Virginia Living Museum

Virginia Living Museum and its collection

Virginia Living Museum, opened in 1966, is a zoo in Newport News, United States.

The museum combines elements of an aquarium, a science centre, an aviary, a botanical preserve and a planetarium.

History

The Junior Nature Museum and Planetarium was the original institution, opened in 1966 as a joint undertaking of the Warwick Rotary Club and the Junior League of Hampton Roads under the state governor. An enlargement in 1976 added physical and applied sciences and brought a new name, the Peninsula Nature and Science Center. Aviary, planetarium, botanical preserve, science centre and aquarium are now combined in the one institution.

Exhibits

Indoor galleries recreate environments found in the state, among them a 30,000-gallon Chesapeake Bay tank, a mountain cove, a cypress swamp and a cave. Outside there is a 5,500 sq ft aviary, a waterfall trail, a butterfly garden and a three-quarter-mile boardwalk. Animals along the boardwalk include bobcat, otter, beaver, coyote and red wolf.

What the venue says

• hands-on touch tanks
• indoor aviaries
• daily animal training sessions and keeper talks
• The on-site Satë Café offers breakfast, lunch items, snacks, and beverages, complete with outdoor seating in a patio area. Covered outdoor picnic areas are also available if you prefer to bring your own food.
• Free parking is readily available in the extensive primary and secondary lots directly adjacent to the museum grounds, which also accommodate buses.
• The facility is fully accessible to guests with disabilities, featuring smooth indoor corridors and a wooden boardwalk trail outdoors that is stroller- and wheelchair-friendly.
• A limited number of wheelchairs and strollers are available to borrow on a first-come, first-served basis at no extra charge.