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Boardwalk Trail

Coastal Plain Aviary

birds-brown-pelicanThe 5,500-square-foot Coastal Plain Aviary is a dramatic walk-through aviary filled with coastal birds such as pelicans, herons, egrets and ducks. It showcases more than 16 species of birds that either breed in Virginia or fly through the state during spring and fall migration along the coastal flyway. The elevated boardwalk takes visitors 11 feet above Deer Park Lake and into the treetops to view the birds.


Outdoor Boardwalk

VLM-museum backThe Museum’s 3/4 mile, elevated boardwalk crosses Deer Park Lake and winds through woods and a wetlands area, showcasing animal’s native to Virginia in naturalized habitats.

Along the boardwalk see red wolves, the most endangered animal in North America. Also see beavers hard at work, river otters who play to the visitors, bald eagles, vultures, bobcat, deer, wild turkeys, skunk or opossum, gray fox, red fox and coyote. Interpretive stations help explain the critical importance of wetlands in the Chesapeake Bay watershed, highlight life in the pond and showcase native wetland plants. In addition to the animals on display, visitors can see fish in the stream, turtles basking on logs or swimming in the lake, bullfrogs along the banks and many different kinds of birds.


Dinosaur Discovery Trail

Dino-Trail-logo-webFor more than 25 years, dinosaurs have been a popular summer exhibit at the Virginia Living Museum. In 2016, as part of its 50th anniversary celebration, the museum opened a permanent outdoor Dinosaur Discovery Trail. This permanent exhibit showcases 16 of the majestic animals that ruled our earth for more than 150 million years. Visitors can walk through the woods to see realistic one-third to full-size dinosaurs from the Jurassic and Cretaceous eras. The dinosaurs range in size from a mini Ankylosaurus to a 16-foot-tall Brachiosaurus. There are a baby T-rex photo op and a half-size T. rex. The trail also includes a children’s play area, dig pits for amateur paleontologists, including one with an actual whale specimen from Hampton Roads and displays of dinosaur fossils. Read more…