News Articles

October 26, 2018

The cold and the rain didn't stop Sontag Elementary's 1st grade students from visiting the museum today! The students enjoyed a guided tour of the exhibits and took part in the "Dinosaur Dig" program led by the museum's education department.

October 22, 2018

Dragon Festival kept much of the museum staff busy on Saturday, but we made sure to have a presence at Hokie BugFest, too! Dr. Kal Ivanov, assistant curator of invertebrate zoology, and Aryanna James, paleontology assistant, traveled to Blacksburg to show-off some of the museum's entomology collection to BugFest attendees! If you missed it, fret not! The museum is offering its own festival of bugs on Saturday, June 15!

October 21, 2018

The museum held its second-ever Dragon Festival on Saturday, October 20! A record crowd of over 2,500 attended the event that featured a variety of dragon displays, fire performers, medieval combat, blacksmith presentations and a slew of vendors featuring a variety of medieval and fairy-tale items for sell. Visitors even got to interact with vikings! Presentations by book authors, including the famed Sharyn McCrumb, took place throughout the day, as well as presentations by scientists and scholars, who bridged the gap between mythical creatures and science. As with all VMNH festivals, the museum presented a wide variety of games, crafts and activities for children. Thank you to all of the volunteers and vendors, who ...

October 20, 2018

DRAGON FESTIVAL IS TODAY!!!

October 19, 2018

Are YOU brave enough to get face-to-face with a dragon?? Dragon Festival is Saturday, October 20 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Learn more at www.vmnh.net/dragon-festival!

October 19, 2018

Dragon Festival is tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.! Don't miss-out!

October 19, 2018

IMPORTANT HOURS OF ADMISSION AND PARKING INFO FOR FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19 and OCTOBER 20! PARKING AND ADMISSION INFORMATION FOR FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19 Due to Saturday's Dragon Festival, the museum will close at 2 p.m. today, October 19. Parking until then will be available at the First Baptist Church directly next to the museum on the right. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. PARKING FOR DRAGON FESTIVAL Parking for the festival will be located at the First Baptist Church (directly to the right of the museum), as well as the YMCA (directly to the left of the museum). Additional parking will be available across the street from the museum at the Children's Medical Center, which is accessible via Stoneway Drive. We ...

October 18, 2018

The expanse of massive tents is up and ready to go for this Saturday's Dragon Festival from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.! Any lingering showers are predicted to be gone by the start of the festival, but we've got you covered, regardless!

October 18, 2018

Pre-K students from Drewry Mason Elementary visited VMNH today to tour the museum and take part in the special program "Scientific Investigations: Five Senses" The visit was made possible by a grant provided to the museum by the Harvest Foundation , which allows the museum to provide free educational programming to elementary and middle school students in Martinsville and Henry County.

October 18, 2018

Dr. Elizabeth Moore, curator of archaeology, and a team of dedicated volunteers from the Archeological Society of Virginia are packing a collection of approximately 360 bags of animal bones from an important colonial site in Surry County, Virginia this week. This assemblage is being donated to the museum for research, but first it must be moved - a tricky process because the plastic bags holding the bones are deteriorating and, if not moved carefully, samples can be mixed and data lost.

October 18, 2018

Dr. Joe Keiper, executive director of VMNH, is in Danville today presenting "At the Crossroads: Collections Care and Sustainability". The workshop, which focusses on collections care and audience access, is hosted by the Virginia Association of Museums and Preservation Virginia.

October 18, 2018

Dragon Festival is this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.!

October 17, 2018

It's almost here! Dragon Festival is this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.!

October 17, 2018

Outdoor setup is beginning for the Dragon Festival taking place at the Virginia Museum of Natural History on Saturday, October 20 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thank you to our sponsors: Sovah Health - Martinsville, Appalachian Power, and the Hermes Family Foundation!

October 17, 2018

The museum is getting ready to talk about this Saturday's Dragon Festival on WSLS10's Daytime Blue Ridge show in just a few minutes!

October 17, 2018

Due to preparation for this Saturday's Dragon Festival, much of the museum's main parking lot will be closed through this weekend. THE MUSEUM IS OPEN. Parking will be available in the section closest to the YMCA. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes.

October 14, 2018

The Virginia Museum of Natural History hosted the 2018 Virginia Natural History Society Conference on Saturday, October 13. Dozens of researchers and students attended the event, which allowed participants to learn about the different research and studies by fellow members throughout the Commonwealth. Oral presentations and poster sessions took place throughout the day, with VMNH staff also offering attendees tours of the museum's research collections. The Virginia Natural History Society is designed to promote research on the natural history of Virginia, educate the citizens of the Commonwealth on natural history topics, and to encourage the conservation of natural resources.

October 12, 2018

Due to power outages throughout the area caused by the recent severe weather, the museum is pleased to offer free admission to all museum visitors today, October 12 until 5 p.m. As always, do not travel to the museum in hazardous conditions!

October 11, 2018

Due to a power outage at the museum, we regret to announce tonight's presentation by Dr. Moore has been canceled.

October 10, 2018

Want to know what goes on behind the restricted access barriers at the museum? This Saturday is your chance! "SPECIAL SATURDAYS" is a new series of programming that gives visitors the option to go on a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum and experience special programming! Click to learn more...

October 9, 2018

Love dogs? Of course you do! Join Dr. Elizabeth Moore, curator of archaeology, this Thursday at 6 p.m. to learn about the history of dogs in eastern North America!

October 4, 2018

New York Times bestselling author, Sharyn McCrumb, will be at Dragon Festival on Saturday, October 20 for a book signing and presentations! She is scheduled to present at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The festival has an amazing entertainment lineup scheduled, from fire performers and stilt walkers to dragon displays and a beer garden! Learn more about the event at Dragon Festival!

October 4, 2018

The museum's education team is in Chatham, Virginia today for the 2018 SOVA Career Choice! They are talking to students about the type of work they do for the museum and what types of skills and education the students will need to pursue a museum career. Of course, they also brought a variety of artifacts and fossils to show-off to the students! The SOVA Career Choice actively engages approximately 4,000 seventh graders and high school students to career choices in the Virginia communities of Danville and Martinsville and Halifax, Henry, Patrick and Pittsylvania Counties.

October 3, 2018

Dr. Nancy Moncrief, curator of mammalogy, and Krystal Davis, science administrator, are in Chatham, Virginia today for the 2018 SOVA Career Choice event! They are talking to students about the type of work they do for the museum and the types of skills and education prospective scientists need to become museum researchers! The SOVA Career Choice actively engages approximately 4,000 seventh graders and high school students to career choices in the Virginia communities of Danville and Martinsville and Halifax, Henry, Patrick and Pittsylvania Counties.

October 2, 2018

Just in time for Halloween, the museum's 24/7 dermestid cam is now online! The colony of flesh-eating beetles resides at the museum, constantly feasting on the remains of animals - all in the name of science. Special thanks to Martinsville Electronics for providing the video equipment, installation and service of the live feed!