Enjoy a Tropical PLAYcation at Long Island Children's Museum

The Long Island Children’s Museum is holding a fun-in-the-sun event Friday to give local families the February break Superstorm Sandy cut short.

The event will also serve as a fundraiser for the museum to help recoup losses incurred after the storm, especially this week, which is typically the busiest visitation week of the year for the museum.

Tropical PLAYcation Night will take place between 6-9 p.m. Friday.

“Presidents Day typically kicks off a week-long school break for Long Island kids, and the busiest visitation week at the Long Island Children’s Museum,” said LICM spokesperson Maureen Mangan. “Hurricane Sandy changed those plans as most school districts cut back or cancelled this break week outright due to lost instructional time.”

Though LICM was able to re-open quickly following Sandy, LICM president Suzanne LeBlanc said the museum is still feeling the financial impact months later as visitation declined after the storm and subsequent nor’easter.

LeBlanc added that field trip cancellations and changes to district calendars only deepened shortfalls in earned income, which helps support LICM’s community outreach efforts.

“We wanted to create a an event that would allow families to easily show their support for LICM and its community programs while giving families something they’ve missed out on family break week fun,” she said.

Ticket prices for the evening are set at $12 per person. Here's what's on tap for the night:

• Visitors will be welcomed with leis as they enter the museum.
• Visitors are encouraged to dress for fun in the sun.
• AdLib Steel Orchestra will provide steel drum music for the night.
• At various activity stations, visitors can make seashore shell necklaces, decorate sun visors and fans and create a Palm Tree shaker (musical instrument) to play along with the musicians.
• Face painting and tropical island treats, as well as a beach games area will also be available.
• AAA will run a prize wheel for the kids.
• Join Nature Nick and his tropical animal friends for three shows in the theater (6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 p.m.) featuring animals from South America, Africa and South East Asia (additional fee for theater shows is$4).

“This is the first time we’ve held this event,” Mangan said. “This week is typically the busiest attendance week of the year for LICM (and many other family-focused venues) and represents a significant impact to our bottom line. We set the admission price for Tropical PLAYcation so that it would be an affordable way to help families support the museum.”

Purchase tickets in advance online.