News Articles

January 31, 2016

Some great Dino Day-inspired art! #VMNHDinoDay

January 30, 2016

The Dino Day festival on Saturday, January 30, 2016 featured new displays, hands-on activities, live animals and more! Thank you to our members, visitors and sponsors: Roanoke Cement, Cold Blooded Encounters Reptile Zoo and Science Center, Kiwanis International, and Martinsville-Henry County Tourism Division! #VMNHDinoDay

January 30, 2016

Dino Day is in full swing! Join us for the festivities! #VMNHDinoDay

January 29, 2016

VMNH Membership is a great deal: Members receive FREE admission all year (including to great festivals like Dino Day), along with invitations to a variety of events, discounts in the store and cafe, and free reciprocal admission to hundreds of other museums and science centers across the country. You can sign up at Dino Day tomorrow and we'll subtract the cost of your admission from your overall membership price! To learn more, please call 276-634-4162, stop by the box office, or visit https://www.vmnh.net/membership/new. #VMNHDinoDay

January 29, 2016

Students, Dinosaurs, Live Animals

January 29, 2016

The animatronic T. rex is arriving to join the Dino day festivities! Don't miss the Dino Day festival on Saturday, January 30! #VMNHDinoDay

January 29, 2016

Thank you to the Martinsville Bulletin for highlighting the Dino Day festival taking place this Saturday, January 30. This year's festival is bigger and better than ever, with new exhibits, activities for all ages, and a live emu and tortoise! Thank you to our sponsors: Roanoke Cement, Cold Blooded Encounters Reptile Zoo and Science Center, Kiwanis International, and Martinsville-Henry County Tourism Division. #VMNHDinoDay

January 28, 2016

Thank you to WSLS10 for highlighting the Dino Day festival taking place on Saturday, January 30! #VMNHDinoDay

January 28, 2016

Chad (the tortoise) and Gunter (the emu) have arrived at the museum! They are checking out their new digs, and will be ready to greet visitors at the Dino Day festival on Saturday, January 30 (and Student Day on Jan. 29). Thank you to our sponsor, Cold Blooded Encounters Reptile Zoo and Science Center! #VMNHDinoDay

January 28, 2016

We are finishing up the preparations for Dino Day but we couldn't have done it without our community partners! Thank you so much to Hugo's Restaurant and Sports Bar, Piedmont Arts Association, Serendipity Coffee House & Bistro, Nails by Brittany, Quality Inn Dutch Inn, Fido's Finds and Kittie's Kollectibles, and the Spencer-Penn Center. #VMNHDinoDay

January 28, 2016

We are pleased to share the Dino Day festival schedule of events and map. We look forward to seeing you at Dino Day on Saturday, January 30! Thank you to our sponsors: Roanoke Cement, Cold Blooded Encounters Reptile Zoo and Science Center, Kiwanis International, and Martinsville-Henry County Tourism Division. #VMNHDinoDay

January 26, 2016

Ivan the T. rex is ready for his big unveiling at Dino Day on Saturday, January 30! Thank you to our sponsors: Roanoke Cement, Cold Blooded Encounters Reptile Zoo and Science Center, Kiwanis International, and Martinsville-Henry County Tourism Division. #VMNHDinoDay

January 25, 2016

Thank you to WDBJ7 for highlighting the T. rex and Triceratops visiting the museum for Dino Day on Jan. 30. These are just a few of the many new displays and activities taking place this Saturday...we hope to see you there! #VMNHDinoDay

January 22, 2016

Don't miss DINO DAY on Saturday, January 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the museum! Dino Day features real dinosaur fossils, life-size skeleton casts of Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, Acrocanthosaurs and Allosaurus, as well as the skull casts of Diplodocus, Appalachiosaurus and Dunkleosteus, a massive, predatory fish that lived well over 350 million years ago! Special presentations, games and activities will take place throughout the event. You can even take a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum's scientific research areas! LIVE ANIMALS! That's right. For the first time ever, Dino Day will feature live animals to highlight the similarities between dinosaurs and modern day animals. On display will be an emu, crocodile, ...

January 21, 2016

Due to a major winter storm, the museum will be closed on Friday, January 22 and Saturday, January 23. Dino Day has been rescheduled for Saturday, January 30. We hope everyone stays warm and safe this weekend!

January 20, 2016

After careful consideration, the museum has decided to postpone Dino Day until Saturday, January 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. due to a major winter storm predicted to impact the region. We are pleased to announce that all of the great dinosaur displays, fossils, and live animals that were originally scheduled for Dino Day will still be offered on the 30th, as well as a variety of activities and behind-the-scenes tours of the museum's research areas. We greatly appreciate all of our vendors' willingness to adjust their schedules in order for us to offer the full-blown Dino Day on January 30. We also apologize for any inconvenience this causes to our visitors. We know many people were looking forward to attending Dino Day and we ...

January 20, 2016

DINO DAY POSTPONED: After careful consideration, the museum has decided to postpone Dino Day until Saturday, January 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. due to a major winter storm predicted to impact the region. We are pleased to announce that all of the great dinosaur displays, fossils, and live animals that were originally scheduled for Dino Day will still be offered on the 30th, as well as a variety of activities and behind-the-scenes tours of the museum's research areas. We greatly appreciate all of our vendors' willingness to adjust their schedules in order for us to offer the full-blown Dino Day on January 30. We also apologize for any inconvenience this causes to our visitors. We know many people were looking forward to ...

January 19, 2016

Several crates have arrived, and the dinosaurs are ready to break out for the Dino Day festival on Saturday, January 30! #VMNHDinoDay

January 19, 2016

Museum staff recently partnered with the City of Martinsville to paint Acrocanthosaurus tracks on Starling Avenue leading to the museum. Thank you to the City of Martinsville! #VMNHDinoDay

January 18, 2016

Dino Day features real dinosaur fossils, life-size skeleton casts of Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops, Acrocanthosaurs and Allosaurus, as well as the skull casts of Diplodocus, Appalachiosaurus and Dunkleosteus, a massive, predatory fish that lived well over 350 million years ago! Special presentations, games and activities will take place throughout the event. You can even take a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum's scientific research areas! LIVE ANIMALS! That's right. For the first time ever, Dino Day will feature live animals to highlight the similarities between dinosaurs and modern day animals. On display will be an emu, crocodile, giant tortoise, and others. Cost of admission is $5 per adult, $4 for ages 3-18 ...

January 14, 2016

Museum employees, with the help of Martinsville-Henry County Director of Tourism, Jennifer Doss, painted dinosaur footprints on a section of Starling Avenue in front of the museum on Thursday in preparation for the Dino Day festival on Saturday, January 23. Dr. Alex Hastings, assistant curator of paleontology at VMNH, said the following of the art... "The tracks are modeled after real dinosaur footprints that have been attributed to Acrocanthosaurus, a large meat-eating dinosaur that was almost the size of T. rex. We chose this dinosaur because we have a great skeleton here at the museum and it was found in nearby Maryland. The outline of the prints, their size, and their spacing are as accurate as we can make them to ...

January 14, 2016

Dr. Kal Ivanov, assistant curator of recent invertebrates, presented "Biodiversity and your place in it" Jan. 14 as part of the museum's "2nd Thursday Science Talks" series. #VMNH

January 14, 2016

Dr. Joe Keiper, #VMNH Executive Director, with a special guest (extinct giant beaver skull) at the Virginia Virginia Association of Museums Advocacy Day at the Virginia General Assembly Building.

January 14, 2016

Don't miss this fascinating presentation by Dr. Ivanov this evening from 6 to 7 p.m. The "2nd Thursday Science Talks" are free of charge thanks to generous donations of all amounts to the VMNH Discovery Fund http://www.vmnh.net/discovery-fund. We look forward to seeing you there!

January 12, 2016

Here's your chance to win tickets to the museum, as well as an adorable plush dinosaur from the Museum Store, courtesy of the Martinsville-Henry County Visitor Center!

January 12, 2016

Make tracks to the Virginia Museum of Natural History on Saturday, January 23, 2016 for a festival of Jurassic proportions! Dinosaur skeletons and fossils, as well as dino-themed games, crafts and presentations will make this an event not to be missed for the dino-lover in your family! VMNH Members receive FREE admission at Dino Day and throughout the year...learn more at https://www.vmnh.net/membership/new! NEW THIS YEAR -We are partnering with Cold Blooded Encounters to provide visitors with a truly unique experience - get up close and personal with a live emu, highlighting the relationship between modern birds and dinosaurs. You can also meet the giant tortoise and crocodile! -Full-skeleton casts of Tyrannosaurus rex ...

January 7, 2016

#VMNH molding and casting work is in full swing for #VMNHDinoDay on January 23!...be sure to stop by regularly to check out the latest updates!

January 5, 2016

Ryan Barber, deputy director of the Virginia Museum of Natural History, has been elected Vice President for Communications for the First Virginia Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) for 2016.