| I have to admit, I had a bit of a shock. | | | | nearby Owl's Creek Salt Marsh, the last undeveloped |
| I went to Virginia Aquarium (formerly called Virginia | | | | salt marsh in Virginia Beach. Cost: $3.50 members, $5 |
| Marine Science Center) expecting to get in for free, | | | | non-members. |
| using my ASTC Passport Program card (which gives | | | | - Dolphin Cruises - (May-Oct.) These 90-minute |
| you free admission to participating science museums | | | | excursions let you see bottle nose dolphins in their |
| around the nation). | | | | natural habitats, plus learn about VA's dolphin research. |
| Oops. Despite the "science" in the name, Virginia | | | | Cost: $18 per adult. |
| Aquarium is really considered an aquarium (gee, | | | | - Seal Splash - (all year) This is the only program in the |
| maybe that's why they changed the name?). So they | | | | U.S. where you can actually interact with harbor seals. |
| don't honor science museum membership cards. | | | | Cost: $125 per person. |
| But for what it offers, Virginia Aquarium is not | | | | - Fisherman's Island Family Adventures - Visit the |
| expensive, and it's well worth the price. | | | | southern tip of Virginia's barrier islands to see the |
| The highlights: | | | | wildlife and learn about this important ecosystem. Ages |
| - 700,000 gallon tank(s) | | | | 12 and up only. Cost: $12 for members ($15 for |
| - 300 hands-on exhibits and buttons to push | | | | nonmembers). |
| - "Alligators Alive" exhibit (through May) featuring a live | | | | - Ocean Collections - On this 90-minute boat tour of |
| albino alligator | | | | the ocean, staff will bring up samples of sea life for |
| - 3D IMAX movies | | | | you to see, learn about, and maybe touch. Cost: $18 |
| - Touch tanks where you can touch and/or pick up | | | | per adult, $14 (ages 1-11). |
| horseshoe crabs and starfish | | | | Admission and Hours |
| - 1/3 mile nature trail where you can view bald eagles, | | | | Virginia Aquarium has "a la carte" pricing. |
| ospreys, and other wildlife on the trail or from the | | | | Just the exhibits: |
| 30-foot observation tower | | | | Adults: $11.95; Seniors: $10.95; Children (3-11): $7.95 |
| At $11.95 for adults, it's half the price of the Baltimore | | | | Exhibits + IMAX: |
| Aquarium, and about 60% less than the new Georgia | | | | Adults: $16.95; Seniors: $15.95; Children (3-11): $12.95 |
| Aquarium. (Plus, there are ways to save on tickets. | | | | IMAX Only*: |
| See below...) | | | | Adults: $7.50; Seniors: $6.75; Children (3-11): $6.50. |
| So does The VA hold its own with other fishy | | | | *Note that feature length IMAX tickets may be extra. |
| museums? Absolutely. | | | | Active military (but not their families or guests) get 10% |
| My favorite part? Their mesmerizing, two-story, floor | | | | off combination tickets (admission + IMAX® movie) |
| to ceiling fish "wall." The rest of the room and floor is | | | | with military ID. |
| dark, and a natural hush seems to fall on visitors as | | | | Hours are 9 am to 5 pm daily (Sept.-May 25:); 9 am to |
| they enter. | | | | 7 pm (May 26-August). It's closed Thanksgiving and |
| Sit there quietly, and you can imagine you're at the | | | | Christmas Day. |
| bottom of the sea (with plenty of oxygen, of course). | | | | How to Get in For Less |
| It's amazingly relaxing to watch the fish swim gently by, | | | | Last time I checked, Vacation Market had a Virginia |
| and feel your cares wash away. | | | | Aquarium "Happy Hour" coupon on the bottom of its |
| My kids especially loved the touch tanks (if you're a | | | | brochures. The coupon allows you to buy one ticket |
| touch tank type, you might want to check out the | | | | and get the second one at 50% off if purchased |
| Virginia Living Museum in Newport News). You'll find | | | | between Noon and 2 pm (good daily). |
| enough to keep you (and the kids) occupied for hours. | | | | Visitor guides-like the "Sunny Day Guide," available at |
| And on a hot day, it's blissfully air-conditioned. | | | | restaurants, hotels, and in stands along Atlantic |
| The excitement at Virginia Aquarium doesn't stop at its | | | | Boulevard and Virginia Beach-often have coupons |
| walls. They also offer a variety of truly unique "extra" | | | | good for $2 off a combo ticket, or $1 off exhibit |
| programs you'll find it hard to match elsewhere: | | | | admission. |
| - Whale Watching - (End of Dec. through March) - | | | | One of the best things about Virginia Aquarium is that |
| Narrated by a specially-trained VA educator, these | | | | it is so convenient to the Virginia Beach oceanfront, |
| excursions let you search for humpback and fin | | | | thanks to the Virginia Beach Trolley (known as "The |
| whales off the coast of Virginia Beach. Cost: $20 per | | | | Wave.") You can catch the trolley from various stops |
| adult, $15 ages 1-11. | | | | along the oceanfront and stop right outside the |
| - Creek Cruise - (April - Sept.) Embark on a | | | | museum. |
| 50-passenger pontoon boat for a 35-minute cruise of | | | | |