Schedule a self-guided visit of exhibits that feature over 250 live animal and plant species, native to Virginia, in their natural settings. Trained interpreters are located throughout the exhibits to work with your students, making exhibits “hands-on” – so students learn by doing, as well, as by seeing.
Advance reservations are required for groups of ten or more students.
Follow the suggested procedures for reserving a self-guided visit. For more information or to make a reservation, call the Reservations office at 757-534-7410 Monday-Friday, 9 am – 4:30 pm, or complete the online request form.
Funded in part by Wason Realty.
Length of Visit
Allow 1.5 to 2 hours for a tour of the indoor exhibits and outdoor trails.
Fee
School groups of ten or more during the September to mid-June school year:
$10 per student
Classroom teacher and school staff are free. One chaperone is recommended for every 10 students and is admitted free. Additional chaperones are $18 each.
Exhibits
The exhibits in the Virginia Living Museum correlate with and reinforce Virginia’s Standards of Learning for Science. While taking a tour of the geographic regions of Virginia, students can observe:
Live animals and plants in their natural habitats
Plant and animal life cycles, food chains and food webs
Animal survival adaptations for finding food and shelter, rearing young, avoiding predators, defensive measures
Animal migration, camouflage and hibernation
Endangered and threatened species
Vertebrates and invertebrates
The importance of conserving Virginia’s animal, plant and mineral resources
Pond, forest, stream, Chesapeake Bay, cypress swamp, mountain cove, cave and more habitats
Phases of the moon, reasons for the seasons, earth’s revolution and rotation, planets in our solar system
Self-Guided Exhibit Guides
The Virginia Living Museum provides grade-level-targeted guides to its living exhibits to help students focus during their visit. All questions are correlated to SOLs. Teachers may make copies as needed.
While the Museum’s science programs and exhibits are targeted to Virginia’s Standards of Learning, their topics have universal appeal. Predator and prey, plant and animal life cycles, animal survival adaptations, endangered and threatened species, geology, dinosaurs, weather and astronomy are applicable to science studies throughout the United States.