A Capitol Hill family is celebrating 40 years of love and commitment with a gift for everybody. The Volunteer Park Conservatory will offer free admission for the holidays and to start 2019.

“We grew up walking to the Conservatory during my whole childhood, and I know my parents want everyone to be able to enjoy this beauty and peace,” Emmett Shear said in an announcement from Seattle Parks. “In their honor, I’m excited to be able to invite people to come for free to the Conservatory again.”

The free admission to the Conservatory begins Christmas Eve, December 24th, and runs through the end of February. A donation from the Bennett-Shear family and Shear, who leads the gaming entertainment company Twitch, as a gift from the children to celebrate their parents’ 40th wedding anniversary is making the treat possible.

The 107-year-old conservatory celebrated a “historically accurate” overhaul in 2014. The year before, the city began charging an admission fee to help cover costs at the facility that the city says draws around 90,000 visitors annually and requires about $450,000 a year to operate.

The Conservatory’s regular hours are Tuesday through Sunday, 10 AM to 4 PM — closed on Mondays except for the holidays. The Conservatory will be open on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, 10 AM – 3 PM. Regular admission will return starting March 1st: Adults $4; Youth $2; Kids under age 12 are always free.

The Conservatory’s Poinsettia and Holiday Train Display will be up and running through January 1st.

You can visit at 1400 E Galer inside Volunteer Park. Learn more at volunteerparkconservatory.org.

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