Explore our Offerings:
Visit the Museum | “Everyday Play”
Come enjoy our interactive nature-inspired space by booking an “Everyday Play” session with us. This open play session invites families with young children (aged 0-12) to come get wild with us in a free-form environment for play-based discovery! Parents/caregivers must attend WITH their children and remain present at all times.
Interact with our different Featured Creatures exhibits to learn something new, snuggle up in our reading corner with a good book or five, play some games, or enjoy our outdoor exploration station and free picnic table area. There are no facilitated activities during these sessions, just the opportunity to let your little ones’ imaginations run wild in our immersive nature-inspired learning space!
Everyday Play: Wild Child Time – 12-3pm Thursday-Saturday, plus Wild Child Wednesday afternoon sessions (3-6pm). Also look out for other occasional morning opportunities that will be shared via email & social media!
We welcome walk-ins for this open play-style offering, unless we are closed for a private event! Please check our Facebook feed for the latest updates.
Join the Menagerie | “Supervised Play”
Let your child get WILD with us! This is an appointment-only drop-in care program at the Shenandoah County Community Center designed for your maximum convenience so we can watch your wild animals of the “tiny human” variety while you take care of some of your other needs as a busy parent or caregiver, like coworking in the Rotary Learning Lab next door, working up a sweat in the gym or movement studio, or taking care of business.
Unless your chosen window of time overlaps an existing Class (see below) these 90-minute sessions are offered By Request only. We require at least 12-24 hours notice so we can plan to be available according to your schedule and staff appropriately.
Also at the Menagerie | Recurring Classes
We feature 90-minute nature-inspired classes Monday – Friday, designed for your wild animals of the TINY HUMAN variety to meet, eat, learn, & play with their friends. Each session will include facilitated activities designed for the age group listed in the description, with a combination of indoor play and outdoor exploration (weather dependent!). For your family’s convenience, we also welcome you to book the subsequent 90-minutes “Extended Stay” following a class for additional “Supervised Play” time. These sessions do not include facilitated activities. Instead the friends attending shift into child-led exploration mode, and fill the time with imaginative free play under the careful supervision of our Wild Child guides.
Designed for wild animals of the “tiny human” variety, our “Toddler Fodder & Fun” classes on Mondays & Fridays from 9am-10:30am feature culinary creations or perfectly paired snacks according to each day’s theme, sensory play, and seasonal festivities for the littlest in the herd! Caregivers can select the “Extended Stay” option if they’d like their children to remain in our care for an additional 90-minutes of “Supervised Play” until 12pm.
This summer, we are currently offering “Pack Animals: Movin’ and Groovin’,” class in between our busy weeks of Summer Camp on Tuesdays – Thursdays, 9-10:30am! These classes are open for wild ones ages 2-12, to wiggle, giggle, and get their bodies moving to the beat! Each class will feature movement & music, with an emphasis on exercise and cooperative games. Plus, families are welcome to book the “Extended Stay” option with a back-to-back 90-minute “Supervised Play” session until 12pm, if they’d like some more time to take care of business while their little one meets, eats, learns, and plays!
This summer we’re also reintroducing our “Baby Animals: Pack and Play” class by popular request! This Baby & Me Meet-up style class will be offered select Wednesdays from 12:30-1:30pm in between weeks when we are offering all-day Summer Camps. Low-stimulation activities will be perfect for ages 0-2, but older siblings are welcome to come along, too! Caregivers can upgrade the session to our “Supervised Play” option if they’d like their children to remain in our care while they take care of other items on their to-do list. Please note: there is a parallel Supervised Play By Request timeslot for older siblings as well from 12-1:30pm and every 90 minutes thereafter until 6pm on weekdays.
We are now welcoming a new group of friends to join us for the Fall & Spring semesters’ “Pre-K Learn & Play: Wild World Adventures,” Tuesdays – Thursdays, 9-10:30am! These classes are perfect for little learners ages 2-6, but we always welcome older or younger siblings to join in on the fun, too! Plus, families are welcome to book the “Extended Stay” option with a back-to-back 90-minute “Supervised Play” session until 12pm, if they’d like some more time to take care of business while their little one meets, eats, learns, and plays!
Our exciting “Animal Kingdom Afternoon” program is offered daily on Mondays-Fridays starting at 3pm during the academic school year. Families are able to arrange for their children to be dropped off by the Shenandoah County Public School buses at the Community Center and spend their afternoons getting wild with us! Parents can schedule “Extended Stay” until 6pm as the latest possible pick-up.
This weekday series is also featuring interactive “Habitat Chats” on Tuesdays & Fridays from 3-4:30pm with the option to extend your stay for our 3-hour long “Homeschool Hangout.“
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Explore Camps & Special Events
We are pleased to offer Day Camps whenever the local Shenandoah County Public School and Rockingham County Public School systems are closed with our new “School’s Out! Walkabout” series.
Then our Summer Camp series are back by popular demand! We will offer 6- weeks of sun&fun-filled activities on alternating weeks. We’ve designed these with maximum flexibility for families to balance the needs of children of varying ages. Each week is 3 days long (Tuesday-Thursday), and each session is 3 hours long (9-12 or 12-3), but families can also book an Extended Stay up until 6pm for a later pick-up.
Consider a Membership
Our members are our most loyal visitors who save BIG when they decide to purchase a membership, plus get access to exclusive member-only benefits such as special discounts on Birthday Parties and other private events, merchandise, food purchases at the Museum, and more! Membership perks include:
- 10% discount on parties & private party dates
- 25% off drinks, snacks, and gift shop purchases
- 50% off camp and special event registrations
- Priority registration to camps & events that are at risk of reaching capacity early
- Plus, access to our 50% off sibling discounts for memberships and all other registrations!
Now introducing our “Summer Fun” membership special– ideal for educators and families with school-aged children who have the summer off from school and our looking for more fun opportunities for little ones to meet, eat, learn, & play with peers!
Plan your Party or Private Playdate
We offer a variety of party packages so you can be sure to find the perfect one for your family or group of friends:
- The no fuss Midweek Meetup, starting at $100
- Our Pod Squad package for small parties, $200+
- The popular Party Animal option with gym, $300+
- Our Whole Herd celebration for up to 100, $400+
Explore our Schedule & Book your Visit:
Important Note: You can filter our offerings below by “Sessions” (i.e. classes), “Camps/Events,” “Memberships,” “Parties,” “Appointments” and more using the drop-down menu. Please reach out if you have any issues signing up for what you want!
First-time Visitor?
First, watch this 1 minute video to learn how to find us!