Main building of the Virginia Beach Aquarium. Photo by Pezow. Wikimedia Commons.

10 Great Facts about Virginia Beach Aquarium


 

Located at 717 General Booth Boulevard, barely a mile south of the city’s downtown resort area, Virginia Beach Aquarium stands proud as one of the best aquariums in the country. Offering more than 300 hands-on marine exhibits, a beautiful nature trail along Owls Creek, a large adventure park with zip lines and rope courses, and a 3D theatre screening educational films, it is one of the most educational and fun-packed areas to visit in Virginia Beach.

Virginia Beach is a seaside city, located right where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Chesapeake Bay. Its waters are home to a vast habitat of aquatic life, featuring hundreds of different marine species. The Virginia Beach Aquarium is dedicated to recreating this while encouraging the conservation of marine life through education and training.

It was opened on June 14, 1986, and has tripled its size and exhibits over the years. It is currently home to 12, 000 animals, from over 700 species. Besides aquatic life, it has non-aquatic creatures too such as Komodo dragons and snakes. Sharks, turtles, seals, whales, and dolphins are just a few of the marine life on display. The creatures are held in 800,000 US gallons of fresh and saltwater displays.

The Aquarium’s exhibits are a sight to behold, with glass displays offering spectacular eye-level views of the species in their habitats. There are several on-site, each giving the visitors a breathtaking experience. If sea life excites you, then you’ll definitely love a tour through the exhibits here. You are advised to book your preferred tour package on their website for your best experience. Here are the 10 great facts about Virginia Beach Aquarium

Practical information
Address: 717 General booth boulevard, virginia beach, va 23451
Open: 9 am to 5 pm Daily
Ticket price: $ 25 for adults, $ 19 for children between 3-11
Purchase ticket: virginiaaquarium.com

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1. The Virginia Beach Aquarium has two main exhibit buildings

These are the Main Building and the recently opened South Building. The two are connected by a one-third-mile outdoor nature trail. It runs alongside Owls Creek Salt Marsh. South Building, recently renovated in 2021 after its closure in 2018, features a moon jelly touch pool, a giant pacific octopus, jellyfish, and North American river otters.

 The Main Building Exhibit houses displays that the marine life journey from the rivers of Virginia, through the Chesapeake Bay into the Atlantic Ocean. It has four mini aquariums. These are Chesapeake Bay, Norfolk Canyon, Chesapeake Light Tower, and Restless Planet. Each of these has several exhibits.

Chesapeake Bay Aquarium has a touch pool where visitors can view horseshoe crabs and sea stars. It displays shallow water species that are found at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. Some of these include hermit and spider crabs.

The Norfolk Canyon showcases sandbar sharks, sand tiger sharks, grey triggerfish, and crevalle jack, part of the underwater environment species found in the Norfolk Canyon off Virginia’s coast.

Chesapeake Light Tower holds its displays in 70, 000 US gallons of water, and is home to the green sea turtle, Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, and many fish including spadefish, cobia ad Atlantic tripletail. This replicates the underwater environment 15 miles off the coast.

2. It is home to over 12, 000 animals

Sea life display by Pengxiao Xu-Unsplash.

From the year of its establishment in 1986, the Aquarium has expanded tremendously over the years. It has tripled in size and now has over 12, 000 animals, from over 700 species. These are contained in a total of 800, 000 US gallons of fresh and saltwater displays. 

In November 2009m a 12,000 square feet series of exhibits called Restless Planet was opened, displaying habitats from the coastal Sahara desert, the Red Sea, and the Malaysian Peat Swamp. New animals that were added include Komodo dragons from Indonesian Islands, spotted eagle rays, and tomistomas.

3. Restless Planet Exhibit displays wildlife from regions such as Africa and Asia

The Komodo dragon, endemic to some of the Indonesian Islands. Restless Planet exhibits has these on display. Photo by Guillaume Marques-Unsplash.

It’s an incredible gallery showcasing animals from Africa, Southeast Asia, and regions around the Mediterranean Sea. You get to view all these without leaving Virginia Beach! Most of these have been found in regions with similar environmental characteristics to Virginia’s history, which have been altered over time by volcanic activity and other geological occurrences.

Some of the featured animals include the Komodo Dragon and the Tomistoma crocodile. The Komodo Dragon is a giant reptile, the largest of all lizards on earth. It is considered a descendant of what is thought to be the largest venomous animal to have ever existed. The Red Sea Aquarium, part of the Restless Planet Exhibit, features animals such as the spotted eagle ray, one of the largest eagle ray species, and zebra sharks.

4. The Aquarium has a Stranding Response Operation program

At any point of the more than 7,000 miles of Virginia’s tidal shorelines, a marine mammal or sea turtle may come ashore sick, injured, or entrapped, unable to return to their natural habitat. The Aquarium coordinates rescue responses for such, with their trained professionals and volunteers. The program has been in operation for more than 30 years, responding to thousands of stranded sea creatures. Medical care for live animals and forensic examinations of dead stranded animals are part of the committed efforts provided by the response program.

5. The changing exhibits gallery offers new interactive experiences every season

The Virginia Beach Aquarium is always looking to offer new learning and conservation opportunities in the most interactive ways to its visitors. Changing Exhibits is one of the means through which this is accomplished. Visitors are welcome to participate in activities such as rescue missions. For the September 2022- January 2023 season, the exhibit invites visitors to experience high-pressure, rescue-based scenarios on land, sea, and air. Guests can learn how to rescue technology works, and even gain skills needed to be a rescuer.

6. The Aquarium offers boat tours on the Atlantic

Dolphin by Simon Mettler-Pixabay.

What better way is there to experience marine life in real-time than on an exclusive excursion in the waters of Virginia? The Aquarium offers its visitors a memorable, informative, and fun tour of the ocean with its various boat tours. It offers dolphin-watching boat tours, although dolphin sightings are not always guaranteed. All tours will therefore be weather dependent. Learn from the marine educators about the aquatic life of Virginia, the region’s animals like sea turtles, seabirds, and unique fish species. The offshore breeze, beautiful sunny weather, splendid sightings, and the great company adds to the fun and learning.

You can purchase a ticket online on their website and ride onboard their Atlantic Explorer, or the Atlantic Scout. The former offers you a 90 minute cruise on the blue waters of Virginia, restrooms, refreshments and interior seating in a temperature controlled cabin. All ages are allowed. Enjoy a 70 minute tour on the Atlantic Scout, available for ages 6 and above.

There are whale-watching boat tours too, running from mid-December to early March. Special boat tours include the Sunset and Moonrise Cruise in spring and the Ocean Collections Boat Tour during fall. The collections tour offers visitors the opportunity to help in collecting fish, and plankton with the marine scientists. I bet the Sunrise and Moonrise Cruise already gives you an idea of the experience from the name. You get to take in endless scenic sunset views, and watch the full moon rise over the waters of the Atlantic. 

Ticket purchase: https://www.virginiaaquarium.com/things-to-do/boat-tours

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7. It has the largest and most exciting Adventure Park in Virginia

Ziplining by Daniel Mena-Pixabay.

The adventure never ends at the Aquarium. After taking a tour through the breathtaking exhibits, more thrill awaits you at its aerial adventure park. It is located at the South Building, just minutes from the Virginia Beach Boardwalk. Here you get to experience fun-packed ropes course climbing and tree-to-tree ziplining. Climb between the lush green trees through low-rope courses and then glide through the beautiful canopy on the ziplines.

The park is perfect for all aged 5 and above. It has over 258 treetop platforms and 31 ziplines. The staff is on standby to offer any help needed. They offer a safety briefing and practice session, so no worries for first-timers. The trails are color-coded by difficulty levels, so you get to choose what level to try out at your own pace.

The fun doesn’t end with the ziplining. The Glow in the Park events held on select Tuesday nights on summer months is one of the most exhilarating experiences at the Aquarium. Picture gliding through trees  lit up with LED lights, and great music playing as you share the fun with family and friends. Tickets are purchased on their website. Prices range from $ 39 for children to $ 55 for adults.

Ticket purchase: https://myadventurepark.com/location/virginia-beach-va/

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8. It has scout learning programs and events

Scouts at camp by Sasin Tipchai-Pixabay.

‘Be Prepared’, is the Scout Movement motto, and the Aquarium helps prepare interested parties to earn the coveted badges. It really is a noble course, and fun as well especially when you go scout camping in the wild, put up tents and sit by the fire at night. At the center of it however is the commitment to  responsibility and right action.

As part of its educating objective, the Virginia Beach Aquarium has a variety of programs for scouts looking to earn their badges. It not only offers resources for learning but also presents wonderful adventures for participants. One can also consider volunteering at the Aquarium and gain more experience while still being helpful to the course. New programs are continuously rolled out, and these can be found on their website. Interested parties can sign up by writing to the Education Staff.

Website: https://www.virginiaaquarium.com/educational-programs/scouts

9. The Aquarium offers visitors several ‘Behind the Scenes’ Tours

Just like in the movies, or shows, a lot happens behind the scenes. At the Aquarium, it’s no different. The behind-the-scenes tour offers a closer interaction with the animals and staff. Visitors get to learn about what happens in the non-public areas, including maintenance of the state-of-art technology and the process of animal care and training. Get to see the staff feed the Komodo dragons, and learn how they target-train them. The tours are add-on experiences, so one has to book separately. Such tours include Komodo dragons, sea turtles, and sharks. Ticket fees range from $ 30 to $55.

10. The Aviary at the Aquarium was badly damaged by a storm in 2015

Grey heron by Zhu Bing- Pixabay.

It was a half-acre habitat located at the Marsh pavilion area, housing 70 birds of about 30 species. These included turkey vultures, brown pelicans, a great horned owl, ruddy ducks, blue herons, and great egrets. In the winter of 2015, a storm ravaged it, injuring many birds. These were rehabilitated. Although no birds were killed, most of them had to be transferred to other wildlife centers. Currently, the few birds on site are off exhibit but used for educational programs. Reconstruction of the aviary is yet to be done.