The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center

Love this aquarium. It's the best I've been to. It's huge! It is pricey, but I think it's worth it. The gift shop was SURPRISINGLY affordable. So many glass statues, and other neat souvenirs that you'd actually want around your house was less than $15.00.

Anyway, they have two different "museums" I guess you can call it, if you feel like paying for another price.

Free parking is a definite plus.

"The Great White" in IMAX was pretty boring, and I don't recommend that movie to anybody.

My family and I had a great experience at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center! We happened to be staying in Virginia Beach during our road trip and found the aquarium when looking for things to do in the area. We all love animals so naturally we wanted to go see the exotic sea animals at the aquarium!

We purchased our tickets online through my husband since he is an active duty member and could get a discount ($2 off adult and youth rates). So just a heads up if you are a military family, they do offer discounted rates!

The aquarium is pretty big! The entrance is also located right by the gift shop in case you'd rather do your shopping beforehand. I noticed when going to aquariums or similar places, gift shops are more busy at the end of the day when people are leaving. They have all the typical items for sale (toys, stuffed animals, aquarium merchandise, apparel etc.)

There's a bunch of animals to see at the aquarium! Starting with the seals that are in the front, one animal you don't have to pay to see! They're so adorable and really know how to put on a show. Inside they have a big selection of different fish, amphibians, sea turtles, sharks, sting rays (you can pet them!) etc. Prepare for a decent amount of walking since the place is huge! They also have an outdoor area that you can walk around and enjoy the river that runs alongside the aquarium. It was very relaxing to spend a moment enjoying the beautiful views.

Overall I highly recommend taking your family here! Kids and adults will have a great time seeing all of the gorgeous animals they have.

We enjoyed our day trip here! It was what you'd expect; an aquarium with fish and other sea creatures. It was a bit crowded when we visited (spring break, mid morning) but the flow was good. Staff is nice and helpful. It was clean and didn't have any weird smells. There's two parts included with your ticket, but the second part is about a 10 minute walk. For me, I could've done without it. There was t much to see. I was more impressed that they had a breastfeeding/pumping station! That is very rare and made my day!

We love aquariums and always visit if there's one nearby. Smaller than I expected but still great visit. The scenic overlook out back is beautiful and a must do. The walk through tank was great and the shark tank was also great. Nice way to spend a couple of hours.

Wow, what a fun experience! My stepdad and I were visiting a friend in Virginia Beach and decided to spend some time at the aquarium. Though its price is steep ($29.99 for adults, $24.99 for seniors), you can get a small discount if anyone in your party is a veteran. The first stop in the museum was a crow! I truly didn't expect to see any birds in an aquarium, but this very talkative bird was a cool exhibit. In fact, I wanted to just stay there and talk to it, but my companions insisted we continue along. I was also wowed by the very large komodo dragons. I actually squealed (!) when I saw the first one, who was sleeping, but opened her eyes when we walked up to the glass.

I was thrilled to have met not just one, but TWO loggerhead turtles! They were in different tanks and were very entertaining, but each had their own personalities. The first loggerhead you'll meet is Big Mama. She came right up to the glass and eyeballed me, which thrilled me to no end. She had other things to attend, so we didn't get much time together. Still, it was so exciting. The second loggerhead we met was Twenty-Five, a 230 lb turtle. He was initially hiding, but came around to get some attention when he saw me near the glass. He was also very busy, so he eventually had to go attend other things, but these 2 turtles made the entire trip worth it for me! Perhaps we'll return to this exciting aquarium in the future. Be sure to watch the seal in the front of the museum. He likes to swim upside-down and race around the pool, interacting with kids who run along with him!

I've been goin here for over 10 years whenever the mood strikes me. They've recently started doing renovations and expanding and it makes me happy to see. Went there again recently and it's both nostalgic and new to me now. Excited to see what they've got planned in the future

The perfect rainy day activity in the area. Great for all ages. The tickets are timed entry but you can stay as long as you like. This took me about 1.5 hours to walk through leisurely. They have two touch tanks areas with sting rays and shelled creatures. The entire experience is very stroller friendly. If you buy your tickets online you can go straight to the entrance. Definitely worth visiting!

This aquarium is decent. Maybe more suitable for older children, but with a stroller it was very cramped. It is broken up into 2 buildings and the 2nd building was a 10-15 minute nature walk away (it was cold the day we went).
Overall it was okay.

A fun aquarium with large tanks where you can see a variety of fish, sharks, sting rays, turtles and much more. Unlike other aquariums this one focuses on the local ecosystem with fun interactive displays. Get your kicks under the sea pressing buttons and playing with gears in a "submarine". Test hand's strength against the jaws of a shark. I felt like a little kid playing with all the displays. Or you can relax and sit at one of the many large tanks and admire the creatures of the sea. A fun day for the entire family!

Visited the aquarium in Virginia Beach while we were on our spring break trip. The aquarium tickets were relatively cheap, but you also pay for parking. The photos they take in the beginning of the museum you can buy at the end but fair warning they are about 40$. The aquarium has a nice variety of exhibits even with it's fairly small-medium size. The shark aquarium and walk through tunnel aquariums are great! Great for kids and adults alike!

Love the Aquarium! The highlights for us were the tunnel where the rays and zebra shark live, as well as the Komodo dragons. The staff is knowledgeable and happy to answer questions, and though it's a bit crowded in the summer, it's a lovely place to learn more about our oceans, especially for kids. Two thumbs up!