Chihuly at the Virginia Fine Arts Museum

Yesterday I told you we visited The Virginia Fine Arts Museum to see the Chihuly exhibit.  I also told you if you didn't know who he was you should Google him.  If you still don't know who he is....well I'm still not going to tell you.  But I will share some pictures of his amazing work. 



Hanging in the atrium is this piece.  HUGE. 
Think I could get it to fit over my
kitchen table?





These pieces are in the ceiling as you walk
through









Outside the museum in the reflecting pool

It was a gorgeous show and I'm so glad we could go.  All the pictures were off my phone so you know in real life they are just that much more amazing.  And before you ask, no we did NOT take the baby.  I didn't want to have a mini stroke each time she reached for something pretty and shiny.  If you want to check out the exhibit do it fast.  It's only at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts until February 10th.   Admission to the show is $20 unless you are a member of the museum or a student.  Either way it's well worth the visit.

Monday Love

The weekend kicked off with a night at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.  It ended with us both collapsed in bed watching an awards show.  In between we spent time with family, played with fire and ate some of the best cake ever!

If you have never heard of Chihuly....well then you don't know what you are missing!  Google him.  His work is amazing.  Saturday we went out to my parents house and made a little fire.  Ok it was a big fire.  But it was chilly out and the fire kept us as warm and toasty as wearing a snuggie in Florida.  We ate chili before going out and followed it up with a cake that tasted like an orange dreamsicle.  I can promise I will be getting that recipe ASAP!    More on the Chihuly exhibit tomorrow.  Busy week ahead.  It's a 56 hour work week for me and my calender is already busting at the seams!

Free or Cheap ways to spend the day around Richmond

As a mother of three I am always looking for ways to get out and see Richmond or the surrounding counties/cities without spending an arm and a leg.  To my surprise when I started looking I came across a lot of fun and entertaining things to do.  My hope is that I can share some of the places we like to visit so that you can visit and get as much entertainment out of them as we do. 

A few of our favorite free places:

A tour of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Henricus Park in Chesterfield (the city portion does require a fee but the hiking trail and picnic area is free to use)

The Ferry from Jamestown to Scotland (Williamsburg Ferry) and back

The Poe Museum in Richmond-There is usually a fee to tour the museum but on special occasions it is open to the public for free.

Blandford Cemetery in Petersburg

Visit Maymont Park

Take a swim or bike Belle Isle

 

Other things to do that may not be free but wont break the bank....

Petersburg National Battlefield $5 entry fee per car load

Catch a game at the Diamond-Go Squirrels!

Visit the Chesterfield Zoo



Tour one of many state parks - Usually around $5 dollars to visit for a day/per car load



Some other free places to do:
Visit historic Hollywood Cemetery
Bike the trails off of River Road in Richmond
Swim at Pony Pasture
Walk along the river front at City Point in Hopewell
Tour one of the MANY historic museums in Richmond or Petersburg

The Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond

Children's Museum of Richmond

Walk along the Canal Walk

I know this list is not inclusive of all that the area has to offer.  And it is primarily focused on Richmond and surrounding areas but that is because I live in that area.  But what else is out there?  What do YOU like to do?

The Virgina Museum of Fine Arts

There are some things that I expect to meet resistance with when mentioned in my house.  "Make your bed, empty the dishwasher, the baby made a stinky, and we're going to a museum" are all usually followed by "Moooommmmm" and then a total look of displeasure.  So when I suggested a trip to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) I was totally prepared for a negative response.  Only I didn't get the one I expected.  Maybe they had heard the local media hype about the new facility or maybe it was the fact that I had been talking about it for a couple weeks and they knew it was coming.  Either way we all packed in the car....two cars actually and made our first visit to the museum. 



That rabbit is made from legos!

 The museum was first opened in 1936, according to their website, and in May of 2010 it open it's doors with a brand new expansion.  General admission to the museum is free.  Special exhibits have a charge that varies according to what they are showing.  There is so much to see so if you are planning a trip give your self at least a couple hours.  They have everything from African art to Art Deco, from Faberge to Ancient Art.  We saw collections of furniture to collections or hair clips.  Paintings from artist that I had read about in college and many more that I had never heard of.    

Portrait of Lydia Schabelsky, Baroness Staël-Holstein

Franz Xaver Winterhalter  (German , 1805 - 1873 )



The museum has a cafe, a gift shop, offers tours to adults/students and has audio tour for various collections.  They are open 365 days a year and Thursday-Friday they are open until 9pm. Other days they are only open until 5pm.  Since they opened with the new expansion they have had a collection of Tiffany Glass and The Faberge Revealed as special exhibits. There have been others but those two stuck out in my head.  In November they will have Mummy: Secrets of the Tomb.  I have yet to take in one of the special exhibits but I plan on making it to see that one....us Mummies have to stick together....ha ha. 



Mahavairocana Buddha (Dainichi) in the Womb Realm



The kids seemed to have enjoyed the trip well enough.  No one left in tears, the museum was still in one piece and I only got told to back up from a painting once by security.  Apparently there is a rule about not getting too close....who knew!