Virginia Air and Space Center (and a giveaway!)

The City of Hampton asked us recently to visit the Virginia Air and Space Center and we were only too excited to take them up on the offer! We've visited VASC before but if there's one thing we learned on previous visits it's that there is so much to see there that one visit doesn't cover it all. The Virginia Air and Space Center is that rare place that manages to entertain parents and kids alike
and when we find a place like that, we put it on our favorites list and go back again and again.

VASC is really a local gem, a place where science and innovation meet, showcasing so much of what makes the Hampton Roads area important in the area of aerospace exploration. With a collection of vintage biplanes to WWII bombers to rockets and space capsules, the whole history of aviation and space exploration in the US is represented. Besides the planes (which are truly awesome in the truest sense of the word), the center is dotted with hands-on exhibits that make out-of-this-world seem a little closer to home (Anouk could not wrap her head around the fact that she was able to actually touch rocks from outer space, and to be honest, neither could I).

We built paper airplanes and tested them, took turns "flying" a commercial jetliner (James's favorite part), and climbed the outdoor observation deck to take in the beautiful view of downtown Hampton. The center had set up a craft table where kids could make silly putty from simple ingredients, so we did that, too. And we still have more to look forward to for our next visit: the state of the art IMAX theatre, the MaxFlight simulator, and the Simulated Ride Vehicle (SRV), which takes riders on a journey through a Haunted Mine!





One lucky reader and their family will also have the chance to experience the VASC as we did, free of charge -- the City of Hampton is hosting a giveaway for a FREE annual family pass to the Virginia Air and Space Center! The membership will include free admission for one year for two adults and dependent children living at the same address, 4 IMAX tickets, 4 MaxFlight tickets, unlimited rides on the SRV, and all of the other benefits that membership affords.

To enter, simply sign up to join the City of Hampton's enews list to keep up with events going on around the city. For extra chances to win, you can like Hampton's Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts (and follow Virginia Air and Space Center as well). The giveaway will run through June 3, and a winner will be notified the next day.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you're looking for more fun to be had in Hampton, don't forget to check out the upcoming Blackbeard Festival, which runs May 31 to June 1 and looks to be a ton of fun for little pirate lovers out there!