Animal-themed activities from December 26 to January 3, Extended Hours, Museum remains open on January 1
Animals take over the ROM! ROM for the Holidays returns to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) December 26, 2009 to January 3, 2010. The Museum celebrates the holiday season with an exciting line-up of winter and animal-themed activities for the entire family. Programs include special live animal shows in the Eaton Theatre, hands-on visits with live animals in the Schad Gallery of Biodiversity and a Museum scavenger hunt. ROM for the Holidays activities take place between 11:00 am and 4:30 pm and are included with Museum admission.
During ROM for the Holidays, the Museum is offering special extended hours. Starting December 26, 2009, right through until January 3, 2010, the ROM is open from 10:00 am to 8:30 pm (9:30 pm on Fridays). In addition to the regular Half Price Friday Nights, presented by: Sun Life Financial, the ROM is offering special on-site half-price admission after 4:30 pm every day throughout ROM for the Holidays. The Museum will be open on December 31, 2009 and January 1, 2010, and closed on Friday, December 25, 2009.
PROGRAMMING
The ROM officially launches into the holiday spirit the weekend of November 27, 2009. The season begins with the lighting of a holiday tree in the Museum’s Bloor Street entrance accompanied by Victorian carolers singing holiday classics. Decorated with a variety of exotic and indigenous plush animal toys, this towering 25-foot tree is sure to put all in a jolly spirit.
Starting December 27, visitors will channel their wild sides inside the Eaton Theatre where the Earth Rangers will present special live animal shows featuring exquisite creatures including Cosmo the ring-tailed lemur, Sammy the serval cat, a bald eagle, red-tailed hawk and other birds of prey.
These shows promise to be a fun and informative experience for all. Visitors can also get up-close and personal with a variety of reptiles and insects in the Schad Gallery of Biodiversity on Level 2 of the Museum’s Historic Wing.
The Earth Rangers Studio inside the Schad Gallery will be transformed into a winter wonderland. Kids of all ages can follow a winding path in a snowy wood, learn to identify animal tracks and discover how animals survive an Ontario winter. In the Rotunda on Level 1 kids can dress up as their favourite animals and make winter-animal masks to take home. The whole family can prowl the Museum in a scavenger hunt and enter a draw to win a ROM Family Membership.
ROM RESTAURANTS AND RETAIL
Beginning November 27, 2009, ROM restaurants offer a variety of seasonally-inspired menu items and programs. Food Studio, the Museum’s casual family restaurant, celebrates with special festive demonstrations and promotions during mealtimes throughout the holidays. On December 7 and 8 from 6:30 to 9:00 pm, kick off the season with a Holiday Bake-off in Food Studio as Chef Joshna shares some simple but impressive recipes for seasonal sweets from around the globe. Participants work in teams in a professional kitchen to create delicious cookies and pastries, each taking home six-dozen sweets. Cost is $80 per person plus PST and GST.
c5 Restaurant, a unique fine dining experience at the pinnacle of the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, offers elegant three-course lunch ($38, plus taxes and gratuities) and dinner ($68, plus taxes and gratuities) menus featuring local, artisanal dishes. c5 also continues its popular Afternoon Tea, now served on Vera Wang-designed Wedgwood china, on Friday and Saturday afternoons from 3:00 to 5:00 pm. Or, relax after holiday shopping with a leisurely Sunday Brunch ($36 for adults, $25 for children, plus taxes and gratuities). On New Years Eve c5 offers a delicious three-course, prix fixe dinner menu from 5:30 to 7:00 pm ($68, plus taxes and gratuities) or an equally sumptuous five-course chef’s tasting menu from 8:00 to 10:30 pm ($98, plus taxes and gratuities). Visit www.rom.on.ca for daily holiday menus and restaurant hours.
For all your holiday shopping, the ROM Museum Store carries a wide array of merchandise, including jewellery, home décor, clothing, stationary, and much more. A popular holiday gift and coffee table must-have is Vanity Fair Portraits, a catalogue companion to the exhibition, Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913 – 2008, presented by the Bay. This visually striking 256-page catalogue traces the cultural history of the 20th century through the birth and evolution of portrait photography. Vanity Fair Portraits is available from the ROM Museum Store for $59.99, plus applicable taxes.
Wrap up a ROM Gift Membership this holiday season and give a world of experiences. ROM Gift Memberships start at just $50 and include free entry to the Museum, a subscription to ROM Magazine, invitations to exclusive members events and more. Plus, your gift supports the ROM’s collections and research. For more gift ideas available at the ROM Museum Store or to shop online, visit http://rom.enssc.com/. For information on extended holiday hours, please visit www.rom.on.ca.