Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art Thanksgiving Family Art Studio & Gallery Walk

About this adventure

Located just blocks from the oceanfront near the Virginia Beach ViBe Creative District, the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (Virginia MOCA) presents an inspiring Thanksgiving weekend arts destination with free admission for all. Rather than housing a permanent collection, Virginia MOCA showcases rotating contemporary exhibitions highlighting painting, sculpture, photography, and multimedia installations by regionally and internationally acclaimed artists. Families can pick up interactive gallery scavenger hunt activity cards at the front desk to guide young viewers through thought-provoking visual artworks. The highlight for kids is ARTlab, an immersive hands-on creative maker space where children and parents can experiment with recycled materials, sculpt clay, build geometric structures, and create gratitude-themed mixed-media collages to take home. Family Experience & Accessibility: • Stroller Accessibility: Fully accessible single-story museum layout with broad, polished concrete corridors and automatic entrance doors making stroller travel effortless. • Nursing & Rest Spots: Quiet lounge seating in the central atrium, designated private nursing areas upon request, and spotless family restrooms with changing stations. • Age Suitability: Welcoming for all ages; ARTlab hands-on activities are ideally geared for toddlers, preschoolers, and elementary school children ages 2 to 12. • Sensory Tips: Calm, brightly lit gallery spaces with low acoustic levels; ARTlab provides tactile, hands-on sensory engagement in a relaxed environment.