News Articles

January 30, 2017

Some of the VMNH crew checked out the Danville Science Center today for an upcoming Dino Day promotional exhibit piece. Great place! We'll keep you up to date as this small exhibit develops!

January 30, 2017

We'd like to thank everyone who helped make the first-ever Ice Age festival a huge success! Well over 1,000 visitors attended the festival, which included full-size cast skeletons of extinct Ice Age animals, taxidermy animal mounts of Ice Age animals still living today, such as polar bears, and a wide-range of fossils from the time period. #VMNHIceAgeFest

January 28, 2017

#VMNHIceAgeFest

January 28, 2017

The Ice Age Festival is happening now through 3 p.m.! #VMNHIceAgeFest

January 27, 2017

Hundreds of students from southern Virginia came to the museum today to learn about the amazing life on earth during the Ice Age! Students took part in special programming provided by museum scientists, educators and guest presenters, while also getting the opportunity to see some amazing Ice Age exhibits! The student day was a prelude to the museum's inaugural Ice Age festival on Saturday, January 28.

January 27, 2017

Hundreds of students from Henry County, Martinsville, Danville, Franklin County and Patrick County were at the museum January 27 to check-out a huge variety of Ice Age displays and take part in Ice Age themed activities led by museum scientists and educators. #VMNHIceAgeFest

January 27, 2017

Dr. Noel T. Boaz, President of the Integrative Centers for Science and Medicine, and Founder of VMNH, presented "Your Inner Neanderthal" on Thursday, Jan. 26. This special science talk is part of the Ice Age Festival activities that will culminate with the public festival on Saturday, Jan. 28 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Virginia Museum of Natural History. We look forward to seeing you at the museum! #VMNHIceAgeFest

January 25, 2017

Be sure to catch Dr. Alex Hastings, VMNH assistant curator of paleontology, live on WSLS 10 at 11 a.m. during Daytime Blue Ridge! Dr. Hastings will be showing off a few of the amazing Ice Age specimens that will greet visitors at the first-ever Ice Age festival at the museum this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.!

January 18, 2017

Clawd, the museum's iconic giant ground sloth seen below, will be reunited with his fellow Ice Age friends during the Ice Age festival Saturday, January 28! Full-size, cast skeletons of giant Ice Age creatures, such as woolly rhinoceros (a furry relative of the modern rhinoceros), a plethora of actual Ice Age fossils, and nationally renowned scientists will highlight the event. Games, crafts and activities for children will take place throughout the day! Don't miss-out! Admission is only $7 for adults ages 19-59, $5 for ages 3 to 18 and seniors 60+. Admission is free for children under 3 and museum members! **ICE AGE FESTIVAL UPDATE** Due to complications in shipping, we regret to announce that the Stegodon cast ...

January 18, 2017

It's #museumselfieday2017! VMNH Executive Director, Dr. Joe Keiper, is hanging out at the magnificent Green River Fossil display inside the museum's Fossil Overlook.

January 18, 2017

Dr. Alex Hastings, assistant curator of paleontology, was part of a recent discovery providing the complete genome of an extinct tortoise.

January 17, 2017

Some of the VMNH team visited the new & still growing Museum of the Earth Sciences at Radford University, an affiliate of the VMNH. Place looks great, come check it out, entrance is free!

January 12, 2017

2nd Thursday Science Talk by Dr. Alex Hastings, Assistant Curator of Paleontology at the Virginia Museum of Natural History.

January 11, 2017

Museum educators were busy this past week painting the walls of the museum's classrooms inside the Suzanne M. Lacey Education Center. Both the Charity League of Martinsville-Henry County Classroom and the Claude Moore Charitable Foundation Classroom received an exciting new paint job to better reflect the fun and exciting programs museum educators provide on a daily basis. The cosmetic update is part of the museum's "The Year of Discovery 2017" initiative, celebrating 10 years since the modern facility opened its doors to visitors. Major changes and additions will take place throughout the year to many of the exhibits and public areas.

January 11, 2017

Dr. Alex Hastings, assistant curator of paleontology, was part of this unprecedented study.

January 10, 2017

The museum will re-open on a regular schedule Wednesday, January 11.

January 10, 2017

VMNH is home to millions of fossils from near and far, including everything from giant dinosaur bones to tiny clam shells. Each of these gives us important information about the environments of the past and how they all fit into a larger evolutionary setting. Join Dr. Alex Hastings, assistant curator of paleontology at VMNH, on Thursday, January 12 at 6 p.m. for "Dinosaurs and other dead things: How fossil collections teach us about evolution" as part of the museum's "2nd Thursday Science Talks". Learn about the rich fossil archive of the museum and its wealth of fascinating new information about ancient Virginia and beyond. Admission to the presentation is free.

January 10, 2017

Due to remaining icy road conditions, the museum will remain closed Tuesday, January 10. Staff offices are closed, but staff may commute to work using best judgement of road conditions and notifying supervisor.

January 9, 2017

Due to icy road conditions, the museum will open at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, January 10. Museum staff should report to work at 10 a.m.

January 8, 2017

Due to winter weather, the museum will be closed on Monday, January 9. Staff offices will be closed. Please check back for updated hours of operation.

January 6, 2017

Due to winter weather, the museum will be CLOSED on Saturday, January 7 and re-open at noon on Monday, January 9. Any changes to this schedule will be announced as soon as possible. Staff should report to the museum at noon on Monday, January 9.

January 6, 2017

Casting a giant beaver in the paleo prep lab today, come by VMNH to see it happen!