Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center

Most complete listing in Virginia AZA

Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center and its collection

Virginia Aquarium, opened in 2009, is an aquarium in Virginia Beach, United States.

The tanks hold more than 800,000 US gallons of fresh and salt water.

History

It opened on 14 June 1986 under the name Virginia Marine Science Museum, and an expansion in 1995 made it three times bigger. Restless Planet, a 12,000 sq ft run of displays, opened on 21 November 2009.

Exhibits

The Main Building traces water from Virginia's rivers through the Chesapeake Bay to the open sea, while the South Building holds river otters, a red octopus and moon jellies. A half-acre aviary behind the March Pavilion held 70 birds of about 30 species. The Adventure Park has more than 250 rope elements and over 30 ziplines, the longest crossing a creek for more than 300 feet.

Things to do

Things to do include Behind-the-Scenes Tours, Virtual Reality Pods, Boat Tours and Keeper Talks.

What the venue says

Mermaid Bay Café: located in the North Building (to the left of the Nature Trail entrance at the back of the large lobby foyer). It typically operates daily from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Member admission and parking are always FREE, but reservations are recommended in advance.
We are pleased to welcome all people of all ability levels to enjoy our exhibits and animals. See what accommodations we offer to make our facility more accessible for our guests!
Sensory Friendly Morning Second Saturday of the month | 7:30am-9:00am | North Building. Experience the Aquarium in a calm, comfortable, and sensory-friendly environment.

Images of Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center

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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, public-domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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Rlevse, CC-BY-SA-3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Rlevse, CC-BY-SA-3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Rlevse, CC-BY-SA-3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Virginia State Parks staff, CC-BY-2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Virginia State Parks staff, CC-BY-2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Virginia State Parks staff, CC-BY-2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Pezow, exsuigeneris, public-domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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Fredlyfish4, CC-BY-SA-4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters, public-domain, via Wikimedia Commons