing movement to create a national day of giving following the Black Friday to Cyber Monday shopping weekend. Consider giving back to your community this year by investing in Charlottesville's only nonprofit children's museum and help us continue our mission to provide a fun, safe environment for children to explore, create, and grow!

Now that all of the museum's angels through the Salvation Army's Angel Tree program have been claimed, we've adorned the Christmas tree in our lobby with a new giving campaign: the Virginia Discovery Museum Giving Tree. Each ornament on the tree lists supplies the museum needs for its exhibits, educational programs, and special events.

Giving Tree Ornaments

• Dollhouse and/or Dolls (any kind): One of our oldest exhibits -- and a visitor favorite -- needs a makeover! Help us with a major remodeling of our dollhouse.
• Trains: Our Back Gallery train tables, one of our most popular exhibits, could always use new parts and accessories.
• Stuffed Animals (all kinds): We encourage imaginative play, and what better way to facilitate that than keeping various stuffed critters around the museum for our young visitors to befriend?
• Craft Supplies: We try to keep our Open Studio, weekly drop-in programs, and special events stocked full of fun goodies so that our young visitors can make whatever their imaginations allow. Here are the supplies we need:
• Washable Paint
• Washable Ink Pads
• Stamps
• Glue
• Markers
• Face Paints
• Construction Paper
• Ribbon and Lace
• Buttons, Beads, and Sequins
• Glitter
• Children's Books (all kinds): We strive to make the museum an educational and fun place for children and parents alike. A lot of our visitors enjoy reading with their young ones in our Tree House room, and we use books in several of our weekly and monthly programs.

If you, or someone you know, has something they'd like to donate, please take the corresponding ornament from our Giving Tree to hang on your own tree at home as a reminder of your gift. Please return all donations to the museum by January 1. Giving Tree donations are tax-deductible, so be sure to ask for a receipt after dropping off your gift.

Thank you for partnering with us in giving the gift of creativity and imagination this holiday season! Happy holidays!

Matt Berman is the Exhibits and Marketing Manager at the Virginia Discovery Museum. Reach him at exhibits@vadm.org or marketing@vadm.org.

A Little Holiday Cheer from Groupon

Posted by Matt Berman

A young visitor takes a break from her craft in our Open Studio, which has all the materials
your little one needs to create an adorable holiday greeting card for friends and family.

Have you heard? No, not the jingling of silver bells, the roasting of chestnuts on an open fire, or the "Ho! Ho! Ho!" of some jolly old elf; I'm talking about the Virginia Discovery Museum offer on Groupon!

That's right: Now you can travel back to the past in our 18th-century log cabin, observe the encased cutaway hive of a real bee colony, serve up tasty treats in our pint-sized Panera restaurant, and more ... all for an incredible value!

There are two money-saving admission packages to choose from: 

• Buy four individual one-day passes for $12 (a $24 value)
  This is the perfect option for a family day outing! Come early, take a break to enjoy lunch and shopping on the Downtown Mall, then stop back by the museum for some more play time to wrap things up -- admission is good all day, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.! 

• Buy 10 individual one-day passes for $30 (a $60 value)
  The more, the merrier! Plan a play-date and bring your friends with you, or just take advantage of an extra visit or two for you and your family.

Already have a membership with the museum? Pass along the holiday cheer! This is a wonderful opportunity for first-time visitors to learn about the museum, and both deals make great holiday gift ideas for the friends and family members in your life with young children.

The offers will only be around for a limited time, so don't miss out! Follow this link to learn more or to purchase: gr.pn/1jc87TN

Matt Berman is the Exhibits and Marketing Manager at the Virginia Discovery Museum. Reach him at exhibits@vadm.org or marketing@vadm.org.

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Where's the Planner? For those who might be wondering about the new weekly Planner feature, it will return tomorrow morning with everything you need to know about what's happening at the museum this week.