Explore. Discover. Collect.

Wonder Awaits! 

The holidays at the Clay Center are packed with magic—from dazzling performances and hands-on workshops to awe-inspiring planetarium shows and museum adventures! This year, we’re turning that excitement into an adventure of its own with our brand-new Wonder Season Passport program.

Let your passport become your key to exclusive rewards. The more you experience, the more you earn! It’s our way of celebrating you, our most enthusiastic guests, for making the Clay Center part of your holiday tradition.

How It Works

Visit the Clay Center between November 22 and December 31, 2025.

Each time you attend a qualifying event, receive one stamp in your passport.

Claim exclusive prizes after earning 4 and 8 stamps!

Official Rules

  • Patrons can receive a passport from Box Office staff upon request (one passport per person)

  • Patrons will earn one stamp for each Clay Center event attended (applies to all performances, workshops, planetarium films/shows, and museum explorations)

  • A ticket purchase/admission fee is required to receive a stamp (only one stamp per person per transaction)

  • Clay Center members can receive a stamp by showing their membership card for museum explorations and/or planetarium shows/films

  • Clay Center members can store their membership cards in the back of their passport by asking our Box Office staff for glue dots to secure their card to the passport

  • If a patron keeps their passport until the next season, they can redeem a free stamp(s) toward a future Wonder Season Passport program:

    • If their passport has at least 4 stamps, they get 1 free stamp during the next season

    • If their passport has 8 stamps, they get 2 free stamps during the next season

First Prize

4 STAMPS

Win a special edition Base Camp poster and Echo-Lit sticker sheet (available at the Clay Center Box Office).

Grand Prize

8 STAMPS

Win a limited edition custom West Virginia-themed brick set (available for pick-up at the Clay Center in January 2026)!

Every performance, concert, workshop, program, planetarium film, or museum visit counts toward your next stamp!

Pick up your passport at the Box Office today.

EXPLORE UPCOMING EVENTS AND EXPERIENCES

VIEW EVENTS
UPCOMING EVENTS
(SOLD OUT) Anne Wilson: The STARS Tour
Nov 22
(SOLD OUT) Anne Wilson: The STARS Tour

Join GRAMMY-nominated singer-songwriter Anne Wilson for a limited run of shows on The STARS Tour this October and November.

John Inghram’s Family Recipe | Emerging Artist Series
Nov 26
John Inghram’s Family Recipe | Emerging Artist Series

Get up close and personal with the band at the Roger L. Nicholson Emerging Artist Series at the Clay Center. (Formerly known as Sound Checks)

(SOLD OUT) DOLLY PARTON’S SMOKY MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS CAROL
Dec 3
(SOLD OUT) DOLLY PARTON’S SMOKY MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS CAROL

Set in the 1930s in the Smoky Mountains, this incredibly heartwarming, unforgettable production and amazing cast imagines Ebenezer Scrooge as the owner of a mining company town, where his callous greed blinds him to the joys and gifts of the season.

ZMM Architects and Engineers Pops Series presents: Sounds of the Season
Dec 6
ZMM Architects and Engineers Pops Series presents: Sounds of the Season

The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra has grown tremendously from when it started in 1939 as a partnership with local chemical plants in Charleston, WV.

Discovery Day Camp
Dec 10
Discovery Day Camp

Enjoy Discovery Day Camps at the Clay Center!

The Nutcracker presented by Charleston Ballet and WV Symphony
Dec 12
The Nutcracker presented by Charleston Ballet and WV Symphony

Experience an unforgettable holiday season with your loved ones by immersing yourself in the timeless classic of THE NUTCRACKER.

Family Gingerbread Workshop
Dec 13
Family Gingerbread Workshop

Families are invited to our annual gingerbread workshop to decorate a premade gingerbread house however they please! Guests can enjoy light refreshments and holiday music while choosing from candy and icing decorations, all provided by The Clay Center. 

You bring the creativity, and we’ll take care of the rest! 

Hot Cocoa with Santa
Dec 13
Hot Cocoa with Santa

Get ready for a holiday experience like no other! Join us for a magical day filled with festive fun as Santa himself makes a special stop to meet the kids! Not only will Santa be on-site to hear your Christmas wishes, but kids can unleash their creativity making a Candy Cane Christmas Tree and put together a Holiday Headband and Dancing Reindeer!

The Nutcracker presented by Charleston Ballet and WV Symphony
Dec 13
The Nutcracker presented by Charleston Ballet and WV Symphony

Experience an unforgettable holiday season with your loved ones by immersing yourself in the timeless classic of THE NUTCRACKER.

The Nutcracker presented by Charleston Ballet and WV Symphony
Dec 13
The Nutcracker presented by Charleston Ballet and WV Symphony

Experience an unforgettable holiday season with your loved ones by immersing yourself in the timeless classic of THE NUTCRACKER.

Messiah with the West Virginia Symphony Chorus
Dec 14
Messiah with the West Virginia Symphony Chorus

The West Virginia Symphony Orchestra has grown tremendously from when it started in 1939 as a partnership with local chemical plants in Charleston, WV.

Gin and Gingerbread
Dec 18
Gin and Gingerbread

Have you ever watched the Great British Bake Off and thought you would be REALLY good at decorating cookies? Well, now is your chance to prove it! At this age 21+ event, guests will work together to design Gingerbread houses using provided supplies while enjoying signature cocktails.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical presented by Children’s Theatre of Charleston
Dec 19
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical presented by Children’s Theatre of Charleston

With a heart “two sizes too small,” the Grinch despises the annual Christmas festivities of Who-ville from a solitary distance. Fed up, he carries out a plan to stop them once and for all, only to learn a lesson about opening his heart to the real meaning of Christmas.

North Pole-a-Palooza
Dec 20
North Pole-a-Palooza

Celebrate the shortest day of the year in a big way at the Clay Center! Dive into a family-friendly blend of snowy STEM activities, glowing solstice discoveries, and engaging shows that highlight the science, beauty, and wonder of the winter solstice.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical presented by Children’s Theatre of Charleston
Dec 20
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical presented by Children’s Theatre of Charleston

With a heart “two sizes too small,” the Grinch despises the annual Christmas festivities of Who-ville from a solitary distance. Fed up, he carries out a plan to stop them once and for all, only to learn a lesson about opening his heart to the real meaning of Christmas.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical presented by Children’s Theatre of Charleston
Dec 20
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical presented by Children’s Theatre of Charleston

With a heart “two sizes too small,” the Grinch despises the annual Christmas festivities of Who-ville from a solitary distance. Fed up, he carries out a plan to stop them once and for all, only to learn a lesson about opening his heart to the real meaning of Christmas.

Noon Year’s Eve
Dec 31
Noon Year’s Eve

Can’t stay up until midnight? No problem! Put on your dancing shoes and get ready to celebrate 2026 at NOON!

EXHIBITS
Good Business: Andy Warhol’s Screenprints
Juliet Art Museum
Good Business: Andy Warhol’s Screenprints
Juliet Art Museum

Good Business: Andy Warhol’s Screenprints examines why screenprints are an essential part of Warhol’s body of work. Facilitating experimentation and mass distribution, prints can be simultaneously challenging and accessible.

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Juliet Art Museum
West Virginia Creative Network Creative Entrepreneur Fellowship Exhibition
Juliet Art Museum
West Virginia Creative Network Creative Entrepreneur Fellowship Exhibition
Juliet Art Museum

The exhibition celebrates the 2025 West Virginia Creative Network’s Creative Entrepreneur Fellows, a group of eight artists and creative entrepreneurs recognized for their talents and innovative spirit.

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Juliet Art Museum
Water’s Extreme Journey
Avampato Discovery Museum
Water’s Extreme Journey
Avampato Discovery Museum

On view September 20 through January 4, Water’s Extreme Journey takes visitors on an exciting and important quest for clean water through West Virginia waterways.

Presented by Minotaur Mazes, a leading company in educational maze exhibits, Water’s Extreme Journey features interactive puzzles and activities that allow visitors to experience the journey of a water droplet.

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Avampato Discovery Museum
Makerspace
Avampato Discovery Museum
Makerspace
Avampato Discovery Museum

Step into the Clay Center Makerspace, our interactive exhibit where creativity, engineering, and problem-solving come to life!

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Avampato Discovery Museum
Space Lab
Caperton Planetarium & Theater, Avampato Discovery Museum
Space Lab
Caperton Planetarium & Theater, Avampato Discovery Museum

Prepare for launch! Step into Space Lab, a hands-on exploration of space science and interplanetary adventure. Whether you're defending Earth from incoming asteroids, engineering your own rocket, or mining asteroids for valuable resources, this immersive exhibit challenges visitors to think like scientists, engineers, and astronauts.

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Caperton Planetarium & Theater, Avampato Discovery Museum
WaterWorks
Avampato Discovery Museum
WaterWorks
Avampato Discovery Museum

In WaterWorks visitors play and work with water along sweeping flow routes, dramatic water falls, controlling the water to animate and energize everything in its path in an expression of water’s power. Along the way, they will experience the potential, kinetic and mechanical energy of water.

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Avampato Discovery Museum
Maier Foundation Music Studio 
Avampato Discovery Museum
Maier Foundation Music Studio 
Avampato Discovery Museum

In the Maier Foundation Music Studio, visitors see, listen to, move to, and create their own music; examine the scientific foundations of music they hear; and explore the mathematical concepts of rhythm, pattern, and harmony.

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Avampato Discovery Museum
Interactive Art Space
Juliet Art Museum
Interactive Art Space
Juliet Art Museum

Explore art in new and exciting ways! In our Interactive Art Space, guests of all ages can explore basic art principles while having fun.

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Juliet Art Museum
Healthy Me
Avampato Discovery Museum
Healthy Me
Avampato Discovery Museum

Focusing on the human body in motion, Healthy Me provides a safe environment to test your physical skills and learn why regular physical activity is essential to health.

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Avampato Discovery Museum
My Town
Avampato Discovery Museum
My Town
Avampato Discovery Museum

Enter a town much like Charleston but on a kid’s scale. In My Town, the kids have the jobs, get to spend (imaginary) money and participate in fun activities every day!

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Avampato Discovery Museum
Ashton’s Climbing Sculpture
Avampato Discovery Museum
Ashton’s Climbing Sculpture
Avampato Discovery Museum

See all three stories of the Clay Center from a new perspective as you climb a work of art. From kids to adults, everyone can take part in this interactive exhibit.

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Avampato Discovery Museum