Stargazing/Laser Evenings

Stargazing

The Virginia Living Museum offers free stargazing beginning at sunset on the second Saturday of every month. Stargazing is weather dependent. Several telescopes are set up on the grounds and staff astronomers are available to help visitors identify objects in the night sky.

Due to the close proximity, guests are required to wear masks while operating the telescope.

NOTE: The evening also includes a planetarium program and several laser shows. Shows are $5 for VLM members, $8 for non-members.

Laser Nights

Looking for some Saturday night fun? Start with a planetarium program. Then experience a sensory extravaganza as laser shows provide music to both the eyes and ears every second Saturday of the month. The museum has an incredible laser system that splashes brilliant high-color LED laser light all across the entire surface of the dome. It’s the most amazing light show you’ve ever seen! Plus, there’s music to suit every taste. Different bands are featured every month.

Cost: Members $5, non-members $8 per show.

November 12: Stargazing Night

We’ll be welcoming CNU’s Dr. Ryan Fisher and his students as they teach us all about gravitational waves with an interactive cool science show. This program is free for all audiences and starts at 6:30pm.

Please note: these programs will be occurring after the annual Oyster Roast (3-6pm) and do not require purchase of Oyster Roast tickets.

Virginia Skies

Time: 6pm

A live guided tour of the current evening sky with a staff astronomer.

Recommended for all ages.

Virginia Skies tickets

Laser Retro

Time: 7pm

Recommended: ages 6 and above

Totally awesome! Let our lasers take you back to the days of leg warmers, big hair and excellent music! Fun for the whole family, you’ll rock on to music from great ’80s bands like New Order, The Cure and way more. Astonishing laser art is coupled with upbeat rock and pop songs from one of the most exciting periods in mainstream music: the ‘80s! Like, don’t miss it.

This program is family-friendly: Inappropriate song lyrics have been eliminated or blanked.

Show Playlist

Lunatic Fringe by Red Rider
Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears
One Thing Leads to Another by The Fixx
Message in a Bottle by The Police
Blue Monday by New Order
Rio by Duran Duran
Life in a Northern Town by The Dream Academy

Never Let Me Down Again by Depeche Mode
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by Eurythmics
Just Like Heaven by The Cure
She Blinded Me With Science by Thomas Dolby
Birds Fly (Whisper to a Scream) by Icicle Works
New Sensation by INXS
Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood

Laser Retro tickets

Laser Metallica

Time: 8:30pm

Recommended: ages 15 and above

Metal meets lasers! And it is intense! The theater shakes with awesome hits like Enter Sandman, Nothing Else Matters, Sad But True and so much more. You’ve never done metal ’til you’ve done it with lasers! Please note that we do not recommend this program for children under the age of 15.

Many of these songs contain lyrics some parents may find objectionable.

Please be aware that volume levels during our Metallica program will be high and the imagery can be intense.

Show Playlist

For Whom the Bell Tolls
Ain’t My *****
One
Fuel
Nothing Else Matters

Master of Puppets
Unforgiven II
Sad But True
Enter Sandman

Laser Metallica tickets

The Wall

Time: 10pm

Recommended: ages 15 and above

The Wall is best considered as a continual story rather than a collection of individual songs. It tells the tale of a rock star named Pink and his downward spiral into madness. To the listener, and indeed many critics, The Wall is a gripping and spellbinding musical journey – beautiful, haunting, powerful and thought provoking. It is a timeless classic, and one of Pink Floyd’s best, becoming the group’s second best seller behind Dark Side of the Moon.

Now coupled with spectacular and mesmerizing laser art, Pink Floyd’s classic 1979 epic about personal struggle takes on a unique look, weaving its story in one of the most popular laser shows ever produced! Visitors will become lost and spellbound as their senses join this timeless journey.

Please note that we do not recommend this program for children under the age of 15.

Some of these songs contain lyrics some parents may find objectionable.

Please be aware that volume levels during our Pink Floyd program will be high and the imagery can be intense.

Show Playlist

In the Flesh
The Thin Ice
Another Brick in the Wall (Part I)
The Happiest Days of Our Lives
Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)
Mother
Goodbye Blue Sky

Empty Spaces
Young Lust
Another Brick in the Wall (Part III)
Hey You
Comfortably Numb
Stop
The Trial

The Wall tickets

December 10: Stargazing Night

Star of Wonder: Mystery of the Christmas Star

Time: 6pm

Experience the journey of the Magi around you. Since 1965, the museum has journeyed in the footsteps of the Magi. Over the years, the scientific thinking has changed, archaeology has revealed new clues, and our understanding of who the Magi might actually have been has grown. The show was completely revised in 2008 to offer a truly immersive look at the journey of the Magi while examining the latest clues and seeking once more to understand the appearance of the Star of Bethlehem.

Star of Wonder tickets

Laser Holidays

Time: 7pm

A mix of classic and modern holiday hits! PLEASE NOTE: This list represents all possible song choices. Your laserist will choose which songs you’ll experience in your actual program.

Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy by Tchaikovsky
Up on the Housetop by The Jackson 5
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Burl Ives
Winter Wonderland by The Eurythmics
Deck the Halls by The Philharmonic Orchestra
Jingle Bell Rock by Randy Travis
White Christmas by Bing Crosby
Christmastime by The Smashing Pumpkins
Oiche Chiun (Silent Night) by Enya

The Chipmunk Song by Alvin and the The Chipmunks
All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth by Spike Jones and His City Slickers
Feliz Navidad by Jose Feliciano
Rockin Around the Christmas Tree by Ronnie Spector and Darlene Love
Frosty the Snowman by the Cocteau Twins
Carol of the Bells by David Foster
The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole
All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey
We Wish You a Merry Christmas by James Galway

Laser Holidays tickets

Laser Rock

Time: 8:30pm

A mix of legendary giants of Rock and Roll!

Show Playlist

Crazy Train by Ozzsy Osbourne
Juke Box Hero by Foreigner
Ramble On by Led Zeppelin
Suffragette City by David Bowie
Long Distance Runaround by Yes

La Grange by ZZTop
From the Beginning by Emerson, Lake and Palmer
Tonight, Tonight, Tonight by Genesis
YYZ by Rush
Ace of Spades by Motorhead

Laser Rock tickets

Dark Side of the Moon

Time: 10pm

Recommended: ages 15 and above

From the very beginning of lasers, this album has represented the ultimate in laser show experiences. And it’s still true today. Join us for the seminal laser show experience with one of the most incredible albums of all time. Considered by many critics to be the album that brought the commercial breakthrough to Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon offers a mixture of psychedelic, rock and jazz sounds. Its sonic backdrops and atmospheric soundscapes combined with a unique assortment of sound effects yield an emotional resonance. When accompanied by a diverse and unusual display of laser art, the overall feel is a dramatic and haunting atmosphere.

Some of these songs contain lyrics some parents may find objectionable. Please be aware that volume levels during our Pink Floyd program will be high and the imagery can be intense.

Show Playlist