"M" is for...Making Mother's
Day Magnificent This Year
Valley Forge area offers unique ways to celebrate Mom

KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. She's packed your lunches, kissed your boo-boos and stayed up with you during every bad dream, so what are you going to do for mom on her special day? These seven unique Mother's Day weekend options in the Valley Forge area and Montgomery County, Pennsylvania are sure to please the family matriarch.

Celebrate early on Saturday, May 8, at Abington Art Center's "CoffeeBreak," a relaxed "waking-up-to-art" morning featuring coffee tasting, pastry pairing and art. Meet artist Alison Stigora in the Jenkintown museum to discuss her sculptures and unique use of burnt wood. Admission is $5 for nonmembers. For more info, call 215-887-4882 ext 230.

Or bring mom to the 18th century, working Peter Wentz Farmstead, in Worcester, on Saturday. Treat her to a behind-the-scenes tour, from attic to basement, of this German-influenced Georgian-style house, considered among the elite of its time. Free tours start at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. To register, call 610-584-5104.

If she's an animal lover, she'll enjoy Elmwood Park Zoo's special Mother's Day Brunch, during which she'll receive free flowers and digital family photos. Located in the heart of Norristown, this 16-acre zoo features North and South American creatures in natural settings, as well as the largest open air bald eagle exhibit in the country. Reservations are available from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and noon to 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 9, and cost $15.00 per person, including zoo admission. Call 610-277-3825 ext. 240 to register.

Sunnybrook Ballroom, in Pottstown, is one of the few remaining large dance halls of the pre-World War II era and it's bringing back its Sunday Mother's Day Brunch. Reserved seating is available at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. for an extensive buffet prepared by The Food Muse. The cost is $27.95 for adults and $13.95 for children 4-12. Visit www.sunnybrookballroom.net for more information.

On Mother's Day, Villanova Conference Center, in Radnor, will offer a traditional brunch in its beautiful Montrose Mansion, with reserved seating at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The circa 1914 stone mansion features a dramatic staircase and grand architectural details and the event includes children's activities and special gifts for moms. It goes for $29 and $12.95 for adults and kids (5-12), respectively. Call 610-523-1762 to reserve.

Treat mom like a queen Sunday at the Crowne Plaza Valley Forge Hotel, in King of Prussia. For $32.95 for adults and $13.95 for children, mom and the family will enjoy a brunch fit for royalty. Beyond standard brunch fare with flair, make sure the honored guest leaves enough room to sample the Viennese table and ice cream sundae bar.

At the Radisson Hotel Valley Forge, adjacent to Valley Forge National Historical Park in King of Prussia, mom can enjoy a scrumptious meal accented by a chocolate fountain, glistening ice carvings and live entertainment. The Mother's Day Champagne Brunch buffet runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and costs $29.95 for adults; $27.95 for seniors; and $9.95 for children 6-12. Visit www.radissonbrunch.com to make reservations.

Embellished by history, art, animal and avian friends, or fabulous food, it's still the time spent together in Valley Forge and Montgomery County that mom will cherish the most on her day.

For more information about these and other events this Mother's Day weekend, and year-round, visit www.valleyforge.org.

The Valley Forge Convention and Visitors Bureau, Ltd. is a nonprofit, membership-based sales and marketing organization that aggressively promotes the Valley Forge area and Montgomery County as a convention site and leisure visitor destination by encouraging patronage of its 500-plus member hotels, restaurants, attractions and services. The Bureau's Web site, at www.valleyforge.org, serves visitors, meeting planners, tour operators and residents.

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