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Birthday Parties

Celebrate your special day with a one of a kind experience at the Virginia Living Museum. Meet our animal ambassadors up close during a private animal presentation by one of the Museum’s professional educators.

Enjoy a self-guided tour of our exhibits that showcase some of Virginia’s amazing native wildlife. Connect with nature and view the Chesapeake Bay’s most interesting animals, explore the World of Darkness and our Virginia caves, and experience prehistoric times at our Dinosaur Discovery Trail.

Days: Saturdays and Sundays
Times: 10am or 1:30pm
Prices: See packages below

All Birthday Parties include:

  • Free admission to all indoor and outdoor natural history exhibits (up to 30 people including yourselves, children age 2 and under are free to the Museum and are not included in your count). This includes members and non-members. Additional people will be charged $15 per person.
  • A party room for 2.5 hours – 30 minutes to set up, 1.5 hours party time, 30 minutes to clean up
  • Tables (approx. 6’x 2½’) and chairs

You will provide:

  • All food, ice, beverages, candles, and matches.
  • Paper products and utensils.

Restrictions

  • Sorry, no refrigeration or freezer facilities are available.
  • Please do NOT bring any piñatas, glitter, confetti, silly string, poppers, stickers, stick on vinyl, etc.
  • For the health and safety of our animals, balloons are NOT allowed inside the Museum.
  • Alcohol is not allowed.

Indoor Party Package Details

Pricing: Member Rate: $300.00 

Non-Member Rate: $325.00 

Extra Guests (Non-member, Ages 3 and up): $15.00 

Includes

  • Printable and digital invitation 
  • All day admission to the Virginia Living Museum for all guests
  • Store Coupon for birthday child
  • 4 tables in party room 
  • 30 guests (all individuals attending the party who are 3+) 
  • Dedicated Birthday Party Attendant

Birthday Party Add-Ons 

Aquarium Birthday Dives

Host a birthday celebration like no other! With a Birthday Dive, our expert aquarium divers will help you make a special memory that will last a lifetime. This add-on experience includes an entertaining dive show that ends with a special sign held up by our divers — the perfect photo opp!

Cost: $150.00

Tours and Shows

Guided Tours and Behind the Scenes Tours can be added to a morning and afternoon birthday party at these scheduled times – 12:00 & 3:30 p.m. We can only host one group per time slot unless special accommodations are made to schedule an additional educator for that day. Planetarium shows can be scheduled at 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

All add-ons are $75.00 with number of attendees and ages listed below.

Guided Tour (up to 30 guests; all ages)
The Virginia Living Museum is home to many wonderful animals with an important story on how we can become better stewards of our local wildlife and ecosystems. Join our educator for a 45-minute guided exploration of our outdoor trail. 

Behind the Scenes Tour (up to 10 guests; ages 8 and up)
Learn how we care for our animals and design exhibits with this 45-minute behind-the-scenes look at our four exhibit galleries and animal ambassadors.

Private Planetarium Show (up to 71 guests; all ages)
Explore the night sky in your very own private planetarium show for you and your birthday guests. Select from a variety of shows based on your interest and age level. 

Ambassador Animal Encounters

The Virginia Living Museum’s ambassador animals are available for a variety of conservation education programs. Due to the needs of our animals and our program needs, we cannot guarantee specific ambassadors. The ambassador animals for each party will be chosen based on animal health, welfare, and use guidelines set by the Virginia Living Museum.

Standard Encounter (up to 30 guests; all ages; $50)
Meet two ambassadors animals from the following list during a private, 15-minute encounter for you and your birthday party guests. Ambassador animals may include:

  • turtle
  • lizard
  • snake
  • insect
  • arachnid
  • frog
  • salamander
  • aquatic invertebrate

Specialty Encounter (up to 30 guests; all ages; $75)
Meet one ambassador animal from the following list plus one from the standard encounter list during a private, 15 minute encounter for you and your birthday party guests. Ambassador animals may include:

  • bird
  • shark
  • gila monster

Deluxe Encounter (up to 30 guests; all ages; $110)
Meet one ambassador animal from the following list during a private, 15-minute encounter for you and your birthday party guests. Ambassador animals may include:

  • opossum
  • skunk
  • snapping turtle

Policies 

Cancellation 

A $50 cancellation fee will apply if your event is cancelled before a week of the scheduled party date. A fee of 50% of the total party cost will be applied if cancelled within a week of the scheduled party date. 

Reschedule 

You may reschedule your party date at any time without penalty. To reschedule please call the Reservations Office at 757-534-7410 or email at Reservations@thevlm.org 


Reserve Now!

  • Complete our online form.
  • Call our Reservations Department at 757-534-7410, Monday through Friday, 9 am to 4:30 pm or email us.
  • Payment must be made at the time of the reservation. We accept American Express, Discover, Mastercard and Visa over the phone.
  • You may cancel or change a reservation up to seven days before the party; after that, no refunds can be made. All changes and cancellations incur a $10 service charge.