The Virginia Living Museum in Newport News, Virginia, is a great place to go with the whole family. This laid back museum is the perfect place to explore for a few hours.
The Virginia Museum has more than 250 living species that are native to Virginia.
They have a wide variety of animals including:
- marine life such as fish, seahorses, horseshoe crabs, and jellyfish. All of the animals in their care have been orphaned, injured, or are unable to released into the wild
- reptiles such as snakes, turtles, and an alligator
- mammals such as deer, otters, wolves, and foxes
- birds
What Can I Do at the Virginia Living Museum?
The Virginia Living Museum has a lot of different things to do.
Inside, there are aquariums with a variety of different types of fish. The aquariums areas are dark, so the fish really stand out.
There are also green house walkways where many of the reptiles are housed. One time, we were lucky enough to see an alligator training session. Who knew that an alligator could learn verbal commands!
One of my favorite indoor attractions is the pretend play station. Here, children can pretend to take care of, feed, or pet the (stuffed) animals. This experiential exhibit is great for children ages 1-10.
While the Virginia Living Museum isn’t the largest museum around, it has so many neat exhibits. There is a small marine life area where you can touch sea life, a library of interesting Virginia finds such as animal skulls and turtle shells, a beehive where you can watch busy bees work, and a long hollow log to crawl through.
Additionally, there is a large special exhibit area that features different exhibits seasonally. The last one they had there was a pollinator’s exhibit, all about bees. It was a fantastic, fun learning experience that included a hands on games for all ages.
Outside, you’ll find gorgeous trails with animal exhibits on either side.
These picturesque wooden trails take you to the bird house, the otters, the larger mammals, and the Dinosaur Discovery Trail.
The Dinosaur Discover Trail is an area where you can spend a good amount of time. There is an area to build with large blocks, dinosaur and fake bone exhibits to climb on, a sand box to dig for dinosaur bones in, and more.
Lastly, there is an upper area outside where you’ll find the butterfly garden, a “green” house (to learn ways to make your home eco-friendly), the planetarium, and the fairy garden.
One of the things that I love most about the Virginia Living Museum is that it allows for imaginative play. Instead of just having things for families to look at, the Virginia Museum has several areas where children can just enjoy playing. This makes it a great place for small children.
Virginia Living Museum Hours of Operation
The Virginia Living Museum is open daily from 9am – 5pm daily.
The staff are friendly and knowledgeable, and always seem happy to answer questions.
Throughout the day, the museum has shows at various exhibits where they demonstrate how they feed and train the animals. So be sure to ask the front desk staff or check the website for the day’s feeding exhibitions.
In addition, they have a classroom that focuses on special topics for larger groups or schools. The staff explain things on a level that children understand, and they love the presentations.
How Long Does It Take To Go Through The Virginia Living Museum?
The Virginia Living Museum typically takes around two or more hours to go through.
It is really a place where you can spend as much or as little time as you want. If you are the type of family that wants to see and do everything, plan to head to the Virginia Living Museum early.
You can spend a good hour or more inside the museum looking at the aquariums, playing in the pretend play area, trying to find the queen in the beehive, and observing reptiles in the greenhouse walkways.
If you’re looking for something to do with your children on a rainy afternoon in Newport News, the indoor area will keep them busy for a while.
When you’re finished with that, another hour or so can be spent walking the trails to see the different animals, experiencing the Dinosaur Discovery Trail, taking in a show at the Planetarium, checking out the bird house, and enjoying the butterfly walkway. Oh, and don’t forget to visit the fairy garden for a quiet retreat.
Oh, and be sure to remember that the outdoor area closes earlier than the indoor space. Typically, they close the outdoor area around 4:30pm, while the indoor area stays open until 5pm.
How Big is the Virginia Living Museum?
The Virginia Living Museum is just about the perfect size. It isn’t so big that you’re exhausted by the time you’re done with it, but it is big enough that you’ll leave feeling like the admission cost was money well spent. Every area is well done, and the whole experience is very enjoyable.
What Ages is the Virginia Living Museum Good For?
The Virginia Living Museum is great children of any age, but I find it to be particularly fun for kids aged 1-12.
Does the Virginia Living Museum have military discount?
The Virginia Living Museum offers a military discount on membership, but not on individual admission. The membership is good for a year, and is very reasonably priced (around $125 for a family of 6).
Final Thoughts on the Virginia Living Museum
The Virginia Living Museum is one of my favorite things to do in Newport News, Virginia. It is educational and fun. The museum has a very informal, laid back vibe to it.
If you are looking for something to do with children in Newport News, the Virginia Living Museum should definitely be on your shortlist!
I love the Virginia Living Museum. They have a gift shop with all types of fun animals like foxes and other types of cute animals. If you have a little kid, there is a zookeeper place that is pretend. It also has vet stuff and little stuffed animals. You can be a zookeeper or a veterinarian. They also have a dinosaur park where you can build stuff and dig up dinosaur bones with little brushes. You can also see their skeletons, faces and footprints. There is a trail that takes you here with all sorts of cool animals on the way. For example, they have a buck, a wolf, a fox, and an eagle. There’s so much cool stuff at the Living Museum. Look at it soon. You might see some things that you’ve never seen before.
A Child’s Perspective on the Virginia Living Museum