Come here for the day, better yet, get a membership. It is well worth the price. Bring a camera and wear good walking shoes, walk the outdoors on wooden plank walkways suspended above and next to the outdoor habitats of their wildlife patrons. Take the kids to the outdoor Dinosaur models exhibits. The admission goes to help provide lasting homes for injured wild animals and for once wild animals that are too comfortable around humans to be released to the wild. The animals here are kept in spacious, well maintained outdoor areas. There are exhibits inside and outside but plan to go on a sunny day, so you can see all the outdoor exhibits. I have been here many times and kids seem to love this place. They have several interactive play areas for young children. Don't forget to visit the touch tank. They also have a Planetarium. They have a drinks and food court/cafe with reasonable prices and large portions. A gift shop with a large assortment of unusual gifts and toys and T-shirts. It is a fairly large facility so plan to stay for a few hours, have lunch and explore some more.

It was amazing! Bathrooms are clean and the animals are amazing. I would go early and not on a hot day as about half of the museum is outside. Staff is super nice and will give you so much info. I would rate this 10 stars if it was an option! We had a wonderful time and will definitely go back!

On a recent trip to Newport News, VA we decided to check out the Virginia Living Museum. My husband, 11 year old daughter and I very much enjoyed ourselves. Lots of different animals to see. Museum is spacious and well organized. If we're in the area again, we would definitely return for another visit. We went on a Sunday morning and it wasn't overly crowded. Very easy to get close to each exhibit.

I found this to be a very nice living museum which offers over 250 species of animals, reptiles, birds, fish,and more that's found in Virginia. The glass on the aquariums was clean of nose and finger prints which made for good photo taking. Along with the animals inside they have an outside boardwalk and during the walk you will see different animals that have been rescued and for one reason or the other are not able to be released back into the wild. Since the boardwalk is raised you are looking down on the animals and some were hard to find. It also takes you around a lake. Also outside they have a dinosaur trail that will be fun for kids of all ages. That trail also has fossil huts loaded with fossils and bones which I found very interesting. They also have excavation areas so the kids can dig for fossils and bones.

Ive just always loved places like this! Spots like this will forever hold a special place in my heart. If you have ever wanted to get outside, step 1. Get up and go! Step 2. tho, I’d recommend getting a little familiar with things you may encounter while being outdoorsy af 🙌🏾 You know answering questions around what leaves you may not want to touch and how insects don’t actually want to kill you! It’s one thing to google them but to see real examples at this hybrid aquarium, zoo, 🌺botanical garden and science center is just super dope to me. If you have never been, be a tourist where you live, pack a lunch and make a day out of it, I think you’ll dig it!

We got to see all the outdoor animals awake except the possums. Even heard wolves howling. The apiary was closed due to bird flu risks. The aquariums could have used a little better signage, but we still enjoyed the indoor exhibits as well. It looked like a great place to bring kids.

My husband and I visited in late October 2020 during the week so it was pretty dead, which was nice as we could roam around freely without having to worry about social distancing in a crowd. I'm not sure the size in total of this place but there is a large out door portion and then the inside is pretty big as well. I was beat tired and ready for a seat when all was said and done. The outside I think was my favorite. I love coyotes, wolves, etc. and many animal places up where we live in PA don't have any canines. All the outdoor exhibits I feel were well designed, so you could always see the animals. Everything had a very natural setting for the animals which was nice to see. The inside had so many fish, so, so many fish! If you or anyone you know like fish, this is the place to go.

We got here early and it was absolutely perfect. If you have school aged kids, I would suggest getting there when it opens before all the strollers arrive. The displays were clean, clear, and educational. The energy efficient house was so informative! There were so many animals to see. Highly recommend. It’s also a part of the science center reciprocity program.

We came with 2 of our grandchildren and enjoyed the visit very much. The downside is that It was so cold so we rushed our outdoor experience a bit. Loved seeing the animals and the kids loved the dinosaur area. Sad to see the snakes in such small areas and a few other creatures as well.

So.... Wednesday (7/15) my husband and I set out to go to museums.... (or that was what we thought). We try several different museums with no luck. And then my husband found the Virginia Living Museum! WHAT A FIND!!! Great for children of all ages (1-100)! Great information and live exhibits. I really enjoyed the outside portion through the "swamp/marsh" area. Part museum, aquarium and nature walk. LOVE IT