Virginia Living Museum: Encounter Native Wildlife & Dinosaurs
4.5
28 Ratings
Newport News
Encounter native wildlife and dinosaurs at the Virginia Living Museum. Get up close to endangered red wolves, loggerhead turtles, and jellyfish. Explore indoor and outdoor habitats and discover Virginia's natural heritage.
Duration:
6 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
learn more
Highlights
- Virginia Living Museum - Take a natural history tour of Virginia with indoor and outdoor live animal exhibits and hands-on activities. Stroll the elevated boardwalk to view coastal birds, bald eagles, beavers, bobcat, river otters, red wolves and other animals in naturalized habitats. Explore the outdoor Dinosaur Discovery Trail with 16 life-like dinosaurs, interactive paleo camp and dig pits, plus dinosaur and ice age fossils. Role play in out Wild and Well Clinic. Exhibits correlate with and reinforce national science standards.
The museum is located at 524 J. Clyde Morris Blvd.
Newport News (I-64, exit 258-A). Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.daily. Outdoor areas open until 4:30pm.
Cafe and Museum Store available.
What's Included
- Admission ticket to Virginia Living Museum
What's Not Included
- Behind-the-Scenes tours are offered for an additional fee.
- Planetarium shows are available onsite for additional fees.
- The Wild Side Café offers breakfast, lunch and snack items plus outdoor seating in a patio area flanking the beautiful conservation garden.
- Photo booth is offered in lobby for additional fee.
Additional Information
Welcome to Virginia’s showcase for Animal Enthusiasts and Dinosaur Devotees! Encounter the endangered red wolves. Experience a close encounter with a loggerhead turtle and jellyfish. Witness eels from the Moray species, blind fish and chameleon-like frogs. Touch a real-life spider crab and dinosaur fossil. Journey through indoor and outdoor environments, and observe more native wildlife of Virginia than you could ever see in your lifetime! All of this can be found at the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News, where live displays represent Virginia’s natural legacy from the heights of the mountains to the depths of the sea. The museum introduces its visitors to over 250 living species indigenous to Virginia (including 12 that are designated as endangered or threatened), via its displays, discovery centers, interactive exhibits, and an outdoor Dinosaur Discovery Path.
- Limited number of wheelchairs and strollers available for no extra fee.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
Location
Virginia Living Museum
524 J Clyde Morris Blvd,
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.5
(28 Ratings)
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Musicmel
Oct 13, 2023
Great family Museum - Nice museum even when it rains! We enjoyed our trip to this museum Lots if hands on exhibits for families and many opportunities for children Our grand daughter (4yrs) enjoyed putting on butterfly wings and traveling through an obstacle course (an indoor activity) When the rain stopped we walked on the board walk through the beautiful wooded area to the dinosaur park! It was really nice even though it was wet. Loved the informational stops on the boardwalk including the wingspan of an eagle. Indoors there was a great area showcasing the flora fauna and animals of VA including a great aquarium. They did not forget an area showcasing the caves of Va . The Vet area for the babies and toddlers was really a nice hands on exhibit.
The ordering on line was great. Since this was a fall excursion, the place was not as crowded as I would imagine a spring or summer crowd might be. The timed entrance was easy and we got in very quickly so we could enjoy our visit.Great visit really easy to see in a morning or afternoon visit.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jenniferwatkins
May 29, 2023
Rainy Day Fun - So much to see and the perfect rainy day activity for the kiddos. The girls loved the dinosaur exhibit.
Review provided by Viator
Ava
Apr 8, 2023
Super Fun - This place was super awesome. Went there about a month ago in Match during reptile weekend or something. It was my first time there. A lot of cool exhibits to look at. Loved going outside to see the red wolves and the bobcat. The huge tanks were super pretty to look at as well. My favorites were the fox, wolves, eel, giant ispod, and the lion fish. The gift shop has pretty good prices and cool items to buy. Overall a 5/5 experience will be going again :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shera_a
Mar 17, 2023
My daughter and I had an... - My daughter and I had an amazing time at the Virginia living museum. It’s so educational and interactive for the kids !! 10/10 experience for us !
Review provided by Viator
Fisher05
Feb 19, 2023
Great place to visit! - This is a great place, and we will definitely return. We all enjoyed the planetarium show, & seeing all the animals at this museum.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Hafer1002
Aug 27, 2022
Wonderful exhibits and very clean - Had a great time. We would definitely take our grandchildren here so good for kids and even adults. Place is super clean even inside the exhibits and aquariums. A recommendation to go to if your in the area.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Judy_k
Sep 1, 2023
Visit - Enjoyed the dinosaurs. Nice for children to learn and play. My Great Grandsons had a Good time exploring.
Review provided by Viator
Laterra_m
Jun 5, 2023
Great family museum! - As "out of towners" we had a great time at the Virginia Living Museum as a family. Both my toddlers (boy and girl) are dinosaur lovers and that is what attracted us there! They had so much fun and we made some beautiful memories! I would have gave the museum 5 stars but they had NO FOOD VENDOR 😣 That was a lot of walking and exploring to not have any food or drinks available for purchase. Aside from that, an awesome place to visit especially with small children.
Review provided by Viator
Matjaz2002
Jan 31, 2023
Good Family Fun - Actually, my older kids had a good time here. I thought it might have been to kiddish for them, but they had a good time. We will come back with our grandchild when she is old enough. The display are very good.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
54cornellc
Feb 5, 2024
Call in advance to be sure VLM is open or closing early. - This probably isn’t fair to VLM but my out of town son and his family accompanied my wife and me to VLM or tried to do so yesterday. Got there at 1400 and the museum was closing for a “by invitation” wine and cheese event. So lesson here: Just call ahead to be sure they are on their advertised hours. It is a wonderful place for children and adults to experience and learn about the fascinating mysteries of nature and learn.
Review provided by Tripadvisor