APRIL 2023
(FL) Through Sept. 4, 2023, SPIDERS ALIVE! Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, 352-846-2000. Take an eight-legged walk on the wild side with Spiders Alive! This exciting exhibit dives into the world of spiders, scorpions and their relatives with more than a dozen LIVE species on display. Discover the unique traits and characteristics of this diverse group of animals at this interactive, family-friendly experience! Spiders and their relatives highlight the ecological importance of these animals that include black widows, orb weavers and scorpions. Large touchable models reveal more about spider anatomy and their differences from insects while rare fossils — including one that’s 100 million years old — display species from the past. Videos showcase a variety of unique animal behaviors, such as a diving bell spider living under water and a southern black widow spinning silk. Separate fact from myth and learn about ancient spiders, conservation, venom and more. $8 adults | $7.50 FL. residents, seniors & non-UF college students; $5.50 ages 3-17; FREE for ages 0-2, UF students & Museum members. https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/.
(VA) Children’s Museum of Richmond, BILINGUAL STORY TIME, every Thursday at 10:30 AM. Ages 0-8 and their caregivers. Children’s Museum of Richmond – Downtown, 2626 W. Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23220804. 474.7000, info@cmorva.org. Join us Thursday in October for a bilingual story time in the Downtown Playhouse! We’ll sing, dance, read and learn Spanish! Free with Museum admission. www.cmorva.org.
(VA) Children’s Museum of Richmond, SPECIAL NIGHTS, every third Friday of the month from 5-7 pm, alternating between our Downtown and Chesterfield locations; first Special Night of 2023 takes place Downtown. All ages. Children’s Museum of Richmond – Downtown, 2626 W. Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23220 & Chesterfield, 6629 Lake Harbour Drive, Midlothian, VA 23112, 804.474.7000, info@cmorva.org. The Children’s Museum is excited to host a FREE night for families with children with disabilities on the third Friday of each month from 5:00-7:00 pm. The event will be open for registration about a week prior to each event. Free. www.cmorva.org.
(VA) Children’s Museum of Richmond, TUTUS & TIES, Every Tuesday at 2:00 PM. Ages 0-8 and their caregivers. Children’s Museum of Richmond – Downtown, 2626 W. Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23220, 804.474.7000,info@cmorva.org. Movement and Play are good for children’s bodies and brains. In fact, movement can help increase memory, perception, language comprehension, attention, emotional understanding, and decision making! Join us in the Downtown Playhouse where we’ll dress up and move! Free with Museum admission. www.cmorva.org.
(NJ) Montclair State Arena, PUBLIC SKATE SCHEDULE, All ages. Montclair State Arena, 1 Arena Drive, Little Falls, NJ 07424, 973-746-7744, info@montclairstatearena.om. Monday Mornings: 7:10-8:30 am; Monday-Friday, 12:40-2:00 pm; Friday Nights: 9:00-11:00 pm; Saturdays: 1:30-2:50 pm; Sundays: 4:00-5:30 pm. Fee: $20 includes skate rental. Open skating for all ages. Dress warmly. www.montclairstatearena.com.
(NJ) New Jersey State Museum, SMALL EXPLORERS, 2nd Saturday of each month through June 2023, 9:45 or 11:00 am, Ages: 0 to 5 years, NJ State Museum, 205 W. State Street, Trenton, NJ 08060, njsmfsmallexplorers@gmail.com. Small Explorers is a FREE program for children 5 and under and their families to assist with developing school-readiness. Every month we explore a new theme through storytelling, museum objects, crafts, games, and playtime! Program takes place in-person in the Museum from October June. Two sessions to choose from: 9:45 or 11:00 am. Space is limited, registration required. Registration link available each month on the Museum’s website or Facebook page. Free. www.statemuseum.nj.gov.
(PA) York County History Center, HOMESCHOOL DAYS, 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month, through May 2023. Sessions generally run from 11 a.m. to noon, with additional sessions added as needed based on interest. Elementary age students. Agricultural and Industrial Museum, 217 W. Princess Street, York PA 17401, 717-848-1587, schools@yorkhistorycenter.org, $5 per student, adults admitted free. Each Homeschool Day at the York County History Center features a different student-centered workshop led by our museum staff and free time to explore our museum and interactive exhibits. Programs are designed for elementary school-age students but younger and older siblings are welcome to participate. Your family will be encouraged to work together, ask questions, and engage with our museum’s STEAM content! www.yorkhistorycenter.org.
(MD) April 1, 2023, FIRST LANDING ARTS FESTIVAL, 10AM – 5PM. St. Clement’s Island Museum, 38370 Point Breeze Road, Colton’s Point, MD 20626, 301-769-2222, Facebook.com/SCIMuseum. Experience a full day of fun along the Potomac at St. Clement’s Island Museum as well as local artisan and craft vendors, live music, food, kids’ activities, boat rides and more at the 3rd annual First Landing Arts Festival. https://www.facebook.com/events/730336351971992.
(MD) April 1, 2023, DRAYDEN AFRICAN AMERICAN SCHOOLHOUSE OPEN HOUSE, 11:00 am-2:00 pm. Drayden African American Schoolhouse, 18287 Cherryfield Road, Drayden, Maryland 20630, 301-994-1471. The St. Mary’s County Museum Division, in partnership with the Unified Committee for Afro-American Contributions (UCAC), will be offering free Open Houses for visitors and the community at the Drayden African American Schoolhouse in Drayden. The Drayden African American Schoolhouse is one of the nation’s best-preserved one-room African American schoolhouses, and its story represents a significant part of St. Mary’s County’s African American history. The St. Mary’s County Museum Division also offers special programs for school, bus, and other tour groups who would like to schedule a visit to the Drayden site. Individual visitors who would like to see the schoolhouse during times outside open house hours can contact the Piney Point Lighthouse Museum at (301) 994-1471 to arrange a visit. For more information about the Drayden African American Schoolhouse Open Houses, programs, admission prices, and more, visit the Drayden African American Schoolhouse Facebook page at Facebook.com/DraydenSchool or call (301) 994-1471.
(AL) April 4, 2023, NATURE ACADEMY – DISCOVERING STEM IN THE GARDEN! 10:00 am-noon. Huntsville Botanical Garden, 4747 Bob Wallace Avenue, Huntsville, AL 35805, 256-830-4447, info@hsvbg.org. Spring is here! It is time to plant our vegetable garden so we can enjoy fresh veggies all summer long. In this class, students will learn about the parts of a seed and how to care for your own vegetable garden. See first-hand examples in the Garden and take-home plants to start your own garden at home! Participants are encouraged to pre-register for all classes online or by calling 256-830-4447 ext. 253. Questions? Please contact education@hsvbg.org or 256-830-4447 ext. 253. https://hsvbg.org/
(MD) April 5, 2023, TERRAPIN TALES, 9:00 am to 11:30 am. Recommended for Grades 3 and up. Masonville Cove Environmental Education Campus, 1000 Frankfurst Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21226, 410-354-7180, vbandell@livingclassrooms.org. Calling all herpetologists! Learn how scientists study Diamondback Terrapin populations by examining nests, measuring eggs, and determining survival of hatchlings from simulated terrapin nests. Consider threats such as predation and human impacts and gain understanding of how you can help save Diamondback Terrapins. After your data is collected in the lab, take a break with our resident Terrapins, Topaz and Pearl as they show off their unique adaptations that make them so special! $20/participant. www.masonvillecove.org.
(AL) April 6, 2023, NATURE ACADEMY – DISCOVERING STEM IN THE GARDEN! Noon-2:00 pm Huntsville Botanical Garden, 4747 Bob Wallace Avenue, Huntsville, AL 35805, 256-830-4447, info@hsvbg.org. Spring is here! It is time to plant our vegetable garden so we can enjoy fresh veggies all summer long. In this class, students will learn about the parts of a seed and how to care for your own vegetable garden. See first-hand examples in the Garden and take-home plants to start your own garden at home! Participants are encouraged to pre-register for all classes online or by calling 256-830-4447 ext. 253. Questions? Please contact education@hsvbg.org or 256-830-4447 ext. 253. https://hsvbg.org/
(CT) April 7, 2023, EASTER BUNNY AT THE MUSEUM, New England Air Museum, 36 Perimeter Road, Windsor Locks, CT, 06096, 860-623-3305, staff@neam.org. Join us for our annual Easter Egg Hunt and visit from the Easter Bunny! Scavenger hunts, goodie bags, and an Easter-themed activity booklet are included while supplies last. Event is included with standard admission. Library passes not valid for special events. https://neam.org/.
(FL) April 13, 2023, JAMES C. CLARK “LOST ATTRACTIONS OF FLORIDA” AUTHORS PRESENTATION. 4:30 PM & 6:30 PM. New Smyrna Museum of History, 120 Sams Avenue, New Smyrna Beach FL 32168, 386-478-0052, NSMofHistory@gmail.com. It was a simpler time in Florida. An alligator was all it took to transform a gas station or roadside fruit stand into a must-see tourist attraction. Admission was generally free, but few families could escape without buying something. At one time, these attractions dotted the Florida landscape, offering everything from ostrich races to health-restoring springs. Now, most are gone, replaced by speeding rollercoasters and high-tech animatronics. Cypress Gardens, Six Gun Territory and even Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride gave way to new attractions, shopping centers and housing developments. Florida Historian James C. Clark takes readers back to the days before interstate highways and airplanes bypassed mom-and-pop roadside charms and corporate mega-attractions took over. NSBHistory.org.
(PA) April 14, 2023, ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETS WORKSHOP, 1-3 pm, Ages 5-8. American Helicopter Museum & Education Center, 1220 American Boulevard, West Chester, PA 19380, 610-436-9600, info@americanhelicopter.museum. What is electricity? How do magnets work? This workshop will discover the close relationship between electricity and magnets. We’ll use electricity to make magnets, and magnets to make electricity in this hands-on workshop. $15. Register here: https://www.jotform.com/build/230265272211141. https://americanhelicopter.museum/.
(AL) April 15, 2023, NATURE ACADEMY – DISCOVERING STEM IN THE GARDEN! 10 am-Noon. Huntsville Botanical Garden, 4747 Bob Wallace Avenue, Huntsville, AL 35805, 256-830-4447, info@hsvbg.org. Spring is here! It is time to plant our vegetable garden so we can enjoy fresh veggies all summer long. In this class, students will learn about the parts of a seed and how to care for your own vegetable garden. See first-hand examples in the Garden and take-home plants to start your own garden at home! Participants are encouraged to pre-register for all classes online or by calling 256-830-4447 ext. 253. Questions? Please contact education@hsvbg.org or 256-830-4447 ext. 253. https://hsvbg.org/
(MD) April 22 – 23, 2023. The Black Diamond Disaster Weekend: An American Civil War Event, 10AM – 5PM. St. Clement’s Island Museum, 38370 Point Breeze Road,, Colton’s Point, MD 20626, 301-769-2222, Facebook.com/SCIMuseum. Head to St. Clement’s Island Museum for a weekend commemorating a forgotten tragedy of the American Civil War – the Black Diamond Disaster. From 10am to 5pm both days, enjoy free museum admission, free water taxi rides to St. Clement’s Island with lighthouse tours, special Civil War themed exhibits and displays and more. On Sunday at 2pm, come for the free ceremony commemorating the 87 lives lost. A free period concert and reception will follow the ceremony. https://fb.me/e/3hpoqYcE9.
(MD) April 25, 2023, HA HOMESCHOOL DAY: GARDEN TO TABLE, Sessions offered 9:30 am and 12 pm, Ages: 3-17. William Paca House and Garden, 186 Prince George Street, Annapolis, MD 21401, 410-267-7619, info@annapolis.org Join us for a special Homeschool Day at the William Paca House & Garden. Through a unique, hands-on experience, students will learn about the varieties of vegetables, flowers, and herbs grown and used in the 18th century. We’ll step back in time in the Historic Kitchen to see what foods were eaten and how they were prepared, and then see how it all came together at the formal table in the Dining Room. Students will examine a variety of replica cookware and create a craft. $10 per Student (5-17); Free for one Adult Chaperone per student group; Additional Adults $10 each; Free for Children under 5. https://www.annapolis.org/events/garden-to-table-apr2023/