The 10 Best Science Museums in Virginia, United States

"We're not your dad's Science Museum!" says Science Museum of Virginia Director/CWO (that's Chief Wonder Officer) Richard Conti. "Our newly re-imagined Museum is a place that is relevant to your life and fun!"Our mission: Inspiring Virginians to enrich their lives through science.Our Story: Since its founding by the Virginia General Assembly in 1970, the Science Museum of Virginia has become the premier center for hands-on science education in Virginia. The Museum has permanent exhibitions on health, energy and natural science and includes hundreds of interactive exhibits, fascinating artifacts, live animals, a theater company and cutting edge technology. The 76-foot Dome Theater creates the ultimate "you are there" experience with the largest film screen in Virginia wrapped around you. The Museum also features visiting exhibitions, educational programming, overnight adventures, lectures, demonstrations and summer camps. The Museum receives guidance and generous support from community leaders and organizations. The Museum's Board of Trustees is appointed by the Governor and provides oversight and policy guidance. The Science Museum of Virginia Foundation raises funds to support the mission, operations and capital needs of the museum. The Museum is also the parent organization for the Danville Science Center. The Science Museum of Virginia is located in Richmond's Museum District, in historic Broad Street Station designed by renowned architect John Russell Pope, at 2500 West Broad Street.

View endangered red wolves. Get up close to a loggerhead turtle and moon jellies. See fish with no eyes and frogs that change colors. Touch live spider crabs and fossilized dinosaur tracks. It's all at the Virginia Living Museum, Newport News, where living exhibits depict Virginia's natural heritage from the mountains to the sea. Experience a steamy cypress swamp and cool mountain cove. Explore the underwater world of the Chesapeake Bay and the underground realm of a limestone cave. See flying squirrels, stingrays and other creatures of the night. Touch famous Bay creatures. Kids will especially enjoy the Touch Tank with its sea stars and horseshoe crabs. Enjoy hands-on activities. See spectacular views of the sun from the observatory and travel the universe in the state-of-the-art digital planetarium. Outdoors, stroll the boardwalk to view coastal birds, beavers, otters, coyotes, endangered red wolves and other animals in naturalized habitats. Butterfly Garden, Virginia Garden and landscape plantings display one of the most extensive displays of native plants in Virginia. Learn how to live, build and garden green in the Conservation Garden and Green Living House.

A 300,000-gallon tank with sharks, rays, and other aquatic species, is the main attraction at this popular aquarium, along with a walk through tunnel featuring sharks, rays, and more. Featuring thousands of animals representing hundreds of species.

Our mission at the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum is to ignite creativity, spark curiosity and inspire learning in visitors of all ages by providing a rich variety of interactive, hands-on exhibits and programs that focus on the sciences and mathematics, the humanities, and the arts.All exhibits, activities and experiences provided by the Discovery Museum adhere to the following philosophical guidelines:Exhibits, activities and programs are interactive, participatory and informal, and give visitors opportunities to experiment, have fun playing, use their imaginations and share ideas.Visitors are engaged at their own level of expertise and experience.Activities and programs are multi-sensory, authentic, honest, and factual.The Museum works in a spirit of cooperation and partnership with educational, cultural, governmental and community organizations.

We Make Science FUN. The Danville Science Center delights all ages with its hands-on exhibits and special programs that make science fun for everyone. During butterfly season (April-October), don't miss the beauty of the Butterfly Station and Garden - one of only a few butterfly greenhouses in Virginia.

Aerospace museum that holds more than 100 exhibits, including the Apollo 12 command module and several IMAX films.

Fun for the whole family, the Science Museum of Western Virginia features a tropical butterfly garden filled with butterflies from around the world; fun and interactive exhibits exploring Healthy Bodies, Healthy Earth and How It Works; live animals and the popular "FROGS"; the Living River & Touch Tank; and amazing traveling exhibits such as "TUTANKHAMUN: Wonderful Things From The Pharaoh's Tomb," running June 14-Dec. 31, 2014.

Northern Virginia's only interactive Children's Museum, the Children's Science Center Lab provides fun, interactive exhibits, activities, and programs for children, families and school groups to explore science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) hands-on.