Gari Melchers Home and Studio will offer Family Tours geared to children ages 5-12 during the summer months at a new reduced price. Two children will be admitted free with each paying adult. Family-friendly tours will be available daily at 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Tours are free for members of Friends of Belmont. Prior registration for family tours is not necessary.
This summer’s Family Tour theme is “Children at Belmont.” Various vignettes throughout the historic 1790s house will depict the experiences of several children who either lived at Belmont or who visited the Melchers for extended periods of time. Homemade ice cream parties, a puppet show featuring Corinne’s original hand puppets, fishing for eels in the Rappahannock River, feeding “Polly” the parrot and other fun stories will be shared with guests. The hands-on, inquiry-based tour is followed by family-based exploration in the art galleries. After the tour, guests are encouraged to extend their experience by sketching outside or exploring the garden in search of items in the “Itty Bitty Belmont” scavenger hunt.
Gari Melchers Home and Studio is a 26-acre estate and former residence of the artist Gari Melchers and his wife Corinne. The property, which is operated by the University of Mary Washington, is both a Virginia Historic Landmark and a National Historic Landmark. Located at 224 Washington St. in Falmouth, Va., a quarter mile west of the intersection of U.S. 1 and U.S. 17, it is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The museum also serves as the official Stafford County Visitor Center.
For directions and other information, call (540) 654-1015 or visit the museum Web site at www.GariMelchers.org.