Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center

As far as aquariums go, this one was disappointing. I will compliment the staff, as they were kind and knowledgeable about the animals and kept the place clean. I will say, $35 for an adult ticket was very pricey for this place. It felt very small and cramped, and there were hardly any animals. The selling point and uniqueness of this aquarium lies with the harbor seals and their river otters, but neither were out to be viewed. Both exhibits were closed which was extremely disappointing. The walking trail between bit buildings was fun and interesting with lots of opportunities to view the harbor, but you could do that for free at other places around the bay. And the south building was a waste of time. There were plenty of interactive science activities for children. As an additional note, the aquarium takes your picture at the begining of your trip and when you make it to the end, every guests photo has already been printed. The copies are expensive and so all guests who don't buy their copies, the prints are wasted! This does not scream sustainability or environmental consciousness to me. Why print photos knowing the majority of your guests are not going to pay overpriced prices for them?

We decided last minute to take the drive and go to the Aquarium. I ordered tickets while on the way as based on the website to prevent waiting in line. My 6 yo. had such a great time, so when asked what her favorite part was she said the sting rays. There was so much cool stuff here and we enjoyed the demonstrations they have set up throughout. I honestly liked walking through the small "tunnel" being surrounded by all the beautiful fish and sharks. If in the area or looking for a cool adventure definitely put this place on your list!

The place is pretty awesome but it was extremely crowded. My grandson really enjoyed it. So kudos for that. There are two buildings separated by a nature walk which I had to say was to start of the show. In fact, we never made it to the second building because we spent so much time on the nature walk.

The lines can be quite long during the summer or on the weekends, but that it to be expected. Even so, the staff does an amazing job at trying to get everyone though as quick as possible. My girls had a ton of fun exploring both buildings at the aquarium, playing in the different exhibits, and seeing all the different animals, and I loved seeing them enjoying themselves as much as they did. I cannot wait to being the new additions to the family here once they are a little older.

This aquarium is huge with incredible views overlooking the ocean. One of the coolest features is being able to stick your head into the dome exhibits and see the animals up close—it’s such a fun and unique experience. It does get very crowded, especially on weekends, and parking can be hectic. However, there’s so much to do that it’s definitely worth it. There’s also an outdoor trail area that connects to another aquarium, which adds even more to explore—perfect if you’re trying to wear your kids out! Plan to spend at least 3 hours here if you want to see everything. It can be a bit pricey depending on your group size—we paid around $150 for two adults and two children (one child under five was free). Overall, a great experience and definitely worth visiting!

Beautiful place. Nice size. Close enough parking. It can be a little confusing for parking permit if you have never been there. Good price for the value . Lots of different creatures to see. Buying tickets in advance made it a lot easier to get in. Food was good as well and not a bad price.

Unfortunately, the North building is one of the smaller aquariums I’ve attended, akin to Sea Life Aquarium. The North and South buildings are very far apart. It’s neat that it has a board walk portion that is outside over the water. We saw wild fish and crabs out there. There are no signs that we saw directing us to walk to the South Building, but it was very hot out, so we drove over there. We didn’t end up going in because the first building was so small, just seeing the second said we didn’t want to waste the time walking around it. It wasn’t just small for humans. The kids felt very sorry for the small space that the adult sea turtles had. It’s probably an older aquarium that was made before excessive space was a consideration for the inhabitants.

Great for kids and all ages. Fun exhibits and nature trail. The otters weren’t there but the rest of the aquarium is still worth the visit. We got to touch the sting rays and the jellies. To miss the crowd, I recommend visiting on a weekday.