Our New Toddler Room!

Have you seen the wonderful new murals in the Toddler Room? Where before our pirate ship sat in a room of beige, forlornly looking for a sea with which to embark on adventures, now it sits BENEATH the sea.

Our ship has become a SUNKEN pirate ship hiding amongst fish, coral, seaweed, jellyfish, and other magical sea creatures.

The work is the brainchild of talented, award-winning artist J.E. Matzer who generously donated his time and talent in creating this magical space for our young Museum visitors. Not only did he spend months creating the murals at his home in Richmond, Virginia, he traveled to Charlottesville over a period of weeks to assist our Exhibit Coordinator Jennifer Thompson Elmore with the installation of each mural. Then he painstakingly added detailed artwork around each mural to "blend" them into the Toddler Room walls.

During the process, a parent with a sense of humor couldn't help but ask, "Are you going to paint an oil spill too?" Hardee-har har! :0) But no, not on these walls. These walls are an undersea wonderland where Sid the Squid, Larry Lobster and Jebediah Jellyfish frolic and play in and around the pirate ship. And now your little ones can too!

You can view more photos here. Stop by soon and pay Sid the Squid a visit. He'd love to see you!

Thanks to J.E. Matzer for his donation of time, talent, and photographs, and to Kate Steere of Everyday C'ville for her photo!

Date Night Drop-Off Program!

A NIGHT OUT FOR YOUR AND YOUR KIDS!

Are you dying to finally have that date night you've always promised yourselves? Have you ever wished there was a place you could drop off your kids right on the Downtown Mall so you could go to dinner or Fridays After Five? Has your child ever wished they could play in the Virginia Discovery Museum after hours when the crowds have dispersed?

Well, guess what? You can! As requested by our visitors, the Virginia Discovery Museum now has a Date Night Drop Off Program! Every Friday from 5:30pm to 8pm throughout July and August, you can drop off your 3-8 year old while you enjoy all the amenities the Downtown Mall has to offer. Sip some wine over dinner, go shopping, grab a gelato, or catch the free show at Fridays After Five. The Museum has got childcare covered.

And it's so much better than a babysitter! We keep groups small, so kids have tons of room to discover the Museum, and each week there's a different educational theme and craft to make during the evening's program:

July 9th - Rousseau Jungles
July 16th - Glow in the Dark Night
July 23rd - Byzantine Art
July 30th - A Night in Egypt
August 6th - Medieval Times
August 13th - Arrrr Matey!
August 20th - Pointillism
August 27th - Bead Making

A healthy dinner of cheese pizza, carrot sticks, and fruit juice is included in the registration fee, as well as lots of free time to play in the Museum. Sign up today and have that date night you've always wanted - the Museum will take care of the rest!

INFORMATION:
Fridays 5:30-8pm, Ages 3-8
(we request your 3-year-old be fully potty trained)
VDM Members $20/ Non-members $25 (siblings discount $5).

Cancellation fee of $10 after 12pm on the day before registered program. No refund for same-day cancellation. Space is limited to 12 children per week and will not run without a minimum of 4 children. Registrants will be notified by 5pm on the night before the program if we need to cancel. Payment is due when child is registered for program.

Call 434-977-1025 to register your child.

Admission Increase & Blue Star Museums Initiative

Admission Increase
Beginning July 1, 2010, the admission will increase from $4 to $6 per person. This is the first fee increase since May 2004. Since that time, the Museum has created more drop-in programs, installed new permanent exhibits, and improved the content and artistic quality of our featured exhibits. Spending time at the Museum is an investment in learning and costs less than a movie or most recreational activities. Still, the best bargain is an annual membership because it offers not only unlimited admission to the Virginia Discovery Museum, but birthday party privileges, reduced fees for our programs and events, and also reciprocal free admission at hundreds of other museums across the country.

Blue Star Museums Initiative
The Museum is now offering free admission to active duty military and their families. It's part of the Blue Star Museums Initiative. More than 700 museums nationwide will give free admission with a military ID from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2010. Other participating Virginia museums include:

Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum
Williamsburg, VA

Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum
Virginia Beach, VA

Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries
Norfolk, VA

Boykin's Tavern/Isle of Wight County Museum
Smithfield, VA

Brentsville Courthouse Historic Centre
Bristow, VA

Carlyle House Historic Park
Alexandria, VA

Chesterfield County Museum
Chesterfield, VA

Chrysler Museum of Art
Norfolk, VA

Colonial Williamsburg
Williamsburg, VA

Contemporary Art Center of Virginia
Virginia Beach, VA

Deltaville Maritime Museum
Deltaville, VA

DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum
Williamsburg, VA

Edith Bolling Wilson Birthplace Foundation and Museum
Wyethville, VA

Eleanor D. Wilson Museum at Hollins University
Roanoke, VA

Ferry Plantation House Historic Museum
Virginia Beach, VA

Foundation for Historic Christ Church
Irvington, VA

Frank Lloyd Wright's Pope-Leighey House
Alexandria, VA

Fredericksburg Area Museum and Cultural Center
Fredericksburg, VA

Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia
Staunton, VA

Gadsby's Tavern Museum
Alexandria, VA

Hatton Ferry
Scottsville, VA

Historic Hopewell Foundation
Hopewell, VA

Historic St. Luke's Church
Smithfield, VA

Historical Museum of Western Virginia
Roanoke, VA

Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop
Fredericksburg, VA

James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library
Fredericksburg, VA

Lee-Fendall House Museum and Garden
Alexandria, VA

Lightship Portsmouth Museum
Portsmouth, VA

Lynchburg Museum System
Lynchburg, VA

Manassas Museum System
Manassas, VA

Mary Washington House
Fredericksburg, VA

McCallum More Museum and Gardens
Chase City, VA

Meadow Farm Museum
Henrico, VA

Morven Park
Leesburg, VA

Muscarelle Museum of Art
Williamsburg, VA

Museum of Culpeper History
Culpeper, VA

Museum of the Confederacy
Richmond, VA

Museum of the Middle Appalachians
Saltville, VA

National D-Day Memorial
Bedord, VA

O. Winston Link Museum
Roanoke, VA

Old Coast Guard Station
Virginia Beach, VA

Old Court House Civil War Museum
Winchester, VA

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum
Portsmouth, VA

Rising Sun Tavern
Fredericksburg, VA

Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum
Alexandria, VA

Tangier History Museum and Interpretive Cultural Center
Tangier, VA

Taubman Museum of Art
Roanoke, VA

The Town of Wytheville Dept of Museums
Wytheville, VA

Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest
Forest, VA

US Army Quartermaster Museum
Fort Lee, VA

US Army Women's Museum
Fort Lee, VA

Virginia Historical Society
Richmond, VA

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Richmond, VA

Virginia Museum of Transportation
Roanoke, VA

Weems-Botts Museum
Dumfries, VA

William King Museum
Abingdon, VA

Wilton House Museum
Richmond, VA

Woodlawn Plantation
Alexandria, VA

Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum
Staunton, VA