Virginia Living Museum

We connect people to nature through educational programs, in classrooms, on the Museum floor, outside, or offsite and virtually. Learning is multigenerational through individual encounters, small group or large audiences. Programs incorporate natural science based education in the environmental and life sciences. Seasonal exhibits, signage, animal encounters, presentations, tours, discovery carts and interactive demonstrations educate in fun and engaging ways. Over 950 annual programs are delivered by professional Museum educators and over 484 Museum trained volunteers. Over 35,000 students were educated through sol correlated interdisciplinary programs.

The Museum provides fun education through active discovery centers such as tidal pool, wild & well, conservation command center and many Living exhibits indoors and outside on an elevated boardwalk trail, dinosaur discovery center and through biofacts or natural history collections. The Museum store provides related mission based educational items that support environmental sustainability. The musteum has eliminated all possible single use plastic from operations to provide conservation based educational guest experience. Memberships, group events provide learning opportunities year round.

The Museum is one of 14 institutions in the u.s. that are accredited by both the association of zoos and aquariums (aza) and the american alliance of museums (aam). Over 230 species to include 8 endangered and over 1,000 animals are cared for with the highest standards. Animal care provides husbandry, veterinary care, nutrition, enrichment, welfare and training to each animal 365 days. Over 15 field conservation programs to include federal species survival plans help provide education through conservation action. Native plant propagation and themed native gardens support learning throughout the 23 acre campus while sustainable landscapting practices are exhibited through drought tolerant species, host or food plants for native wildlife, and ecologically beneficial species. Living green house and roof, monarch way station, butterfly gardens and haven are a few examples.