Virginia Living Museum

07/11/2025

🤿 Under the Sea Pajama Jam is only a week away!

Slip into your coziest pajamas and dive into a night of ocean-inspired fun at the Virginia Living Museum. Pajama Jam – Under the Sea is a splashy family night featuring a live DJ, underwater-themed crafts, light snacks, and sea-riously fun activities for kids of all ages.

🪩 Grab your tickets: bit.ly/4eKAWI9

07/10/2025

Baby Oyster Toadfish are now able to be viewed in our Oyster Reef exhibit (formerly our Blue Crab exhibit near the front desk)!

Did you know that Oyster Toadfish are one of the few species that have flown into space? They flew on two shuttle flights - STS-90 and STS-95 because their inner ear structures are similar to humans, they were sent to space to study the effects of microgravity on the vestibular system!

The studies showed that the toadfish experienced difficulty with their balance during the first 30 hours after returning to Earth. This suggests that they adapted to microgravity and needed to re-adapt to Earth's gravity upon their return.

Swing by and see how many of these adorable babies you can spot!

07/09/2025

Stay Up Late With Us—The Night Sky Awaits!

When the sun sets, the stars—and lasers—come out to play at the Virginia Living Museum! Join us after hours for an evening of stargazing through telescopes and a rotating lineup of laser light shows in the Abbitt Planetarium.

Our astronomy team will be on hand to guide you through Virginia’s night sky. From planets to constellations, you’ll see the universe like never before—weather permitting, telescopes will be set up in the Abbitt Observatory or Conservation Garden.

This Month’s Laser Lineup:

6pm – Virginia Skies

7pm – Ready Player One

8:30pm – Laser Zeppelin

10pm – Pink Floyd’s The Wall

Whether you’re here for science or for soundtracks synced to stunning visuals, it’s a night you won’t forget.

07/08/2025

Sink Your Teeth Into Shark Month! 🌊🦈

Sharks play a jaw-some role in keeping our oceans healthy—now it’s your turn to celebrate and help protect these incredible creatures!

📸 Strike a Pose:
All July long, snap your fiercest pics with our fin-tastic photo ops: climb into a shark cage, stand in the jaws of a Megalodon, or pose with our playful shark cutout near the elevators!

🎉 Dive into Discovery (Saturday, July 12: 10AM–2PM):
Explore the glowing world of deep-sea sharks at our biofluorescence station, get hands-on with real shark biofacts at our conservation table, or challenge your aim with the shark toss game. From July 14–18, don’t miss our live Shark & Ray Talk with touchable elements (11AM–12PM only)! Catch the 2:30PM feeding at our Chesapeake Bay Aquarium and learn how local sharks use the bay as a nursery. Then stop by the VIMS and Virginia Aquarium stations to explore cutting-edge shark science happening right here in Virginia.

🦷 Get Crafty & Dig In:
Create your own shark tooth necklace, sift through sand to uncover hidden shark teeth, and see if you’re one of the lucky few to find a replica Megalodon tooth in our outdoor dig pit.

✋ Touch a Shark!
Meet our Chain Catsharks in the touch pool beginning July 12—open weekdays 10AM–2PM and weekends 10AM–4PM!

🎟 Go Behind the Scenes:
Join our Cold-Blooded Tour Saturday the 12th at 2PM to see how we care for sharks and other scaly friends. Ages 8+, limited to 10 guests. $30 public / $25 members.

Let’s make waves for shark conservation this July! 💙
👉 More info & booking: https://thevlm.org/events/shark-week/

07/05/2025

If you’ve been hearing loud “gunk-gunk-gunk” calls around ponds lately, there’s a good chance you’re near a green frog! These native amphibians are in full breeding mode right now, and females are laying hundreds—sometimes thousands—of eggs in shallow, still water.

Green frog eggs are usually laid in loose, jelly-like clusters that float near the surface or attach to submerged vegetation.

After just a few days, tadpoles will hatch and begin their journey to frog-hood, feeding on algae and plant matter while avoiding predators like fish, birds, and even their amphibian neighbors!

Healthy wetlands and ponds are essential for these frogs and their developing young—so if you see egg masses, give them space and enjoy the miracle of metamorphosis from afar!

Have you spotted our green frog eggs? Share your photos and help us celebrate Virginia’s amazing amphibians! 📸💚

07/04/2025

Happy Fourth of July! 🎆

We are open today with themed enrichment for our animals and showings of Spirit of America!

Saté Café is closed today but will resume normal hours tomorrow.

07/03/2025

The Green Teens program engages volunteers ages 15 - 18 to learn about environmental issues, conservation action, and the effects of pollution on local and global ecosystems.

Each year, the Green Teens focus on a few conservation projects around the Museum, engaging community members in their work through educational activities, partnerships, and participation in special events.

This year, the Green Teens will be sprucing and setting up the Museum’s outdoor
classroom space, allowing our guests to take place in educational experiences across our grounds. Additionally, the Teens will be creating a conservation project that allows guests and community members to engage and connect with hands-on conservation.

Interested in getting involved?

Green Teens are looking for new members! Community members ages 15 - 18 are
welcome to apply, including current volunteers.

Please email [email protected] or call (757) 534-7438 for more details.

Thank you Virginia Natural Gas for supporting our Green Teens!

07/03/2025

07/02/2025

Happy World Porcupine Day!

Our beloved North American porcupine Danni has been working diligently with our keepers and during recent husbandry training sessions to help learn to stand upright for vet care, our keepers noticed a few clues that prompted a closer look. After some follow-up testing, we officially confirmed… he’s actually a he!

Young animals like Danni, who’s just over a year old don’t show clear external differences between males and females when they’re young, and porcupines are no exception. Thanks to ongoing training and careful observation from our incredible animal care team, we caught this early.

Danni is a curious, climbing, veggie-loving porcupine we are fortunate to know and love. We’re always learning alongside our animals and observation and trust between them and their care teams lead to better understanding and quality of life. Stop by and say hi today to help us celebrate Danni — and porcupines everywhere — on !

07/01/2025

We will be open on July 4th!

Come by and cool off with our spitting dinosaur, stop by our touch pool to visit our critters, visit the trail animals, and if you're looking to do something before fireworks or looking to skip fireworks all together, grab your tickets to our laser show Spirit of America!

Show times are 5:00, 6:00, & 7:00pm, tickets available at: https://thevlm.org/events/independence-day-laser-shows/

06/30/2025

In 1966, the Junior League of Hampton Roads helped launch what is now the Virginia Living Museum, opening the doors to the Junior Nature Museum and Planetarium.

Nearly 60 years later, their legacy of impact continues. We were honored to welcome Sarah and Regan from JLHR and are deeply grateful for their recent grant supporting our Public and Classroom Outreach programs.

This funding helps us connect more students and families across Hampton Roads with hands-on science education and meaningful encounters with Virginia’s incredible wildlife. Together, we’re building a future where curiosity and conservation thrive.

Thank you, JLHR, for being part of our story—then, now, and always.

06/29/2025

A huge thank you to everyone who came out yesterday to help with our Turtle Census! With your help, we captured a total of 33 turtles—15 new individuals and 18 recaptures. Every shell counted helps us monitor the population and movement of our native and invasive turtle populations.

This year marks the 15th year of this incredible community science program, and we’re so grateful to our staff, volunteers and guests who make it possible year after year. Your curiosity, care, and support help us protect Virginia’s wild turtles and their habitats.

We couldn’t do it without you and we're looking forward to the next two rounds of this year's turtle census!

Thank you Dominion Energy for sponsoring this conservation program!