Underwater Adventure Awaits at the Virginia Aquarium
Just a few miles from the Oceanfront, you’ll find 800,000 gallons of water and countless intriguing exhibits. The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center is one of the best aquariums in the country, located right here in Virginia Beach. Boasting interactive exhibits, animal habitats and so much more, there’s always something new to discover at the Virginia Aquarium.
The Virginia Aquarium features thousands of animals from over 300 species. View their coastal habitats through entertaining and educational exhibits, and travel along an underwater adventure.
Get up close and personal with the Virginia Aquarium’s inhabitants. Meet several species of sea turtle at the Light Tower Aquarium, sharks at the Norfolk Canyon Aquarium and an array of wildlife found here in the bay at the Chesapeake Bay Aquarium.
Visitors can also learn about the aquarium’s harbor seals from the animal care team or get to know the friendly stingrays at the Ray Touch Pool.
Get a mere glimpse at what life was like millions of years ago at the Restless Planet exhibit. Restless Planet consists of four immersive habitats showcasing exotic animals and fish from around the world. View everything from Komodo dragons to Tomistoma crocodiles, and even get hands-on with a few species.
The Virginia Aquarium will reopen Memorial Day weekend following a $25 million renovation and expansion, which will include a new addition and exhibit for sea lions and seals, a new entrance and a pedestrian bridge from the parking lot.
The Aquarium’s newly renovated South Building is set to open this summer. This area will bring guests face-to-face with animals that have incredible adaptations in the Virginia Aquarium’s Undersea Superpowers Gallery and will house an entire gallery devoted to jellyfish. The South Building will even have a functioning tidal zone touch pool where guests can observe the incredible worlds found in tidal pools without even leaving the building. A new state-of-the-art veterinary facility will also be housed in the South Building, providing guests with a rare, unique peek at the work of the Aquarium’s veterinary team.
Outside, the experiences will abound where kids of all ages can get hands-on in learning about water in the “Our Watershed” area that includes a water tower, a research vessel for role playing, a “beach,” a model house where guests can learn about how water reaches and leaves our homes, and so much more. The Virginia Aquarium will be reintroducing the ever-popular river otters in their newly renovated habitat and offering a gorgeous outdoor amphitheater.
For more information, visit VirginiaAquarium.com.