Pop Art and Huntopia: Back to the Taubman Museum of Art

We are proud members of the Taubman Museum of Art, a museum that always delights with unique and frequently-changing exhibits.  In the displays, there's something "modern," something "traditional," and something unexpected -- what a collection.  On a recent weekend, we stopped in to see the special exhibit Pop Power from Warhol to Koons.

I did need to give the kids a little context on the emergence of modern art, but even with a light treatment of the topic, they enjoyed the exhibit.  We found a sculpture that looked like it could have inspired Funko collectibles, a cool composite portrait of Seinfeld girlfriends, and collections of dots that made E ponder the definition of art.  G's favorites were Warhol images; E appreciated Gazing Ball (Koons).  There are selfie opportunities and cool events (sample here) associated with the works to explore, and the Leiber handbags currently on display are pop-art themed.  Speaking of photo ops, didn't E wear the perfect shirt?

We were also so very glad to stumble upon Huntopia, a world of color, delightfully replicating themes, and novel combinations.  As I put it, I wanted to live in the fanciful yet homelike exhibit which also features furniture and even has some elements on loan from Black Dog Salvage.  I just found this exhibit so delightful, and it ranks with Play, a previous special exhibit, and the amazing piece Corrugated Fountain among my favorite Taubman experiences.

In other exhibit news, both kids were pretty amazed at the works of Julie Speed, which are reminiscent of Hieronymus Bosch.  G was also quite immersed in the Giuseppina Giordiano: Please, Teach Me the Language of a Rose space.

Things to Know

• If you have kids with you, allow for playtime in Art Venture.  On our recent visit, 10-year-old E enjoyed the ample supply of Legos while G made new friends, putting on a play and painting leaf rubbings.  One of the great benefits of Art Venture is the amount of supplies and playthings available -- and the staff takes care to create enriching extension activities associated with the works on display.  

• General admission (exclusive of special exhibits and Art Venture) is free!
• It's worth your investment to become a member of the museum, even with the free admission to the main galleries, especially if you have kids or live close.  We maintain a family membership, catching renewals on sale through social media promotions.  This allows free access to Art Venture, special exhibits, and fun after-hours events for members only. Taubman members also enjoy reciprocity with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond.  They have a similar model for free general admission, but members get free parking and special exhibit entry as a perk.  
• The museum is close to several unique restaurants in the Roanoke Market area.  On our recent visit, we were very pleased to eat at Cedars where the kids tried Lebanese food.  Speaking of the market area, we can't wait to return and check out the Chimes public art installation this February.
• We usually park at the Tower Parking Garage (Roanoke City public parking) -- Coupon Kim gets excited free days on the weekends.  

Always at Play: Finding Joy Around Town

Someday, I hope our kids will feel the need to have fun with the kids in their lives, even close to home.  To that end, here's some treats in and around Daleville, Virginia, our current home ZIP code.  It's convenient to 1-81's Exit 150B, not to mention the fact that Route 220 runs through it and Route 460 is not far off, making it an easy stop.  To that end, here are three activities that specifically promise fun to share with you.

Not too long ago, the exercise studio FlyFit began giving us a novel way to burn calories.  They are home of bungee activities, Pilates, aerial yoga, and more.  Yes, I said bungee -- bungees hang from the ceiling and provide you both resistance and support while you workout.  There's even a kids' class that G adores.

Kim's recommendation?  Try bungee sculpt or aerial yoga.  In aerial yoga, you will use a suspended silk and finish class by making a cocoon in which you will rest.

For an activity that's a little more free form, there's the amazing Addy Grace All-Abilities Playground.

A local family spearheaded the campaign to built the park, the first of the type in the area.  It's great for kids of all ages and features zip lines, climbing equipment, and modern merry-go-rounds.  There's a safe play surface, benches, convenient parking, and a tall fence -- details caregivers really appreciate.  If you are travelling through, this is a fantastic place to let the kids stretch their legs and make fast friends as there are almost always several families busy playing.

And there's another one:  Enchanted Bliss, a lovely place for grown ups but also known for its kids' spa Enchanted Bliss Kids downstairs.  A generous friend of ours hosted a spa gathering and invited G.  We had a blast polishing nails, playing dress up, doing face masks, being pampered with a little up-do, and more.  It's certainly fun with friends and also offers "date nights" and similar events.

Things to Know

• Wear comfy clothes, and if doing FlyFit, know you can book your class through their Facebook page where they run frequent specials.  Any athletic clothes will serve you well in class.
• The Addy Grace Playground is FREE and open to all.  There are some erroneous reviews that state otherwise online -- they are incorrect.  Yes, it is very close to the YMCA, but YMCA membership is not required.
• Enchanted Bliss runs a fair number of Facebook specials as well.
• These places are assets, and they don't have many TripAdvisor reviews yet.  Give them some TripAdvisor love after your visits!
• It's easy to add on a meal at Tizzone or the more casual Town Center Tap House, both having fun promotions frequently as well.  Eat after FlyFit, not before.  Another place we can't wait to try?  Donnie D's Bagels and Deli.

Pumpkin Patch: Jeter Farm

It's tradition to go to a "pumpkin patch" at least once a year for us.  While this might only hold while the kids are relatively young, perhaps it shouldn't.  It's good to be outside; it's good to be local; it's good to support local businesses; it's good to hang out.  The proliferation of fall farm site agritourism in Virginia is evidence. 

As soon as the weather became a bit crisp (late this year), we visited Jeter Farm, approximately at the intersection of 460 and 220 in Bonsack, Virginia.  Their fall festival is economical ($10 entry/person includes almost all activities) and is close to home.  There's a hayride, a corn maze that is just big enough to get lost in without being overwhelming, a corn crib to play in, and fun slides.  Don't forget the free pie pumpkins (one a person), too. 

I wish more of the sites endured into November; I wish there were season passes for locals; I wish a lot of things.  But nonetheless, a trip to the pumpkin patch is worth it.

Things to Know

• Jeter Farm is one of the most economical options in the Roanoke area and is wonderful for small kids because it is not overwhelming in size.  Your other options include Layman's Family Farm in Montvale, Virginia, where you should check their social media and special events page for deals.  You can see a now-older trip to Layman's from us -- including a pretty tiny E -- and a more contemporary one on this blog as well.  Your options expand with Sinkland Farms (they have live music) and White Fall Farm (we are intrigued by their hay castle concept).
• There are some concessions available and a sheltered picnic area.
• We've made two trips in one day before, visiting with a church group in the morning, leaving our wrist bands on, and returning same day for a little more.  This year, we tagged a Michael's Make Break on for G, where she was delighted to paint a craft pumpkin.  The Make Breaks are great deals -- for about $4, G painted a pumpkin with their supplies and cleanup.  

For Further Exploration

• Virginia is really exploring the agritourism space.  There's plenty to explore.  
• So, this year's trip hit a Hokie Bug Fest trip for E.  Therefore, he missed this one, but he commends Bug Fest to you.

Local Subterranean Fun: Dixie Caverns

It had been a long weekend, and not in the best sense, after fierce windstorms took out power to the house.  It was time for a little outing--nothing recharges K quite like getting out and about.  E and K took off to Dixie Caverns, a show cave very near Salem, Virginia.  J and K had been there on a date years ago, but we had not returned.  E initially went grudgingly--but by the end of the tour, he was checking out brochures for Luray Caverns and Shenandoah Caverns, planning future cavern trips.

The caverns, open most every day of the year, offer 45-50 minute guided tours at a reasonable entry cost (free under 5, $6 ages 5-10, $14 for others).  If you can navigate substantial stairs (up, down, and uneven), this makes for a fun, easy outing with very little prep.  Our guide was quite knowledgeable of both the cave's interesting history and of the science involved in the cave, making for an interesting visit that encouraged curiosity and questions. 

Much of the cave tour, visitors are actually "in" the mountain rather than beneath ground level.  Formations include tons of "soda straws" and flowstone as well as a bell-shaped formation known as the Wedding Bell (yes, you can get married there).  The natural entrance is visible from inside the cave, prompting a better understanding of its history.  At the end of your tour, you'll have the option of spending a few moments in total cave darkness. 

If you go, dress for 55-60 degrees, and wear shoes that can take on stairs.  There's a gift shop with some rock souvenirs, an attached antique mall, a campground, and ample free parking.  The site itself is right off the I-81 exit aptly named Dixie Caverns.  You can even leave your mark--while you can't touch cave formations, you can write in a chunk of clay that was harvested from the cave.  E wants you to know he was there.

Roanoke's Latest Exhibit: Play at the Taubman Museum of Art

A fun art exhibit in your hometown is cause for excitement. Play: Toys Reimagined as Art at the Taubman Museum of Art is a great excuse to get out and enjoy, and at the time of this writing, it still has a few weeks left.  K, E, and G  have visited several times and found the exhibit highly accessible and interesting, if small in terms of the number of pieces (which could be a great asset for many children exploring art). 

When we say accessible, we mean there are sculptures to climb on (clouds) and walk under (balloons) as well as pieces constructed from familiar materials (Legos, crayons).  Additionally, the Art Venture creation and play space features related materials like large quantities of Legos and base plates. There's always something interesting in the other galleries as well.

If you go, know that membership is a good value for many families. Yes, admission is typically free, but special exhibits and Art Venture access have fees.  For families making multiple trips and taking advantage of these features, membership can easily pay for itself, and right now, there is a 20% off membership sale with the code Play18.  Don't miss visiting the porch overlooking the nearby roads, and walk to the Roanoke Market Building food court or Nawab's buffet for lunch.

A Little Afternoon Magic: The Paper Blooms Project at Roanoke College

Looking for a way to have an easy, calm outing on a rainy day, K and G visited the Paper Blooms Project at Olin Hall Gallery of Roanoke College.  We'd seen a related mention on Facebook, and we have a developing fondness for community- made art and larger-scale, immersive installations.

We were both delighted by the hand -crafted flowers, all made by volunteers the general public using simple supplies like crepe paper and glue.  Some of the flowers are shockingly realistic; others are more fanciful and integrate interesting papers like maps.  The exhibit is primarily colorful and small enough to be pretty accessible to young kids -- it kept G's attention for a good 30 minutes at age 4.  The staff member present answered our questions about how the flowers were made and the reasoning for the white wall of flowers, a memorial tribute.  She also shared that the flowers will make their way to locations like rehabilitation clinics when the exhibit closes at the end of March.  

If you go, be prepared to park and walk if the nearby lots with limited visitor parking (primarily in front of the Roselawn admissions building and the lot immediately beside Olin on High Street) are full.  We were pretty disappointed with parking availability, but our trip was rescued by a helpful gallery attendant.  We called in to Roanoke College and asked to be transferred to the gallery office, and she helped us access the gallery from the "lower Olin" parking lot by walking to meet us--super nice.  Her kindness made our day and truly made this little trip successful.  The gallery is free and open 1-4 most days, including weekends, when there is not a holiday or college break.  We were the only visitors there for most of our visit, despite the fact that there have been several related local news stories.  We also enjoyed the exhibit of Carolyn Deck's work in the nearby gallery.  If you are making the trip into the area and want to make a day of it, we suggest taking in the Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke and staying on theme--there's always something interesting there.

Well-Designed Design in Roanoke: A Mellow Evening

It had been a long week, and Friday came well-deserved.  We wanted to relax, have fun, be out, be with family.  Turns out that we designed an evening of design.

Thankfully, Kim knew it was a late night at the Taubman Museum of Art, and E and Kim went to check out exhibits while G finished her nap.  Friday nights at the Taubman=An absolutely outstanding atmosphere of art and fun relaxation, in this case including live music.  We parked in a free-for-Friday-evening garage, took a brisk walk to the museum, and smelled delicious things wafting from the restaurants downtown.  We delighted in the look of the Taubman at night with its lit staircase.  E made me smile so broadly as he enjoyed the live jazz. Check the online schedule--late nights happen about twice a month.

Our main purpose in visiting was to check out Follicular: The Hair Stories of Sonya Clark, an exhibit of hair-related art including unique hair braiding.  E adored the comb sculptures, and strong signage made reflecting on the artist's purpose highly accessible.  Importantly, this exhibit makers for a unique way to reflect during Black History Month.  There are themes of conformity, resistance, change, personal struggle, community, and more, and thanks to the solid curation, these can be explored by even more casual visitors.

We also dashed into a more expansive exhibit of the folk art of Reverend Howard Finster (closed 2.5.17). This exhibit drew you in with its color and made you think about community, arts education, religious notes in art, and more.  

After picking up Justin and G, we headed off to Tanglewood Mall's American Association of University Women's biannual used book sale, a great place to find gently-used academic, travel, and children's books.  Favorite finds this time included a 1970s illustrated children's Bible, classics like Robin Hood adapted to elementary reading levels, and a set of encyclopedia-looking books full of children's stories.  Find out more about the AAUW sale here.  Ignore the worn carpet in the former Dollar Tree and enjoy.

If we haven't told you,  we just enjoy Tanglewood.  It's Roanoke's less-bustling indoor mall.  We expect it to be redeveloped, but for now, go and enjoy lighter crowds, special events, and Roanoke's easier-to-shop, typically-better-stocked JCPenney and Belk locations. Plus, Tanglewood is home to my favorite biannual kids' consignment sale, Back on the Rack, which is next open on March 18.

And then dinner... One of J's Christmas gifts to K was a Mellow Mushroom gift card to help us finally try out Roanoke's new location. We were delighted by the modern, spunky, and cozy atmosphere as well as by the pretzel bites with dipping cheese.   Go Mellow when you have time to relax.   Making your pizza may take 30 minutes, but it is worth it.  There's outdoor dining in season, but this time of the year, enjoy the "living room" fireplace instead.

Making Anew: Expanded Creative Spaces at Science Museum of Western Virginia

As all our friends know, we are proud Roanoke-based members of the Science Museum of Western Virginia.  They've recently rehabbed some spaces, making more room for creativity and interaction.  Specifically,  there's a kid-oriented maker lab, a wonderful new area for designing Big Blue Blocks creations and ball tracks, and a space for toying with robots and other coding "toys."  In two cases, these areas resemble similar spaces we've adored at Marbles and Amazement Square.  They are smaller, but they are here at home and we adore them, too!  In the case of the robotic coding toys, Science Museum of Western Virginia for the win--first exhibit of its type that we've seen!

Let's start with the showstopper in the eyes of educator K--Wonderlab, a space for exploring coding, robotics, and associated logic.  Right behind the entry desk in the former gift shop space, Wonderlab provides an exploratory area that is basically classroom size.  Multiple "toy tools" are available to explore and are appropriate beginning with the early elementary grades--and will also fascinate adults.  There are computers for doing a little Scratch coding, but it was more fun for us to manipulate Cubelets and Dot and Dash.  On the Sunday afternoon we visited, no one was around except E and his friend.  What a great time to explore!

Those cool ball tracks and that area for Big Blue Blocks creations?  It's all part of Design It! Build It! Test It!  We've played with Big Blue Blocks before at Marbles and at Greensboro Children's Museum but never in so perfect a space.  A wall-mounted grid really adds to what can be done with the blue blocks, foamy huge tinker toy-type pieces that inspire all sorts of construction.  There's also a nice magnetic wall with various tubes for ball tracks reminiscent of the same type of walls at Amazement Square, only these have more space for building.  Additionally, there's a paper plane test area.

And the Maker Lab?  It's fun, too!  Quite perfect for the early-to-mid elementary set and well-designed for visitors who adore their creations, it has a Lego wall, magnet manipulatives, straws and connectors (used to so like having these as a center as a kindergarten teacher), and similar building toys.  There are also a large number of craft supplies, giving it touches of ArtVenture from the nearby Taubman. You could always say you could "do this at home"--but you'd be buying a lot of stuff and making a mess.

If you go, we suggest bringing a friend--from 7-year-old E's perspective, this was so much fun with a similar-age guest!  Never miss the butterfly garden, even if only for a quick stop, when visiting the museum, and we spent a fair amount of time in Pixel Play as well, especially enjoying the multi-player Gauntlet game.  When visiting Center in the Square, never miss a quick visit to the roof, a great place to enjoy a brought-with-you snack in fair weather.

Friends who ask:  THIS kind of close-to-home adventure is a big part of the reason you become a museum member--new play spaces!!  Think about it:  Sunday afternoon fun, free parking downtown, minutes from the house.  Join your local museum--especially if they are part of ASTC Passport.   There are periodic membership sales, too--watch the museum blog at their website.

Beautiful Spiders: An Evening with OVO

Sunday evening, K received a surprise email from the Science Museum of Western Virginia and Center in the Square.  The email offered invited guests--who I'd later learn were principally museum members and volunteers--the opportunity to attend a reception, at no cost excepting parking, celebrating Cirque du Soleil's OVO touring show and its arrival in town on Tuesday.  The insect theme worked for the science museum's connection, and the celebration was held on the Center's lovely rooftop.  What a wonderful way to end a workday!

Needless to say, G and K proudly RSVPed.  This was a low-cost, low-commitment way to introduce G to Cirque, something K felt she'd probably be fascinated by...but might be scared by if the timing was off.  She enjoys dancing and art, but it would be debatable whether or not she'd be awake and interested for a full Cirque show.  G got to attend the "fancy" party, enjoying cookies, crackers and cheese, as well as polite conversation with a new friend.

Then, G adored the main attraction, a brief performance by OVO's contortionist spiders.  She was transfixed and immediately approached them as soon as the photo op opened.  She even wanted to show the performers her pictures.

She took home flyers about the show including pictures of the "spiders' friends."  This settles it--a performance next year is likely in the cards for us.

While there, we saw flyers for a membership promotion from this our home science museum.  The ASTC Passport "add on" is free for the month of September when you purchase a membership with the Science Museum of Western Virginia.  Local parents willing to travel to nearby museums included in passport (translation: reciprocal membership, AKA free) museums like the Museum of Life + Science in Durham and Marbles Children's Museum in Raleigh, this is a great deal.  You do not have to live in Roanoke to join Roanoke's museum, but keep in mind ASTC reciprocity "kicks in" 90 miles from your "home" museum.  ASTC museums include many science centers, some children's museums, and some other nifty places, like the North Carolina Museum of Transportation.  Other places we've been on ASTC Passport?  Danville Science Center, Virginia Museum of Natural History, Virginia Living History, Science Museum of Virginia, and Whitaker Center.  For folks who travel with kids, this is a DEAL for most.  Look at the ASTC list for places that you might be near across the next year!

Roanoke's Tiki Landmark: Fiji Island

In college, K visited the Roanoke, VA, Fiji Island Restaurant with friends.  She had a great time, but for whatever reason, had not returned.  Recently, it was high time to do that for a little dinner party with friends from church.  Our large party was easily seated in the classic, dark dining room, a throwback to a different era and a bit of transport to another world.  Red carpets, dark walls, no windows, Tiki decor, seats on different platforms, glowing wall hangings...the setting had been so spectacular that E was shocked it was still daylight when we emerged outdoors. Plastic leis at each seat add a good deal of fun.

The menus are a classic, too, with pretty classic typesetting and prices.  K had a bowl of savory hot and sour soup for $1.50; many at our table enjoyed egg rolls at a similar price.  Pu pu platters are available and fun, as is a solid selection of various Asian foods.  There's more standard fare for interested kids--ours ate mac-n-cheese and chicken fingers.

The longtime restaurateurs are retiring, and the restaurant property remains for sale as we understand it.  We also hear it will close at the end of August 2016, so locals, you need to go!  Take a look at this institution's own photos, too.