There are lots of events and activities around Richmond during the last week of 2011 so don't miss them. Check out family-friendly events below -- you'll even find some great events just for parents or grandparent too. Happy New Year!
Events All Week
Purchase 1/2 Price Tickets at Barksdale and Theatre IV for “A Year with Frog and Toad”! Special discount for Richmondmom.com readers only. Click here for details and purchase tickets for a limited time at 1/2 price for the December 30 show at 7:00 p.m.
RVA on Ice. Holiday music. Wednesday-Friday, 4pm – 10 pm; Saturday 10 am – 10 pm; Sunday 10 am – 6 pm. Located between 6th and 7th streets. Organizers have selected provide skaters with an opportunity to enjoy a great movie on a 25 square foot movie screen as they circle the rink on New Year’s Eve. The movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life” begins at 7:00 PM on Saturday, December 31. In addition to the holiday movie, FREE arts and crafts sessions are offered by Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities’ Office of Cultural Arts Programs on Saturday Noon – 2 p. m. Participants are also invited to purchase various snacks and beverages including coffee, hot chocolate and ingredients to make s’mores while warming up by the bon fire.
My Fair Lady — Barksdale Theatre at Empire. (See link for performance schedule December 27-January 1). The historic Empire Theatre opened on Christmas Day, 1911. Help us celebrate the Empire’s 100th Birthday with the fun, tuneful and exceedingly elegant My Fair Lady, which happens to take place … in 1911! Stacey Cabaj (Maria in The Sound of Music), Joe Inscoe, Jason Marks and Suzanne Pollard star in one of Broadway’s most enjoyable triumphs. Suggested for ages 10+.
Genworth Foundation Holiday Village at Children’s Museum of Richmond.
Dominion Gardenfest of Lights at Lewis Ginter through January. GARDENFEST MEMBER NIGHTS: Jan. 9 with Free admission for Garden Members!
CORE Kids Academy has plenty of fun holiday activities for kids. Winter Break Camp: Join us for our 3-hour drop off Winter Break Camp! Your children can get in a great work-out and burn some energy on Tuesday, December 27 and Thursday, December 29 from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. Campers will receive group and individualized gymnastics instruction, play fun fitness games, run through our huge 30-foot inflatable caterpillar obstacle course, and complete a creative craft. Please call (804) 740-0079 to enroll.
The Science Museum Fruitcake Science is Monday, December 26-Friday, December 30, 9:30 am-5 pm: ‘Tis the season for fruitcake and what better time to test its ability to conduct electricity, its reaction to gravity, is ability to float or what happens to it when you freeze it? Join us for this entertaining and inspiring time of discovery! Included with Museum admission or free for members.
Maymont Mansion Holiday Tours Tuesdays – Sundays, through January 8 from 12 noon til 5:00 p.m. Celebrate the season in Victorian beauty and family fun. Maymont House Museum.
Tacky Light Tour — Houses must have a minimum of 40,000 lights to be on the tacky tour and it’s FREE. Enjoy hilarious and unbelievable fun. Visit the website for tour locations since some have changed from previous years. Enjoy tacky lights all throughout December.
EVENTS BY DATE
December 26-30
December 26-30 – 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Fruitcake Science at the Science Museum of Virginia; Learn how fruitcakes conduct electricity, react to gravity and float or what happens to it when you freeze it. Included with Museum admission or free for members.
December 27-30
Winter Break 2011 Critter Camp – This all-day camp will introduce children ages 8-14 to jobs and careers in animal care. Explore all the departments of the Richmond SPCA with hands-on activities. Topics include veterinary medicine, care and feeding, training, grooming, pet adoption promotion, pet photography and more.
December 29
The Harlem Globetrotters at 7:00 p.m. Enjoy the fun at The Richmond Coliseum. Just use the code MOM to save $7 when purchasing tickets (some restrictions apply).
Melody Magic Music Studio It’s Cold Outside at 10:00 a.m. A musical playdate for age 7 and under featuring all things winter. Call 804.334.6241 to register.
December 30
December 31
Radio Disney New Year’s Eve at The Science Museum of Virginia – Iinvites kids and families to ring in the New Year at the Science Museum of Virginia on December 31. This celebration gives kids the opportunity to have all the fun of New Year’s Eve before their bedtime featuring songs from Radio Disney’s “Top 50 Countdown of 2011,” interactive entertainment and prizes. Additional activities include Anthem Get Active Get Fit Dance Party and red carpet premiere of the new IMAX film “Born to Be Wild.”
Some Like It Hot New Year’s Eve Gala: Don’t want to drive far this New Year’s Eve? Looking for a great party with folks you know? Want to support a worthy cause? Then don’t miss the first annual New Year’s Eve Gala at the Ashland Firehouse Theater! Spaces are limited, so order your tickets today. 8:00 p.m. at Ashland Firehouse Theatre.
New Year’s Eve Celebration at the Hilton Richmond Hotel & Spa with Kings of Swing.
It’s a Wonderful Life – A Live Radio Play. Swift Creek Mill Theatre, Jefferson Davis Highway, Colonial Heights. This holiday classic comes to life as a live 1940′s radio broadcast. Check website for dates and times. Reservations required.
1/2 Price Tickets at Barksdale and Theatre IV for “A Year with Frog and Toad”! Special discount for Richmondmom.com readers only. Click here for details and purchase tickets for a limited time at 1/2 price.
New Year’s Eve in Carytown at 11:00 p.m. They will be raising the ball at The Byrd Theatre on New Year’s Eve and Carytown hopes you’ll be there. The giant, illuminated ball will rise on top of the “Richmond’s Premiere Movie Palace” at midnight. The streets will not be blocked off.
New Year’s Eve Family Frolic at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens from 2 pm – 5 pm.
New Year’s Eve at Children’s Museum of Richmond from 10 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. for kids of all ages! Both locations.
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts 10 am – 5 pm – Enjoy the museum on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day.
RVA on Ice Downtown’s skating rink will be open New Year’s Eve from noon until 10 p.m. Bring the kids and hit the ice! Hot chocolate, music and more. $5 general; $4 for seniors 60 and older and for military personnel; free for children age 10 and younger who are accompanied by a paid guardian. Additional skate rental fees.
VMFA Is Open. Take the kids or the whole family to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. They’ll be open on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Check out the Mummy Exhibit and the 3D movie, the new Elvis exhibit, or just explore the museum’s fantastic galleries. Kids especially love the Mocha Dick exhibit. Free. (The Elvis exhibit is ticketed).
Drop the Ball @ Art Works at 8:00 p.m. – A News Years Eve Party for the Arts at Art Works, Richmond, VA. Come dressed-to-impress and Drop the Ball at Art Works New Years Eve party where you can rock to live music and party like it’s 1999 (or 2012)!
January 1, 2012
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts 10 am – 5 pm – Enjoy the Museum on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day.
Science Museum of Virginia – Visit for a fun filled day to kick off the new year! 11:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Local Frostings cupcake shop to be on Cupcake Wars on Sunday, January 1, 2012 at 8:00 p.m. on Food Network. Root for Frostings!
Children’s Museum of Richmond is closed on New Year’s Day but reopens on Monday, January 2, 2012 for Member Monday.
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