Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center Review

The most impressive aspect has got to be the staff, as they are extremely passionate about marine wildlife and are incredibly informative. No question I could come up with went unanswered. This is a great place to learn about local marine wildlife, to bring the family to, and even get a couple nice photos, if photography is your thing. They even have a little 3D theatre with very neat, educational National Geographic showings (not all related to marine wildlife, but still very cool)

I was expecting to see sharks, different kinds of sharks. I was totally disappointed..
I called & inquired about the zip line and was told it was closed but when we got there it was opened & tickets sold out for the day..
Again so disappointed..

Very crowded. Could barely view exhibits. Disappointed.

Very nice place!! They have alot of different attractions.. With lots of sea animals.

Great place to stop by if you like marine animals. Not as big on the inside as it looks from the outside but otherwise good experience!

Nice, plenty of unusual species, but a bit shallow for a coastal aquarium, great cafeteria, nice nature trail, and a bit pricey if you do it all (admission, movie, zip lines, food, gift store).

GREAT PLACE TO TAKE THE KIDS, SMALL BUT A LOT GOING ON

Good day trip if you're in the area. Wouldn't travel far for it.

Great place with fun for the whole family. It can get very crowded at times but is worth it.

Needs to be more activites for younger children. Also didnt have much to see compared to other aquariums i have been to

Had a great time walking around. There's a really nice boardwalk to the next building, overlooking the marsh. There's an adventure Park that costs extra there as well. Now the actual aquarium is nice. Very educational and fun to walk through. I highly recommend.

On our VLMfield trip to VA Beach was amazing we went to the Aquarium ,stayed in a hotel named Ramada,went to Golden Corral ,took a boat to go see dolphins and of course spent time with the 3 BFF's Ella ,Kylie ,and Jadyn

It was such a great experience, an amazing for my daughter.

Surprisingly cool aquarium. Definitely exploring the nature trail and second site next time.

Small but nice. Revived my hatred for hoards of moms with oversized strollers.

Horrible experience, rude customer service, especially in group sales on 7/25/15 at 10am..... Woman was loud, rude and extremely Arrogant! ! Will NEVER Support this business again......

It was a nice aquarium. We especially enjoyed the shark exhibit and the komodo dragons. The line was very long though and it moved pretty slow to start through the exhibits.

Good information here. I highly recommend for a summer field trip or family day!

They badly need some updates imo .. It's a great museum don't get me wrong, especially if you're just visiting the area. If you're a local tho, it prob has gotten a little old by now

It does have a bad a** tunnel that is almost completely surrounded by aquarium so the fish and sharks are just all around .. Like you're underwater! So relaxing .. That's the best part to me.

Outdoor adventure/rope course during warmer months .. Long outdoor marsh boardwalk too

Very nice and fun, excellent to spend a day in friends or family

This place is way over priced for the exhibits they have avoid the food court,

Good representation of the cycle of water, making its way to the ocean. Explanations on some displays are sparse.

Been to the aquarium a couple of times and it never ceases to be a fun, relaxing time. Plenty to see and do. Always kept in good condition with decent parking. The highlights: Ray Touch Pool (they feel incredibly smooth and we actually got to watch them being fed) and the Nature Trail (connects the 2 buildings, you can see others enjoying the Adventure Park--zip lines and all, and leads to the otter exhibit). Gift shops (one in the main building and one in the annex) have great souvenirs to remember your visit including some 50% off clearance items. Great for families and great for anyone who loves animals.

Beautiful place. We had fun to discover several species of fish and other. Whose sharks and crocodiles. A nice place for children. Spend a nice 2 hours to visit.

Very disappointing.

We drove down to Virginia Beach from Richmond for a mini Mother's day vacation with my son. We went to buy tickets 30 mins before they closed, but they stopped selling tickets!!! We looked around the lobby and the gift shop then saw others people walking into the exhibit 10 mins before they closed!!! I asked to talk to the manager. They said I could talk to customer service. I spoke with customer service, and they told me that the people walking in had return tickets because of a fire alarm the previous day! I asked again if I could purchase tickets since other people were enjoying the exhibit, but they said no because their register was closed. It was very disheartening and sad to be turned away on that Sunday, Mother's Day.

Good place to take kids and enjoy fish and marine life

Nice aquarium, expected more with them being so close to the ocean, newport ky aquarium is better

Very clean and the exhibits were wonderful. They do a good job of helping guests social distance. They also have many sanitizing stations.

The animals there are really interesting and beautiful.

Cool aquarium, not as much to do as expected, but should be pretty cool when the new building opens. Some of the videos and exhibits were kind of dated though.

A bit small. There are lots of people here. Expect some blockages as you view things. The outside walkway is nice if you want to go for a stroll. They also have a very large climbing and zip line area.

Visited on a rainy day from hurricane Sally. For 2 adults $24.95 , senior 62 and over $22.95. The reason I gave 3 stars is that Covid19 has effected some of the exhibits and there is no touch pools or giant screen theater and some other exhibits closed. Mask required whole visit & I would recommended it. All the adults had mask but, a few children did not have them and did touch exhibits, so use caution. The Aquarium Building was clean and all workers wore mask. Also, the visual care of the aquariums & aquatic life are healthy looking and well maintained. I would recommend to have a meal before as there wasn't a place to eat there (Covid19 - end of season assuming? ). You cannot leave and return at this time from the building exhibit and was informed of this at the start. This does, however, have some interesting tanks filled with a variety of fish & sharks. The kids that were there, with their parents, really enjoyed seeing the sharks and sea turtles in the hugh tanks. They have a nice gift store at the end of tour as well. We did do a walk-in to buy tickets and was able to get in. The ticket lady suggested to make reservations on line for future visits. I felt the price was a bit high for this place at this time, considering closed portions of Aquarium but, Covid19 has had an effect on many tourist places.

The Va Aquarium has been a favorite day out for our family for many years! From the interactive aviary (we got to feed the redheaded ducks) to the sea turtles, to the tomistoma pair who are displaying possible mating signals, to the sting ray petting tank, and the shark feeding (happens most Tuesdays), there is so much to experience in one visit! We even enjoyed a fresh and tasty lunch in the cafe. The gift shop has an incredible selection of souvenirs and local art, too. We especially love the local Glass Baron art pieces. The windows out to the water near the shark and turtle exhibits allowed us to watch the pelicans floating, the mergansers diving underwater, the great blue herons fishing, and even a bald eagle in their natural habitat. The seal feeding outside was an added treat for us to see when we were leaving the aquarium. The best part of visiting the Va Aquarium is knowing that every ticket purchase contributes to the important work of helping and supporting the marine life in our local waters!

Was fun, kinda cold, didn't see a lot, but it was different!

We have been to quite a few aquariums. I would say this is adequate with need for improvement. Some of the walking path is dimly lit with hazardous projections. I wouldn't consider the first half wheelchair accessible. Some of the interactive sites did not properly work. All these concerns were addressed during our visit. All comments were well received.

Always a good time! We love the mermaid and dolphin cruises.

We only really use the free kyack ramps bc the aquarium itself is like 30$ a person and honestly disappointing if youve been to the one in baltimore for same price :/

Educational, great atmosphere, great staff, what else could you want?

Always a good time. I've gone here many times over the years and always enjoy it.

Great place the boat ride is absolutely amazing. Very kid friendly

This aquarium is *not* worth the price of admission. Small, unimpressive and a lot of static displays. $10 - 15 an adult would be a more appropriate ticket price, $7 max for children.

This aquarium is amazing! Definitely worth a tour. And I recommend the membership if you live in the area and have children.

This aquarium really didn't do it for me, I felt there wasnt alot to do for the money your spending. Comparing to the Baltimore Aquarium, its nice but a once and done for the family.

Not the best aquarium but plenty of animals and exhibits to keep the kids busy. Walk to the other buildings from the main building was a hike. Price was kinda high for what you got. Staff was very friendly.

I liked it everything in this place. Excellent for family. I would have placed 5 star if there were any decent coral displays. Thats the only thing missing.

The aquarium is packed with well done exhibits dealing with both historical and current marine life. You can also pet 3 different types of stingrays on their tank. It takes about 2-1/2 hours to cover look at everything indoors. There is also an imax theater, walking tours and a boat ride available.

Great date place. Tons of cool animals but most of the interactive stuff was scratched or didn't work. Still cool place that offers military discounts

Disappointingly small. The one walk-through tank is stunning, but I wish there were more tanks in general

It was a very fun time there, there are plenty of things from looking at fish, birds and other wildlife to taking a hike outdoors and seeing the river and such. When I went though, there were very loud jets constantly going past.

Visiting from Canada. Loved seeing the animals! It was crowded when we went but we still enjoyed ourselves. Washrooms could use more cleanliness.

Wonderful adventure for children to learn and explore the underwater life!

The staff is friendly and knowledgeable and of course seeing all the animalsis very worthwhile.

Best local aquarium. The kids love the two touch tanks. Lots of interactive science zones for the kids.

Expectation for this place was high for some reason. It's a great place and the time I got to visit it was nice enough there was no major waiting time or crowd. The aquarium was small and granted it was my first aquarium and it doesn't dissapoint by any standard but I expected more for some reason. Given the entrance fee I would say it was well worth it tho.

Excellent place to go young at heart recommend it highly to anybody who's wanting to spend a good day looking at the wonders of the world

Too many people with large carts for their children

Super fun place! I love aquariums though. It was a bit high in price at $24.99 for 12 & over & $19.99 for 3 through 11...i think it was 3. It is a bit small & you have to walk a good ways outside to another building to see the otters. Seemed strange to me. They have a wonderful man, with special needs, who stamped our hands & took the tickets. Any place that hires people with special needs gets an A+. Thank you guys for a great day filled with memories.

Awesome spot i defiantly learned a few things and i enjoyed the staff. The staff was highly educated and full of knowledge and the kids definitely have plenty to discover and learn.