Celebrating 10 years of amazement

Two little girls crawled through the giant metal caterpillar outside the green-trimmed brick building on Ninth Street, while their parents waited in line to join Amazement Square’s 10th birthday celebration.

The day also marked Amazement Square’s one millionth visitor, won by Lynchburg resident Jared Harris, who had come to the children’s museum with his mother Beth Harris, according to Amazement Squares Marketing and Events Coordinator Megan Rapp.

The children’s museum opened on March 24, 2001 to serve parents and teachers in the Central Virginia area by providing children with hands-on educational activates, according to Amazement Square’s 2010 Year In Review Guide. The museum gave free admission to children aged 13 and younger.

“Amazement Square is a four-story, interactive educational children’s museum. Everything in the museum is geared towards children, with hands-on activities where they can learn about science, history, art or different world cultures through interactive exhibits,” Rapp said.

Amazement Square also schedules tours for school field trips and offers yearly membership deals for parents and teachers who frequent the facility.

Ten Years of touching lives — Lynchburg children’s museum Amazement Square hosted its 10th birthday celebration. The museum features interactive exhibits about science, history and world cultures for children. Photo credit: Tiffany Edwards

“Parents should bring their children here because it’s a chance for parents to learn and have fun with their children,” Rapp said.

Lynchburg resident Davina Mayo-Perry visits Amazement Square often with her husband and their five children, ages 16 years to 1 month old.

“Everything is interactive, so they aren’t just having fun, they are learning,” Mayo-Perry said. “Even my older children love it. It’s good for the community because it gets children and their parents out of the house and gets them active.”

Amazement Square accepts volunteers for community service, as well as interns in various areas such as marketing and education. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $8 for adults and children, and $6 for seniors and groups of 10 or more with advance notice. For more information about working with Amazement Square visit www.amazementsquare.org.

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