Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center Review

I took my 4 year old Granddaughter and she loved it! She learned a lot and touched a stingray and horse shoe crab! We had a blast!

Kids had a blast here many years ago when they were smaller. Take a stroller if you have smaller children who get tired easy. There is a nature walk also!

Nice museum; friendly staff who are eager to share their knowledge of the animals; reasonably priced compared to similar aquariums in the big cities

Nice day, don't miss seals out front, if you h are time there are trails and tours, we went on a rainy day so we were indoors

It was packed with some cool exhibits but for the price I thought there would be more stuff to look at and take longer than an hour to get through.

Very nice facility......resgrooms in the main entrance were under construction so we wete directed ouside to a trailer...not the most pleasant experience.

Gift shop merchandise is a bit expensive, did expect more out of the main attractions which were the sharks and sea turtles. Only one sea turtle in aquarium and several small shark. But overall the aquarium had too many display fake animals than live animals.

Very small aquarium. Thought $25. was a bit high for such a small place. No whales all smaller.

Love going here. I would advise not eating in the cafe. Over priced for the quality of food and the soda was flat and they didn't tell us half the flavors were out until after we purchased a $5 drink. The little building is mostly closed but love sitting and watching the otters. ALL the volunteers are nice and knowledgeable.

I've been coming here since I was 5 years old. Many things have changed in 26 years, but all for the better! We loved learning about the marine animal rehabilitation and reading the stories that accompanied them. The sting Ray touch tank and the tunnel with fish surrounding on all sides are highlights here.

Nice place to take your kids, any age. Be prepared to spend 3/4 hours. Also, don't miss the dolphin sighting tour.

I had a great time. Great for families. Not only is the Aquarium sensational but also have an outdoor adventure park. You can zip line and bungee jump. Plus a beautiful nature walk.

Every time I go to VA Beach my favorite thing to do is to go to the Aquarium and mainly it's because I get to pet Sting Ray.

The admission fee is not worth the exhibits. It is good for little kids though.

Under construction. Won't be done until 2021. But the stuff that is open is great. Interactive. Fun. Informative.

With current Covid laws it's hard to visit all of the Aquarium, however it's still worth the visit. I unfortunately only seen 2 sea turtles and a few sharks. They also have all touch tanks and areas shut down, along with machines that are touch.

Disappointed in how much is roped off that you can t do because of COVID-19- I think they should reduce their admission prices accordingly- I have been at this center numerous times in the last 28 years- and I was so disappointed in my grandson s first experience there 2 weeks ago- but I love the place and people regardless!

Would have gave five stars but the second building is under construction. Wasn't worth the 15 minute walk. Great place though; definitely will be back next time!

Fun place to learn a lot about wildlife and the local ecosystems. There are some very cool exhibits with sharks, stingrays and seals. They also have an Imax theater with a 6 story tall movie screen. A great place for a rainy day when you re at the Virginia Beach oceanfront. Good place to bring the family!

Enjoyed the place. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. I learned a lot. It's a great place to take the kids.

Great experience we pet sting rays, crabs, snakes. The place is beautiful.

There's a decent collection of marine life, and the kids enjoyed it. It's just pricey giving it's a small place and can be toured in just one hour.

A wonderful aquarium that also talks about the geological history of Vitginia. The activities all worked! Tunn r ls below dome tanks let you see the sea life from below.
The "grands " loved looking up into an exhibit.

Great exhibits in both buildings. Good for whole family

It was awesome! My first time going and I am 34yrs old. Was still in awe like a little kid. My favorite animal to see was the alligators. I also enjoyed the 3d movie they have as well. It was 25 minutes but it was educational and entertaining to grab at things that pop up in front of you! Was a great add on to a trip to the beach. I Had my 16, 14 and 3 yrs old with me and they all loved it!

We loved our visit to the aquarium. We would definitely go back next time we're in town.

Great experience but a lot of the exhibits are under construction, including half of the second building

Good place our grand kids love the place. We go there over and over

Good place to take kids. Has a good amount of science oriented exhibits. Make sure you give yourself at least 3 hours to see everything, if you plan to see a movie also. The otters will be in another buliding (cross the outside adventure area). Kids liked it a lot.

My son had a blast! Between being able to touch some of the animals, the scuba divers giving my son a high five through the fish tank, meeting a giant turtle, and so much more, he couldn't get enough and he did not want to leave!

We love it! We did the aquarium tour and also the tour to see the dolphins! All very nice and friendly people!

I visited the aquarium on 3-1-2018. Had a great time and a so did my son. UNTIL we stopped in the gift shop and I asked did they have MILITARY DISCOUNTS FOR VETERANS. The lady said and I quote " we dont give military discount to veterans only retired and active duty. Because then everyone will run down only do four years so that they can get their little card from the DMV". I was never so upset. I couldn't believe it. I understand if they only honored Retired and active duty but for her to say that everyone will run down to only ffour years to get their little card from the DMV. Was totally disrespectful. I wish I knew her name I would put it in here. She was a young white lady working the store earlier afternoon on 3-1-2018

My family enjoyed the aquarium, lots to see and interact with. My only complaint was that it was a little tight. A lot of people pushing to get closer and see things like the jellyfish.

We went here before moving overseas. On our way to another overseas move we purposefully stayed one night in Norfolk to go to this Aquarium. Kids love the ray touch tank. We always spend more time here than we plan.

The Virginia Beach Aquarium is fantastic. This is a family-friendly venue with plenty of fun and learning opportunities.

Wonderful.... Very well put together... Very informative staff. Great value for money. Suits all ages

Great spot for the family. Snack bar and cafe on site (menu pics attached). Kids love the smash penny machine. The machine next to it: a buck gives you not only 4 quarters but 2 shiny pennies. Spent about 4 hours here.

A great place to visit year-round with family or solo. There really is something for everyone from some great large tanks that you can just sit and watch to hand-on touch exhibits and scientific displays with great content that is really educational. There is a huge outdoor area and boat rides that are available if you are interested in more than the aquarium. You could easily spend the whole day if you wanted between all that is there. I fully recommend an annual membership for locals.

Great place for the kids. Lot of interactive things for the kids to do and see.

Visited the aquarium this week and enjoyed our time. It is smaller than expected and we got thru it in about an hour. After we finished, we spent time on the Nature Trail which was really nice! Without all the demonstrations and events taking up time, it seems like you can get through a lot faster than normal.

We always have a great time here. There is so much to look at and do.

Beautiful place, I've been a few times and my kids really enjoyed it. The staff is very friendly and everything is interactive and hands on. The gift shop even had afordable merchandise, as opposed to other places nearby.

It's a really nice aquarium with nice habitats for the animals. Wish it was a little bigger for $25 a person tho.

Layout is wonderful. You meander through pathways viewing commodo dragons, stopping for a relaxing view of magestically graceful sharks and rays. The seawall exhibit of large sea turtles among footlong silver schools of fish is breathtaking. Will not dissappoint!

Definite stop, highly recommend taking the boat out to watch for dolphins.

Love the aquatic life and the employees were very helpful

Lots of things to see! Definitely check out the dolphin boat tour, it's a lot of fun and we saw so many dolphins!

Have been taking my family there for years!
Such a great day!

The place I went to after hearing the rumors.
Not only rumors.
It was smaller than I thought
There were not so many aquatic animals.
I don't want to go again.

Really enjoyed our visited at the aquarium! I felt like a big kids again. My favorite part was my new found friend the sea turtle named "25". But all of the animals were really cool to see. We will definitely be going back again...soon.

Great place to take the family. Very crowded on a rainy day, no timed entry like other aquariums we've been to. Plan accordingly. Lots of cool stuff to see!

The kids still love this place, and I don't mind it either.

Lots to see and an INCREDIBLE outside climbing through trees park thing for kids!!! Harnesses, zip lines, tight rope walking. Never seen anything like it before!

I didn't visit buy my children did and they absolutely loved it. They said hands down the best 110% better then Ripley's of the smokies.... They can't wait to come back

It is a local aquarium. Over priced for what you see but a good place to go on a rainy day at the beach.

First time visiting. The children enjoyed it and we all got up the courage to touch the sting rays! If we had time we would have done the obstacle course in the nature trail. Beware it would cost extra on top of the original tickets.

Two places, good for kids play, not as big as Monterey though

Extremely expensive for not much to see. Still fun, but not worth the money

Awesome place, staff, order aquarium and boat trip dolphin are amazing

Awesome tons of stuff to do nice quiet walk, fall is the best time.

We were able to celebrate our granddaughter's 16th birthday with a semi formal ceremony with family, friends and lots of her school mates. For several hours she was a "Princess " for an evening. The staff was very professional and courteous. The environment was very relaxed and well coordinated with my daughter's input. You were allowed to see the aquatic life without guides or under duress. I give it an A+ rating. Expensive, but well worth for our Princess for life. Many thanks to the Aquarium and it's great,professional staff. Memories are precious but life's journey is forever.