Virginia

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Updates to Kids Love Virginia - 2nd Edition

Changes:

NE – CIVIL WAR LIFE – THE SOLDIER’S MUSEUM (pg 27 & pg 198 KIDS LOVE I-95) has been closed although they have plans to re-open at a different location when funding prevails. The NATIONAL CIVIL WAR LIFE MUSEUM will be new name. Website to follow progress: www.civilwarlife.org.

Additions:

SW - SETTLERS MUSEUM OF SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. Region: Blue Ridge Highlands. Locality: Smyth County. 1322 Rocky Hollow Road, Atkins, VA 24311. A visit to The Settlers Museum of Southwest Virginia is like stepping one hundred years into the past. Visit this 67 acre open air museum and learn the story of the people who settled the area. View the Migration Story and map at our visitor's center, visit the restored 19th-century living history farm complete with farmhouse and 8 original outbuildings, and tour the restored 1894 one-room Lindamood schoolhouse. There are plenty of opportunities for hiking as the Appalachian Trail runs through the property, as well as Virginia's Wildlife and Birding Trail number MBW10. We invite you to relax with us on the porch at the farm, and learn about life in the mountains over one hundred years ago. Open: Tues - Sat: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Sun: 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm.

SE - Military Aviation Museum - 1341 Princess Anne Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23457. www.militaryaviationmuseum.org. The Military Aviation Museum, located at the Virginia Beach Airport is home to one of the largest private collections of World War 2 and Korean War era fighters, bombers, trainers and seaplanes. Many aircraft have been fully restored to their World War II condition and are available for flight demonstration*, static display or movie production or commercials. The Fighter Factory is the aircraft recovery and restoration component of the museum dedicated to the preservation of historical aircraft before they are lost forever. To view the current fleet of aircraft online, you can visit the Fighter Factory website. If you would like to view these warbirds live, they are open from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., 7 days a week. For inquiries, please call 757-721-PROP. Admission: $5.00-$10.00. *Aircraft are not always available for flight demonstrations please call for details.

More Fun Info About:

SC – ART VENTURE in the TAUBMAN ART MUSEUM. Roanoke. (PG. 154). The Taubman Museum of Art is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission to the galleries and Art Venture is $10.50 for adults, $9 for seniors, $8.50 for students, $5.50 for children ages 4-12, and free for children 3 and under. There is no longer an ArtVenture alone fee. For more information, visit www.taubmanmuseum.org or call 540.342.5760.

D.C. FOR FREE – PARENTS LOVE WASHINGTON, D.C. ON THE CHEAP

Here's how we suggest doing this must see American attraction on a budget: Overnight in nearby Virginia suburbs close to a Metro Station so once you get up in the morning - you can easily navigate the Metro into town. In general, travelers find the best hotel rates on weekends and in late summer or winter. How To Do Attractions – NEW INFORMATION: Holocaust Memorial Museum. The museum is FREE but they stress that kids under 12 may not enjoy this attraction. There are two “exhibit tracks” to follow: the General Exhibit and Daniel’s Story (a softer version for tender hearts and kids). Maybe devote an entire day to the FREE Smithsonian Museums & National Mall buildings www.Smithsonian.org. Play pilot in a mock cockpit at America by Air, an exhibition on permanent display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Teach kids about history at the newly renovated National Museum of American History for a rare look at the original “Star-Spangled Banner,” the flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the national anthem. The museum’s Spark!Lab uses fun activities to help kids and families learn about the history and process of invention through games and conducting experiments plus there’s an Under 5 Zone just for pre-schoolers. Walk among the butterflies or witness a view of the blinding Hope Diamond at the National Museum of Natural History. Penn Quarter area: Fords Theatre Museum & Tour (pg. 57). The newly renovated museum uses 21st century technology to transport visitors to 19th-century Washington, DC. As you sit in the theatre for the park ranger presentation, chills run up your spine! Sit down lunch option: Clyde’s at the Gallery www.clydes.com is at 707 7th St. NW and they offer a great Kids Menu for $6.00. Every Kids Meal is served with milk or soft drink and ice cream or seasonal fruit dessert. Teens will love the Margarita Pizza…adults, be sure to try their seafood – oysters or their meaty crab cakes maybe? Reasonable for D.C. pricing! Madame Tussauds www.madametussaudsdc.com. DC’s wax museum has a distinctly “Washington” feel, and gives parents the perfect opportunity to give kids a taste of politics without the crowds on the Mall. Holiday Inn Select Dulles Expo – Chantilly, VA (I-66 exit 53. Drive 3 miles on Rte. 28 North. Turn right onto Willard Road). www.holidayinn.com/chantillyexpo. The hotel features spacious guest rooms with free local calls (for ordering pizza), Kids Eat Free, free wireless high speed internet, free airport shuttles 24/7 and even a free drop off to Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum. Each room features comfy beds and a mini-fridge (BYOPop). For added relaxation, this pet-friendly hotel features a seasonal swimming pool and a well-equipped fitness center. Their modest pricing (deals under $100 online) and convenient location is great. Washington Walks – www.washingtonwalks.com shares little known facts and trivia about the National Mall and its kid-friendly “I’ve got a Secret” walking tour. Metrorail. www.wmata.com From our hotel, park at the Vienna, VA station (I-66 exit 62) marked M for Metro. Take a ride on DC’s clean and safe Metrorail system to give kids a taste of a train ride, and a break from the traffic. Day Passes cost just $7.80 and the Metro travels all over the city and surrounding suburbs. Non-peak, round trip tickets to one stop are just under $5.00.

NW – NELSON COUNTY. Walton’s Mountain Visit. You'll first want to visit www.nelsoncounty.com where you're invited to click on the "Visitors" section and view some pictures and descriptions of a land similar to those words of "John Boy" Walton describing Drusilla’s Pond or Grandpa picking wildflowers way up on the mountain top. Nelson County contains over 400 square miles of adventure and just one stoplight! Just 6 miles off the Blue Ridge Parkway, Crabtree Falls is the largest vertical drop waterfall east of the Mississippi River. Each year approximately 170,000 newly-hatched brook, brown and rainbow trout are nurtured to maturity at the Montebello State Fish Hatchery (pg. 119) then released to stock all trout waters east of the Blue Ridge Parkway. (located on Route 690, one-half mile off SR 56). Families with young kids will want to visit the Montebello General Store (SR 56, 540-377-2650). Not only will you find snacks and old-fashioned goodies (like sassafras candies), but you can trout fish in their pond across the street at the Camping Resort. You only pay for what you catch. Bring your own equipment or purchase some there. Every child is pretty much guaranteed to get a catch in season (early spring or late fall is best ;-). The Walton Mountain Museum (pg. 113) is a special blend of history, nostalgia and even a dash of entertainment. Be sure to start by watching the intro video as it really gets you in the mood and helps you understand this time and place as it really was compared to Hollywood. On our last visit we had just finished watching the entire Walton's series so we were proud to find out that the various quiz questions and the kids scavenger hunt (ask for it) were not as difficult as the last visit years ago. The folks who run this place are outstanding hosts! Base from the middle of it all...Lovingston Village Inn - painted Bavarian motif outside, local hand-painted murals inside each clean, simple room. Rates under $60.00. (US 29 434-263-5068). Lovingston Cafe - (Bus 29. 434-263-8000). Their kids menu is presented in the front cover of a children's book you can read while you wait on your food. Most kids Menu items are under $4.00 and adult entrees average $11.00. Their outdoor shaded patio is adorable.