Delightfully Weird ... That's Us!

A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village has been named one of 21 destinations nationwide for "delightfully weird family vacations." Babble.com, a parenting website, featured Salem's unique museum for kids alongside the Trash-o-saurus in Stratford, Connecticut, the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C., Craters of the Moon national park in Arco, Idaho among other odd and family-friendly excursions.

Click here to read the full article.

Here are some other weird things about the children's museum you might not have known:

1) We have bubble-gum scented deodorizers in our restrooms.

2) The Parrish House, one of our four historic buildings, got stuck under Marion Street Bridge when it was relocated to our site. They had to let the air out of the truck's tires that was carrying the house in order to squeeze it through!

3) Kids can learn about digestion by pretending to be a piece of food and crawling through our gigantic digestive system in our Body Basics exhibit.

4) We go through approximately 1.5 gallons of our secret bubble solution every day in our Bubble Room.

5) And the secret bubble solution? Just Dawn dish washing soap!

6) The Outdoor Discovery Center -- that awesome playground with a wooden maze, giant animal cell and amphitheater -- was built in just 19 days by over 6,000 community volunteers.

7) The museum is named after A.C. Gilbert, the famous toy inventor, who also set the world record in the pole vault!

8) The daydreaming girl just outside the children's museum was sculpted by
Margie and Ken Scott and modeled after their daughter. The statue is called "Our Dreams."

9) A stegasaurus was approximately 80 feet long. About the size of a semi-truck! You can learn more about the size of dinosaurs in our Dinostories exhibit.

10) Our resident turtle was rescued from the Coquille River and brought to the museum. His name is Coqui Ami and means "Shell Friend."

Want to know more? We're open 361 days a year. Visit us soon!

World Beat Festival is Saturday & Sunday

Held in Salem's beautiful Riverfront Park on the banks of the Willamette River, the Salem World Beat Festival is a two-day, non-stop program of international music, dance, food, hands-on crafts and folklore. The Beat is a professional-quality event celebrating the people and traditions of every continent.

And if you visit on Saturday, please make the suggested gate donation of $3. A portion of the gate proceeds will support A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village and its educational programs. Enjoy the Beat and help out two local nonprofits at the same time!

To find out more about the festival, visit their website: http://www.worldbeatfestival.org/.

Silly Summer Days are here again!

Silly Summer Days are here again! Enjoy these free drop-in programs from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. throughout the summer. See the full schedule of silliness below.

TOMORROW! Kick off summer with this swashbucklin’ event!
A Pirate Parrrty!
Friday, June 26, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

COMING SOON!

Down on the Farm
Friday, July 10, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

National Gummi Worm Day
Wednesday, July 15, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

3, 2, 1 … Blast Off to the Moon
Friday, July 17, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Under the Sea
Friday, July 24, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Medieval Times
Friday, July 31, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Teddy Bear Picnic
Wednesday, August 5, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Mad Scientists
Friday, August 7, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Wild, Wild West
Friday August 14, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Snow Much Fun!
Friday, August 21, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Afternoon Tea Party
Friday, August 28, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Get your tickets to Night at the Ballpark!

Night at the Ballpark Tickets On Sale
Game Night: July 25, 5:05 pm

Enjoy a "Night at the Ballpark" and support the children's museum when you purchase bonus value tickets to the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes vs. Yakima Bears game at Volcanoes Stadium on July 25.

Members and friends of the museum can purchase bonus value tickets that include reserved seating and a free baseball (a $14 value) for just $10. Tickets are available now exclusively at the museum store, and $3 of every ticket sold goes directly back to the museum to support our programs.

With a pre-game Corvette display in the parking lot and a post-game concert for families, this special event is sure to be a home-run hit. Get your tickets during your next visit!

$1 Raffle for Wooden Railway Set

Raffle tickets for a Melissa & Doug Wooden Railway Set (just like the one in our new exhibit) are available now at the museum store. All money from the raffle will go to our "Buddy Bucks" program, which pays for museum admission for families in need. The railway set contains over 130 wooden pieces and is appropriate for ages 3 and up. The raffle winner will be announced at the grand opening of the new exhibit.

It's a jungle in here!

Wilson-Durbin, the white house in the SW corner of the museum, has recently received a face-lift. This special place for birthday parties, receptions and fun-filled workshops now features a panoramic safari theme. Take a look at our room rates if you're interested in reserving this room for an upcoming special event.

Dads get in free today!

Photo by Ron Cooper

"Fatherhood is pretending
the present you love most
is 'soap-on-a-rope.'"
-- Bill Cosby

Hey, Dads. Clean yourself up with that new soap-on-a-rope and head on down to the children's museum for a day of fun. All dads get in free today with one child's admission. We're open from noon to 5 pm!

Last minute gift idea for dad

Still don't have a gift for dear old Dad? Then bring him down to A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village tomorrow for a free day at the museum. Dads get in free with one child's admission!

Public Works Day in the Park

Visit A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village in Riverfront Park for the 6th annual Public Works Day, held today from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This is a chance for the community to learn about what Public Works employees do every day. Get a close look at some of their "big toys" -- backhoes, plows and dump trucks. Plus there's lots of free stuff: free refreshments (hot dogs, chips, drinks) and even free child-size construction hats.

Stop by our booth for some bug-themed kids' activities. We'll make crawling caterpillars, butterfly magnets and bug-eyed glasses! Though the event is free, we encourage you to bring a canned food or cash donation for the Marion-Polk Food Share.

Leadership Salem Helping Hands Day

Members of Leadership Salem, a community involvement group organized by the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce, are hard at work today in the Outdoor Discovery Center. Pulling down cobwebs with brooms and applying stain, the Leadership Salem team will ensure that the museum's play structure maintains its original beauty for the 80,000 plus visitors each year.

Because we want to keep you safe (and your clothes stain-free), the Outdoor Discovery Center will be closed today. Please enjoy our indoor exhibits!

BU$INE$$ KIDS deadline extended

The registration deadline for BU$INE$$ KIDS has been extended to Friday, June 19. This program teaches business skills and promotes charitable giving by providing youth ages 10-12 with $20 to start a summer business or service.

If you know an industrious kid who would benefit from this program, please encourage him or her to apply today! More information, including the registration form, can be found on our website here.