News Articles

November 30, 2018

The Reptile Festival is slithering into the Virginia Museum of Natural History on Saturday, January 19 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.! This year's festival features an extraordinary lineup of some of the most iconic and feared reptiles on earth! Learn from renowned herpetologists and reptile experts as you witness an array of amazing cold-blooded creatures! Some of the animals to be shown include: King Cobra Spitting Cobra Monocled Cobra Timber Rattlesnake Sidewinder Rattlesnake Black-tailed Rattlesnake Red Pygmy Rattlesnake Puff Adder Smooth Scaled Death Adder African Bush Viper Long-nose Viper Cantil Viper Eyelash Viper Large-eyed Tree Viper (pictured) Gila Monster Alligator Alligator Snapping Turtle Red-footed ...

November 29, 2018

On Saturday, December 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., children ages 6-12 will have an amazing opportunity to spend the day at the museum, while participating in experiments, scavenger hunts, crafts, and much more! Campers will even enjoy popcorn and a movie! Be sure to bring a bagged lunch, a bottle of water, and your sense of adventure! Registration deadline is Monday, December 3 at noon!!

November 29, 2018

We had a blast hosting Carlisle School's 3rd graders today at the museum! The students took part in a guided tour of the exhibits and participated in the "Link to the Past" educational program inside the VMNH classrooms! If you are interested in having your students visit the museum - or having museum educators visit your classroom - be sure to download our 2018-19 Education Program Guide to learn about all of the ways VMNH can serve your education needs! www.vmnh.net/content/uploads/PDF/Education/education_program_guide.pdf

November 28, 2018

We had a great time hosting students from Drewry Mason Elementary School today at the museum! The students received tours of the museum exhibits and learned how to investigate like a scientist during the educational program, "Scientific Investigations: The 5 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!

November 26, 2018

Dr. Elizabeth Moore, curator of archaeology, and Ray Vodden, research technician, were at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History last week working in the National Museum's ornithology collection. They were identifying bird bones from a former slave cabin at a site in Maryland, near the Chesapeake Bay. Birds in the assemblage include turkey, chicken, and many water birds, including a variety of ducks and geese. While VMNH has its own impressive collection of animal skeletons, there are times when VMNH researchers will fill in the gaps by visiting collections at other museums.

November 20, 2018

Winter Science Camp at VMNH? Yes, please! On Saturday, December 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., children ages 6-12 will have an amazing opportunity to spend the day at the museum, while participating in experiments, scavenger hunts, crafts, and much more! Campers will even enjoy popcorn and a movie! The registration deadline of Monday, December 3 at noon is quickly approaching, so be sure to register soon by contacting us at discover@vmnh.virginia.gov or register online at www.vmnh.net/winter-science-camp!

November 20, 2018

You won't be the only one enjoying turkey this Thanksgiving! The museum's dermestid colony received its Thanksgiving meal today and will be feasting on it for the rest of the week! Curious to watch the dermestid beetles go to work? Of course you are! Check out the museum's live dermestid cam at www.vmnh.net/dermestid-cam!

November 20, 2018

Happy Holidays, to all of our Facebook fans!! The museum's operating schedule will be altered this holiday season, so please plan your visit accordingly! The museum will be closed on... Wednesday, November 21 Thursday, November 22 (Thanksgiving Day) Monday, December 24 Tuesday, December 25 (Christmas Day) Monday, December 31 Tuesday, January 1 (New Year's Day)

November 18, 2018

Students from Roanoke College visited the museum on Saturday and received the opportunity to tour the VMNH mammal collection with Dr. Nancy Moncrief, curator of mammalogy! In these pictures, Dr. Moncrief is discussing the importance and uses of natural history collections, as the students look over some of the specimens.

November 14, 2018

Hey Waynesboro/Augusta County fans! Dr. Carole Nash, Associate Professor in the Department of Integrated Science and Technology at James Madison University, presented at the Wayne Theatre on Tuesday evening as part of the theatre's "Signature Speaker Series: Science Talks"! Dr. Nash explored the historic ecology of the Waynesboro and Augusta County region from the ancient times up to Jefferson's surveys, with a discussion of the area's first peoples. The series continues on January 15, 2019, when Dr. Thomas Benzing, professor in the Department of Integrated Science & Technology at James Madison University, discusses early explorers of the South River watershed region and their findings, including Lewis and Clark, and ...

November 9, 2018

We had a great time hosting Bacon District Elementary's 4th grade students today at the museum! The students received a guided tour and learned about the needs, characteristics, adaptations, and habitats of animals during a museum-led educational program! If you are interested in bringing your students to the museum, or would like museum educators to visit your classroom, contact us today at discover@vmnh.virginia.gov!

November 2, 2018

Dr. Jim Beard, curator of earth sciences, is presenting "Natural History of the Blue Ridge and Valley" today as part of the University of Virginia's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). Dr. Beard is teaching students about the geology, ecology, and biology of a unique geographic region of our planet, and the factors that affect the distribution and abundance of plants and animals in the Blue Ridge and Valley of Virginia. OLLI at the University of Virginia offers educational opportunities and intellectual enrichment to active adults in the Charlottesville community.

November 1, 2018

Dinner is served! The museum's dermestid colony was fed a great blue heron today and the beetles will be devouring it in the days to come. Gross? Sure, but it's all done in the name of science! The beetles will leave a pristine skeleton, which will be used in the museum's ornithology collection. www.vmnh.net/dermestid-cam

November 1, 2018

Museum festivals are thriving thanks in large part to generous support, like the recent $3,000 grant provided to the museum by the Hermes Family Fund of the Martinsville Area Community Foundation!

November 1, 2018

FRESH BAKED COOKIES AT THE PALEO CAFÉ! Chocolate chip, white chocolate macadamia, peanut butter, and oatmeal raisin. Come get one and relax in the museum's lobby as you relish in the cookie delight! If you crave something more savory, have a house-made pimento cheese sandwich! It's available in 3 delicious flavors: regular, jalapeño, and bacon!

November 1, 2018

Join us on Thursday, November 8 at 6 p.m., as Dr. Raymond D. Dueser, professor emeritus at Utah State University and visiting scholar at the University of Virginia, shares photos of his recent travels in the Dordogne region of France, which is home to some of the most spectacular Paleolithic cave art in the world.