Art Venture-ous!

Well, we FINALLY made it to the remodeled Art Venture space at the Taubman Museum of Art!  It's a great space for kids to explore and create--in short, the best of free and spontaneous playdates in Roanoke.  That's right--museum admission is now free for everyone all the time.  In Art Venture, there are numerous visual art supplies to use, including traditional paints, pencils, and papers.  There are also plenty of manipulatives ranging from elementary-school staple pattern blocks to the awesome (and too-expensive-for-us-at-home) Cubicus.  For social play, there's a theatre space with props and seating, too.  For the least expensive experience, take it all in on a Spectacular Saturday when city-owned downtown parking is mainly free as well.  We like to walk from the garage at Roanoke Higher Educaton Center to take in a view of the train tracks and the bus station, but the Tower Garage is also close, as is street parking near Firestone.  If you have a preschooler, we also recommend Young at Art, a free art class for wee ones that typically involves storytime, a quick gallery trip, and an art project all around a theme. 

Even with young kids, don't fail to go upstairs in the gallery spaces where you can at least walk through and talk about what you see.  If it is not a busy day, the security staff can challenge kids to "seek and find" objects in the art.  The collection is varied, and the galleries change with relative frequency.  On a typical trip, you'll find both contemporary and traditional pieces on display for discussion.  Recently, Elijah particularly enjoyed a painting made by dancers' feet, abstract pieces full of circles and lines, and a picture of a yard sale. 

If you go, you can eat lunch at several nifty nearby restaurants--Nawab for Indian food among them.  You'll be very close to the Roanoke City Market area for shopping with a local flavor, and you can walk to the Center in the Square cultural organizations complex, the Hotel Roanoke, the O. Winston Link Museum, and the Roanoke Regional Visitors' Center.  By following the Railwalk, you can also reach the Virginia Museum of Transportation.  It will be easy to make a day of it all!

Relevant Twitter Handles:
@Roanoke_Region
@centertweets

Cemetery-As-A-Park: Lynchburg's Old City Cemetery

It was time to take a brief trip out of town, and we went searching for something unique to do that wouldn't take tons of time or energy in honor of Justin's birthday.  Kim hit the Roanoke Valley Convention and Visitors' Center, and upon picking up a pamplet featuring Lynchburg's Old City Cemetery, the where-to-go decision was easy.  We've been to Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia, and we've read all about how the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, area developed as a park/burial ground.  Our little trip to Lynchburg provided similar fascination--and a quick getaway from the Roanoke area as we awaited baby Gwen.

In short, the cemetery is a delightful place for an interesting garden walk.  There are civil war period graves, there's an ash garden for pets, and there's a pretty little garden pond. The cemetery also features several "museums," perhaps better termed displays and exhibits, that are worth a stop to hear the associated audio.  We especially enjoyed the Pest House Medical Museum, an interesting glimpse into hygeine and health in early Lynchburg, and the Hearse House and Caretakers' Museum, a memorial of sorts to those who've maintained the impressive cemetery grounds.  Expect to see some minor archeological digging and to be welcomed by friendly staff in the Cemetery Center (do plan to go when the center is open, typically 10-3 Monday-Saturday).  Think about the number of staff and volunteers dedicated to the site--it's impressive!  One challenge: parking, especially on the prom weekend we visited--many teens were on site to be photographed with their dates.    Consider planning your visit when you can most enjoy a nice walk, probably in the Virginia spring or fall. 

When in the Lynchburg area, we always have to direct families with kids to Little Dickens, a fabulous book-and-brainy-toys store that also features a small cafe and a wide selection of used books for various audiences.  One can find local interest books here as well.  Too bad their website does not seem to be accessible as we blog--but do GPS their address, 2236 Lakeside Drive. 

Relevant Twitter Handles:
@visitlynchbrgva 

The Latest Travel Buddy: Gwen

I'm looking forward to catching up on blogging soon--but for the meantime, enjoy this pic of the project from the last 9 months--Guinevere "Gwen" Lawton Halterman.  Small but mighty:  6 lbs, 2.1 oz; 19 in long; 45 degree + head lifter.  Blessed.