Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center Review

Thought there would be more exhibits for the amount you pay to get in. But what was there was very interesting.

The visit was awesome .Loved the deals and sightseeing .

I had a lot of really nice to displays, staff was wonderful and you're able to reach in and touch the manta rays always fun!

Not as expected.
The museum should be free.

Expensive but very fun for my 2 and 6 year old daughters. The staff was very friendly

Love the sea turtles and jellyfish. Tickets are pricey, however.

Awesome place with great exhibits, marine life, and interactive things for the kids to explore.

The grandkids and grandparents both had a great time.

It's a nice aquarium but the exhibits are small and on busy days you can't get around. There are not really any main attraction areas. And the fish themselves leave a bit to be desired for the price. I can't imagine spending 45+ to go there a lot. We did really enjoy the here there be dragons exhibit and the walk over to the otters but to me it's not worth the 45 and the drive to go often.

Disappointed with what we paid for. Aquarium was a lot smaller than it looked. Definitely won't be coming back.

Use to LOVE coming and it was worth it! Went in October and at the desk, after we paid admission we were told 2 of the major exhibits were closed, and I mentioned as long as I could see the otters, I was happy. We walked the nature trail to the otters, and it was closed. No one told us and there weren't any signs about it. I was so disappointed. Paid full price for two major exhibits to be closed. We went again today, with high hopes. One of the major exhibits was still not open, but the otters were! The gift shop on that side though, two employees were so busy talking nasty about another employee that they never said a word to us when we walked in. Never once acknowledged us, and didn't skip a beat with their rude conversation. We were thinking about getting memberships so we could go more often and not have to pay the outrageous price for what you get, but I'm thinking we're probably not going to bother going back. We spent $50 and were hardly there an hour. Pretty disappointed the last few times.

Very interesting place. I enjoyed my visit but many many of the display were broken or didn't work

Awesome experience in the aquarium, as well as on the dolphin expedition, for the kids and adults

My husband and I spent over 3 hours having such a great time here. So much to do for everyone in the family. I was hesitant paying $45 (with military discount) for us both to visit but after entering I quickly realized how much it's worth it! One of the best aquariums I've ever been to. The nature walk was so nice as well. We can't wait to go back!!

Really well put together, nice views of the fish, great science exhibits and great staff. The only downside is with the lack of walk space. Many people have strollers and trying to maneuver around parents made it difficult.

Great information, fantastic facility somewhat expensive.

Don't go on rainy days.overall a nice place to take pictures

I really Enjoyed the idea of seeing marine life up close... 4 stars for that. Would have been 5 stars but missing some of the animals I wanted to see.

Give the atmosphere a 3 star rating... Some of the people walking around were absolutely stupid and rude. Youngs kids running around pushing you out the way with no parental guidance... Made the experience a little less diserable. If you can handle the none stop barrage of kids and stupid adults, you'll be just fine. If you have anxiety I suggest waiting for a day you think people won't be there.

DO NOT and I repeat DO NOT touch any of the hands on displays... As they are crawling with nasty body fluids and what ever else from the hundreds and thousands that touch them. Never once seen a display wiped down or cleaned. Also all the ones the kids were slamming on and around didn't seem to work anyways. Bring a bottle of hand sanitizer (you'll thank me later)

The staff was nice and answered all my questions and seem to care. Over all had a good time with my wife but can assure you there is no need to go back... Not sure why people get a season pass. Hope your experience is something you're looking for.

A very fun way to spend a day near Virginia Beach. There are tons of things to do here. I especially enjoyed watching the seals/seal show.

Was a lot of fun! Don't miss that there is another section to the building through the nature trail. We almost left without seeing the sea otters! One of the better aquariums by far.

We came on my son's third birthday. We arrived at the aquarium at 1 pm and we told the staff it was his birthday. They asked what time he was born and we told him at 10 am. So because he was "over" the age of three (by a few hours), they charged us the full amount. I know it seems petty, but seriously, this is the way they treat their guests! I'm not happy with this place and will not be back

This is a small but nice aquarium. A couple of hours just to see all the animals. A nice walk through to see the marine animals. They are renovating but if you got the $ or better yet find a discount it worth it.

Awesome place , very kid friendly and family oriented. Could probably use someone to direct the traffic in the parking lot...

We decide to do all the aquariums in NC and decided to add this one to the list. The kids loved the harbor seals as soon as you walk up. The subarmine is a hit with the kids as well as the tunnel through the tank. Our favorite aquarium so far .

Aquarium was very interesting. And the Marine Science was information. Would go there again if we are in the area.

We had a great time there. My family, which at the time included my 1-year old and pregnant wife, had no trouble getting around and enjoyed what the aquarium had to offer. It was a rainy day in April, so many other tourists joined us for a fun day indoors.

We would visit again. If you aren t moving too fast, it s absolutely a full day activity to see everything.

It was ok. Alot of unused space. Had alot of space just not really too many fish.

The aquarium is beautifully maintained. I took my husband and toddler. We only saw exhibits in the first section/building but there was so much to see that we will have to visit again as our visit ran into nap time. The staff is positioned throughout the building for questions and safety of the visitors and animals. Sometimes you can catch a discount for entry to the aquarium for locs which only makes us want to visit more. We loved walking through the aquarium and enjoying the displays. We may consider getting a membership!

Had lots of fun and the guides were very informative and wanting to teach you

Nice people, decent facilities, absurdly long walk between the two sections. A bit pricey for what you get.

Pretty packed but still amazing. The kids loved it a

Aquarium was nice and fun! Scenery of the nature outdoors was stunning, but the only slight issue I have with it was the slightly higher than anticipated admission costs...

Very pricey! We went on rainy day so extremely packed with visitors. Attractions were hard to enjoy with the amount of people.

This is a very fun and informative place for people of all ages!

The aquarium is such a nice place to go to and see marine life! My family loves the fish and wildlife open to the public! There are a lot animals and is easily accessible to handicap personnel. Great place for kids of all ages and adults.

I love that social distance measures are put in place, there was hand sanitizer at all entrance. Although there were some displays that were close. The over all experience was nice. I loved it.

Excellent aquarium. Has a lot of different kinds of animals, and not just aquatic animals. It has a good selection of freshwater fish as well as a lot of a saltwater fish. All the Animals are happy and well taken care of. They also have other options for activities such as Treetop Adventures and 3D movies.

They had great exhibits and fun interactive learning experiences. The second building was closed on our visit for remodeling but many of the animals were moved into the first building.

The employees were friendly and offered a lot of interesting facts for the animals they were stationed at.

The line to get in moves extremely slow. We re not filling out mortgage applications here people. We just want to see some fish. Speed it up.

My daughter and her friend gave a 4 star rating. Their only feedback was they wish there were more animals they could touch.

This is a great place for everyone. My nephew loves coming here. Really cool that we have a place like this in Hampton Roads.

Was something to do and nice to see but it wasnt very big and diverse. Cost a pretty penny. The Cats and Dogs exhibit was underwhelming.

A little pricey admission but worth it if you allow at least 4-5 hours to go thru all the exhibits and read the historical information and take it all in. Great for the kids too with all the animals and game room.

Had a nice time here with my wife and 18 monyh old. A cute attraction to kill a few hours. The cafeteria is a disorganized hellscape. To be honest, what you pay is a bit unrealistic considering the size and quality of the exhibits but I still had a nice time. I just didn't expect it to be so small considering how expensive it was.

Lots of cool animals. Like seals and sea turtles. The aquarium had things to do for every age and even had an area to stick your head in a sealed bubble to see inside of the dragon exhibit. Only problem is the outside. It's fun when the weathers nice but when it's cold it's awful. Besides that loved it. Would go again.

My never get tired of going to the Aquarium. It's the perfect place for discovery for toddlers. My 4 year old enjoys the touch tanks and the interactive exhibits. She is never ready to this so having a membership saves us LOTS of money as we visit the Aquarium very regularly.

Very nice. Well kept. My kids enjoyed it. Good customer service. I took more videos then pictures. The gift shop had reasonable prices also. They also have nature trails and dolphin watch boat ride.

Wasn't impressed. It took 45 minutes to walk the entire exhibit.

Went for the bubble guppies event for 2-5 yrs olds. Wish I knew high school student has a field trip. It was a little crazy. But my child still loves the aquarium.

My family and I enjoyed the aquarium. Once way to get out of the heat. We learned a lot about the marine life of the Chesapeake and Virginia. One of my favorite is learning it was created by a meteor. Kids loved petting the eating rays. There's was something for everyone to enjoy and learn about!

Great place to bring your family and minutes away from the beach. Enjoyed our visit and the huge aquariums. Beautiful fish to see. Enjoyed seeing the reptiles as well.

Gorgeous. Has so many interesting fish and such and the workers are very nice.

Amazing experience so glad we made it there the staff is awesome and knows what they are taking about, we went as soon as they opened and it was great awesome variety of animals loved the sting rays such playful creatures!

When we were there, a lot of exhibitions closed due to renovations. This was a little sad, however we enjoyed the visit. It is smaller than we thought. It is composed of two buildings connected with a nature trail. Therefore, the area of the museum seems quite huge but the nature trail takes up most of the space.

Great place to bring the kids! Just don't lose your diaper bag lol

The birthday attendant, Susan, was fantastic however the staff in both buildings need additional training to be able to advis and direct guests. Lastly there are no restrooms near the birthday room that were available, as I was directed to take my daughter to an outside facility...that were NASTY!

We had a blast! Can not believe it took us over 6 yrs of living in the area to make our 1st visit.

They keep this place immaculate. They were constantly disinfecting everything the whole time we were there! I was very comfortable having the kids here.

Definitely had fun with my wife n kids... the only reason I didnt give 5 stars is bc of there mask rule... they didn't care that I have heart problem

Did you know, you can kayak behind the aquarium? Yup, at Owl Creek! A tidal Creek that is perfect for small crafts such as kayaks and paddle boards. Great scenery while taking in those ziplining acorss the creek!

Nicely laid out for the public. Exhibits and those working at were excellent. Drop off and parking were poorly designed.

Currently under major renovations, but we bought a annual pass anyway.

A lot of interesting aquatic life. Two nice animal touch centers. No dolphins and light on reading (i.e., not much information about the animals) but a pleasant experience.

I had a great time visiting the Virginia Aquarium. There were a variety of exhibits featuring both local fish and sea turtles as well as more exotic species including komodo dragons. It was the perfect way to spend a rainy weekend in Virginia.

There seems to be more construction than exhibits when we went. I'll go back to see it later in the season.