Virginia

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www.kidslovetravel.com

Updates to Kids Love Virginia - 2006 Edition

Changes:

NE – Alexandria, UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE MUSEUM. Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm, Saturday Noon-5:00pm. Looking at the exhibits, you will realize how you take advantage of inventions and rely on trademarks every day of your life. Intellectual property is found in the routines you follow at the beginning of the day, in methods you use for travel, in medical innovations you rely upon for good health, and in the different ways you relax and play. Look over videos, interactives, artifacts and touch-screen technology—featuring patents, trademarks, inventors and inventions. It is located in the atrium of the Madison Building, 600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, VA, and easily accessible from the King Street and Eisenhower Avenue Metro stations (Blue Line and Yellow Line).

NW – Scottsville. BATTEAU NIGHT. Please DO NOT phone the number listed. This is a private residence and not an information number. Just go to the festival’s website: www.batteaufestival.com - listed. The Scottsville City Council number is: (434) 286-9267.

NW – Virginia Metalcrafters (pg. 84) operations closed.

NW – Lexington, LIME KILN THEATRE (pg. 39) no longer produces the wonderful musical “Stonewall Country”.

SC – To The Rescue Museum (pg. 110) is closed.

SC – Womack Museum Of Natural History (pg. 100) is now part of the Danville Science Center.

SC – Virginia Museum Of Natural History (pg. 105). Martinsville. The state museum of natural history for Virginia, VMNH opened its brand-new, world-class facility in March 2007. An Allosaurus skeleton and a prehistoric whale greet visitors entering The Harvest Foundation Great Hall, which includes windows looking into scientific labs. The Vertebrate Paleontology Lab is where VMNH researchers prepare whales, dinosaurs and other vertebrate fossils, including over 700 dinosaur bones stored in the Museum's collections from excavations in Wyoming. If you ask good questions of a roaming scientist, they might really spend some time giving you an insiders peak at their working lab and show you current projects. Next, experience the state-of-the-art permanent exhibit galleries "Uncovering Virginia", "How Nature Works: Rocks" and "How Nature Works: Life", along with the Hooker Furniture Theater, featuring high-definition nature films. Admission is now $9.00 adult, $7.00 senior, $5.00 youth (3-18).

SC – Rawlings, VIRGINIA BATTLERAMA (pg. 71) is for sale due to illness.

SE – Richmond Raft Company (pg. 157). Quote from owner: After 18 years of operating in the City of Richmond, many of those years as a concessionaire for the City itself, we have been forced to cease our rafting operations in Richmond due to a new contract offered by the City of Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities that is inadequate to support a professional operation. Efforts by Richmond Raft Company owner Buzz Kraft to persuade the City to open negotiations were unsuccessful.

SE – Several Trolley, Boat, Plane Or Mini Train Tour operations have closed. Check the website before you make plans to be sure they’re still around.

Additions:

NE-DC – Ford’s Theatre (www.fordstheatre.org) will reopen winter of 2009 with two new bldgs. open to the public as part of the Experience. President Lincoln’s Cottage (www.lincolncottage.org) opened Presidents Day 2008. A newly discovered retreat for the Lincoln family during the turbulent early 1860s.

NW - Massanutten Resort - Massanutten, Virginia - 540-289-9441. This year-round mountain resort took to the great indoors in 2005 with its 42,000 square foot indoor waterpark. With an 800 gallon tipping bucket that dumps water down over the structure every few minutes as its centerpiece, guests can also climb the tower to ride one of 6 tube slides. Other indoor water activities include water cannons and a lazy river. Smaller kids have their own area with smaller slides and interactive play features. Surfers will enjoy the “Flow Ryder” which simulates surfing a wave. The “Flow Ryder” will accommodate two riders at a time. The indoor building itself is a pyramid-shaped structure, wood framed with a transparent roofing material and glass walls, which allows sunlight in and guest a scenic view out of the scenic Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mountains.

More fun information about:

Washington, DC - A teacher friend of ours (Mrs. H) shared with us some insights about a recent visit to Washington, DC. We thought some might benefit from a well-traveled educator’s perspective: White House - We obtained ticket through our U.S. Representative. They can be requested up to 6 months in advance. You are given a specific entry time. However, we arrived early and we were directed to go in. You are not allowed to take any purses, cameras, etc. into the WH and there is no place to check them. You MUST have a photo ID and go through screening. The tour is self-guided with guards and Secret Service people in every room. You aren't rushed through and they willingly answer questions. The entry has lots of interesting displays and artifacts. You are allowed to look in some ground level rooms and the tour goes through the state floor...East Room, Green Room, Blue Room, Red Room, State Dining Room and then out through the North Portico. It is definitely an impressive place to visit. Beautiful and historic! Kept thinking about all the events that had happened there! And wondered about those we will never hear about! Neat to see all the art and especially the First Lady and Presidents' portraits. Spy Museum - The Spy Museum came highly rated. I was rather disappointed with the physical size and space constraints. We were there on a Saturday in October, and there weren't any crowds...we got in right away; however it was almost claustrophobic (author’s note: maybe for effect – spies hide in small, hidden passages?). There were some great interactive displays but there were just too many people waiting to take a turn. We didn't stay very long. Seemed expensive for how much we got out of the experience. Loved the Bond car! The video they showed at the beginning was good. (author’s note: we almost always suggest watching the intro videos before entering any exhibit space – it may be the only reasonable way for your kids to process the timing of events/history. The old artifacts mean more when you know how famous they are.) The Smithsonian American Art Museum - Neat display of license plates from every state that write out the Preamble to the Constitution. They also have a neat collection of portraits of the Presidents, especially liked the Washington and Lincoln studies. (author’s note: ever study Lincoln’s eyes?) The Matthew Brady exhibit of Civil War photography is excellent.

SC – MOREFIELD GEM MINE. Phone: (804) 561-3399 or www.toteshows.com/morefield.html. Address: 13400 Butlers Road - Amelia, Virginia 23002. For more than 70 years the mine has produced many varieties of mineral specimens and is open to the public. You may view the exhibits, visit the gift shop, or mine you own gem stones. The Morefield offers something for both the amateur or advanced rock hunter alike. Check out Season Schedule on website. Featuring Exhibits & Gift Shop; Collecting From Mine Dumps (bring your own bucket or container); Outcrop Digging - for the advanced collector; Sluice Screening - screens and shovels available. Picnicking - Soda & Snack Machines.

SE – Williamsburg. (800) 368-6511 or www.VisitWilliamsburg.com. Virginia’s Historic Triangle of Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown offers adventure at every turn in the place where America began and independence was won. This year at Williamsburg, living history takes a radical spin with the introduction of Revolutionary City. The 2 hour “moving” drama is conversational gossip and emotional dialog in the climate leading up to and during the American Revolution. An area about the size of a city block is closed for two hours (Spring/Fall 2:30-4:30pm; Summer 10:30am-12:30pm) for the interactive program focused on the crucial transition from subjects to citizens. Staged as a play, improvising a bit as they walk among the audience, re-enactors eventually ask observers whether they want to break free from England and cheer! Huzzah! 35 actors portray people who lived in Williamsburg, from Lord Dunmore, who announces that he has dismissed the House of Burgesses to a slave, named Hannah, who can’t understand liberty when her master took her son from her. A horseman may deliver news of battles or the kids may get to march down the street in a drill with militia. Would you become a rebel? (Note: the beginning and ending parts of the drama are interesting for kids – otherwise, its long and the kids can’t see or hear clearly. Also, there is no seating – this is a walk along tour). Maybe halfway thru, grab a bite at Chawnings Tavern – even an old-fashioned root beer and pretzel roll (to feel Colonial, my boy). We have pictures! By the way, the best time to visit with kids (and pay admission) is mid-June thru summer. That’s when the hands-on fun is beefed up and the interactive characters abundant. Any other time of year, check ahead (online) and be sure there’s a festival or at least three kids interactives going on the day you plan to visit. Parents will enjoy the park any time of year but your kids may become weary unless activity engages them throughout the day. At Historic Jamestowne, the Archaearium (literally, “a place for archaeology”) has just opened. The new facility showcases artifacts and findings of the Jamestown Rediscovery archaeological excavation that has uncovered the site of the original 1607 James Fort. Under unique glass structures, visitors are able to see excavated areas of Jamestown’s last Statehouse underneath their feet, and view re-created 17^th century landscapes through virtual viewers overlooking the site. The skeleton room is really interesting. See what detective work goes into new “finds.” Try to figure out clues to determine JR’s death (a skeleton named the Jamestown Recovery dude). A new Visitor Center is also being readied at Historic Jamestowne for the celebration in 2007. The facility includes museum exhibits, audio-visual programs, and personal interpretive services. Interactive museum exhibits will tell the story of Jamestown’s 92 years as capital of Virginia, including the arrival and melding of three cultures – the Virginia Indians, English and Africans. An audio-visual “immersion” experience will provide a multi-media overview of Jamestown’s rich history and personalities in a 180-degree theater setting. Any time you visit, we highly recommend the ranger led tours. It’s a quick study of the fascinating and true stories about John Smith and Pocahontas. Afterwards, observe the excavations going on and maybe do a cartwheel in the fort yard, just like Pocahontas used to do. All the ground you walk on is historic dirt formed from the earth and artifacts left behind… As the commemorations surrounding the 400^th anniversary of Jamestown nears, the Jamestown Settlement living history museum will unveil the new exhibition galleries (including 3D life-size structures) and a new introductory film to tell the story of 17^th-century Virginia in the context of Powhatan Indian, English and western central African cultures. At Yorktown Battlefield, visitors will find enhanced interpretive programming in time for the celebration of the 225^th Anniversary of the Revolutionary Victory at Yorktown October 19-22, 2006. New enhancements include an interpretive trail around Surrender Field, with signage, an audio recording and artwork of the surrender. “The Legacy of Yorktown: Virginia Beckons,” a new long-term exhibition opening in October at the Yorktown Victory Center, will examine how people from many different cultures – those in Virginia before the 1607 founding of Jamestown and those who arrived later – shaped a new society. With an emphasis on 1607 to 1830, the exhibit will explore economic, political and religious motivations for immigration and how people from Europe, Africa, Asia and other places in America were changed by and shaped their new environment. A new emphasis on the Declaration of Independence as a radical document that inspired decisive action and links the theme of choosing a path – siding with the Americans or British or remaining neutral – with stories told in the museum’s “Witnesses to Revolution” Gallery. Just finished studying American Presidents in school? You’ve got to schedule a visit to PRESIDENTS PARK – where learning is larger than life. It looks bizarre from the road but wait til you’re inside the park! This was a wonderful surprise and all the kids touring were engaged. An excellent reinforcement of American History Presidents and Time Periods described as National Defining Moments. If you’re looking for additional ways to jump start engagement, look no further than the Trivia Test found in the park’s brochure. By the way, school tours always include a Trivia Quest Scavenger Hunt sheet to complete. (admission discounts found in local tourism booklets). In greater Williamsburg, after history, fun can take many forms. Forecast predicting rain or cool temps? Who cares? WE’re staying at GREAT WOLF LODGE. Great Wolf Lodge is a full-service resort designed to capture the atmosphere and adventure of the northwoods. Serving as Virginia’s year-round Family Resort includes over 300 family-sized suites, a 75,000 square-foot indoor waterpark, a spacious outdoor pool, a spa, a huge Camping themed restaurant, a confectionery café, and a huge arcade with ticket redemption (only if you get water-logged and need to stay on land!). What you’ll notice as parents is the casual resort layout that is all clean, cozy and all family. Although they do have a hot tub area for adults only, everything else is about the kids (or the kid in you)! Our kids especially loved the Gigantic indoor wave pool and water toy areas. Both had comfortable water temps. We liked the family tube slide but it was scary being in total darkness the whole time – best for the adventuresome craving an edge to normal water rides. The Cub Club activity sheet is given to each patron upon check-in. Many of the all day activities are really fun for the young ones and the evening storytime by the giant fireplace is something to look forward to. Want a real treat and lots of space? Try the Loft Fireplace Suite. It sleeps 6-8 and the loft offers parents some privacy. If it’s nice outside, try Williamsburg’s world-class adventure park, Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Debuting at the park in 2006 is Emerald Beat, an all-new, powerful dance production celebrating Irish heritage. In addition, the European-themed adventure park is taking Curse of DarKastle to a new intensity (maybe for a daring Dad – too intense for kids). Pirates 4D is another favorite show. Outdoor waterplay is on a large scale at Water Country USA – it’s the largest outdoor waterpark in the mid-Atlantic. Our favorites there: the Wave Pool and Lazy River encouragement life jackets vs. traditional tubes for floating. Both rides were huge and the life jackets really work wonderfully! The water and grounds are super clean and the staff very friendly, too.

Seasonal & Special Events:

SE – VIRGINIA PEANUT FESTIVAL – Emporia. (434) 348-4219. One of the regions top crops gets its due with a colossal peanut-themed parade, a fireworks show, fun for little ones and a free tour of a local peanut farm. FREE. (3rd or 4th weekend in September)