Virginia’s Coastal Plain

The Coastal Plain Gallery explores the world’s richest nursery, the Chesapeake Bay. From the forests beyond Virginia’s coastal marshes to the waters of the Chesapeake Bay and beyond, the Coastal Plain Gallery highlights animals and habitats that characterize the eastern-most region of our Commonwealth.

Exhibits range from the dramatic 30,000-gallon Noland Chesapeake Bay Aquarium, with its large sea creatures, to an underwater view of the intricate and complex life forms that inhabit a wooden piling beneath the ocean waters.