Virginia Living Museum Winter Calendar
Choose among three shows in the Virginia Living Museum’s Abbitt Planetarium. Enjoy an exciting and often humorous version of the classic Greek legend of Orion in “Legends of the Night Sky Orion.” A staff astronomer takes a tour of the current night sky in “Virginia Skies.” “Back to the Moon for Good” is a full dome program, narrated by Tim Allen, that looks back at the history of lunar exploration and then at some of the teams racing to land a robotic spacecraft on the moon and win the Google Lunar XPRIZE. The planetarium is open Wednesday through Sunday. Tickets $4 in addition to museum admission.
Groundhog Meet & Greet January 31
Special Saturday of activities
Time: 10am-2pm
Get ready for Groundhog Day with this Saturday event. There will be special groundhog activities and crafts as well as a chance to meet Chesapeake Chuck, the Museum’s resident groundhog!
NOTE: The Chesapeake Chuck SHADOW CEREMONY will take place on Groundhog Day, February 2. (see below)
Groundhog Shadow Ceremony February 2
Official Groundhog Day Shadow Ceremony
Time: 11:45am – 12:30pm
Our resident groundhog Chesapeake Chuck will make his annual appearance to determine if Hampton Roads will experience 6 more weeks of winter… or have an early spring! Will Chesapeake Chuck see his shadow?
Join us for the day and stop by the outdoor amphitheater for our official ceremony beginning promptly at noon. WAVY Meteorologist, Jeremy Wheeler will once again join us and will assist our prognosticating groundhog, Chesapeake Chuck to determine our future weather.
Forget Punxsutawney Phil… he has nothing on Hampton Roads own Chesapeake Chuck! See you on Groundhog Day February 2nd.
Reptiles Bizarre & Beautiful February 14-16
Experience a close encounter of the reptile kind. See a wide variety of native and exotic reptiles on display and in live animal programs. Reptiles are perhaps the most misunderstood and most feared creatures on earth, but the VLM staff wants the public to see their fascinating and attractive aspects.
See exotic reptiles from Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland, including a Galapagos tortoise, an animal that has been around since the time of the dinosaurs. The slow-moving Galapagos tortoise is the largest living tortoise and can reach weights of nearly 700 lbs. The tortoise on display weighs more than 120 lbs. and has a shell that is 2.5 feet long. Also see Waxy Monkey Treefrogs and a Bearded Dragon and more frogs, snakes and turtles than you could see in a lifetime!
Guest exhibitors include: Reptile Education of Virginia, Sandy Bottom Nature Park, Virginia Herpetological Society, Virginia Aquarium Stranding Team, and Wildlife Responses.
New this year will be “Lizard Lounge” displaying several exotic and native lizards, including a Savannah Monitor.
Learn about the Museum’s citizen science projects such as FrogWatch and Turtle Census. See the differences between venomous and nonvenomous reptiles. There will also be crafts for kids.
Museum admission: $17 adults, $13 children (3-12), ages 2 and under free. Planetarium programs $4 in addition to museum admission.
Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.
