News Articles

April 30, 2019

FREE and open to ALL teachers and educators! RSVP deadline is this Friday!

April 28, 2019

This Saturday!

April 27, 2019

Scouts from GSA Troop 970 spent Friday night at the museum during a Scout sleepover! The Scouts worked towards their geocache merit badge during the evening and slept among the dinosaurs throughout the night! Interested in having your group participate in a museum sleepover? They aren't just for Scouts! Join us after hours for an exciting night of exploration, with a special themed sleepover planned especially for your group that is full of hands-on programs led by experienced museum educators. All sleepovers consist of a themed program, pizza dinner, evening snack, continental breakfast, certificate, and a 10% discount at our amazing gift shop. Learn more at www.vmnh.net/sleepovers!

April 26, 2019

Hey, teachers and educators!

April 24, 2019

A free bonus for museum visitors on Saturday, May 4!

April 24, 2019

Cheese was replaced with roars, as 2nd graders from Woolwine Elementary School gathered for a group picture in front of the Acrocanthosaurus today! The students were at the museum to participate in the museum-led "Animal Needs" educational program.

April 19, 2019

Several lucky visitors were touring the museum, when Kayla Lacy, museum educator, was feeding the museum's live reptiles! Kayla let the young visitors witness the museum's corn snake feed on an already deceased mouse.

April 19, 2019

MUSEUM TO CLOSE AT NOON ON SATURDAY, APRIL 20 The Virginia Museum of Natural History Foundation will be hosting its annual Grapes & Grains fundraising event this Saturday and the museum will close at noon to allow for event setup. Setup will begin Friday afternoon, which will cause some of the museum's exhibits and displays to be inaccessible Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding. If you would like to attend the wine tasting fundraiser, tickets remain available and can be purchased online at www.vmnh.store!

April 18, 2019

Roanoke College students in VMNH Research Associate Dr. DorothyBelle Poli's plant diversity and evolution class offered a presentation Wednesday to VMNH Executive Director Dr. Joe Keiper and curators Dr. Nancy Moncrief and Dr. Kal Ivanov. The students have spent several weekends in J. Frank Wilson Park behind the museum identifying and mapping the locations of the trees in the park. The data and observations they presented Wednesday will support the Jean S. Adams Education Pavilion, which is scheduled to be completed in Spring 2020, and future work as well.

April 17, 2019

ATTENTION VIRGINIA GRADUATE STUDENTS in the areas of biology, geology, paleontology, and archaeology! The Pete Henika Memorial fund of the Virginia Museum of Natural History Foundation is now accepting proposals for the 2019 Graduate Student Research Award. The award, up to $3,500, will be given to a graduate student from a Virginia university for a research project that examines some aspect of Virginia natural history (Geology, Paleontology, Biology, Archaeology). To learn more about this opportunity, please visit www.vmnh.net/pete-henika-memorial-fund.

April 16, 2019

This Saturday! Click to purchase tickets now!

April 16, 2019

Liberty Hightower, VMNH research technician, is in the molecular laboratory at the museum today labeling tiny bones of marsh rice rats (�������� ���������) and house mice (��� ��������). The specimens are part of the museum's mammalogy collections and came to the museum as part of a long-term trapping study conducted along Virginia's eastern shore.

April 16, 2019

Ben Williams, administrator of science, is busy creating geometric bubbles today, as the museum prepares for its Geometric Bubble Event on Saturday, May 4! As an added bonus for museum visitors on the 4th, everyone will be given the chance to create their own geometric bubble shapes and learn about the science and math behind bubbles! Even better, admission to the museum on May 4 is only $3 for EVERYONE OF ALL AGES (free for children under 3 and museum members), whether you choose to participate in bubble creations or not!

April 16, 2019

Tickets remain available! Secure yours online today!

April 13, 2019

The 2019 STEM Showcase is taking place at VMNH this morning from 10 a.m. to noon! Stop by and check-out the amazing science projects of some of south central Virginia's finest students!

April 12, 2019

Thank you to Danville Distributing for providing specialty beers to this year's Grapes & Grains to be held Saturday, April 20! Come out to the event and sample a wide variety of wines, whiskies and specialty beers for a great cause! All proceeds benefit the Virginia Museum of Natural History Foundation's Discovery Fund in support of important museum initiatives in education, research and exhibits! Tickets to the event are available online at www.vmnh.store/grapes-and-grains.html!

April 11, 2019

VMNH staffer Ben Williams installs an ice age wolf at the Rockfish Valley Natural History Center in Nelson Co. The exhibit provides lessons on Extinction, Extirpation, and Successful species (ice age wolf, cougar, and coyote, respectively).

April 11, 2019

Ray Vodden, VMNH research technician, is at the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul to instruct research staff on how to make fiberglass protective cradles for fossils in its scientific collections. The cradles allow for a safe and secure way to transport fossils between different locations.

April 11, 2019

Ray Vodden, VMNH research technician, is at the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul receiving a tour of its paleontology collections by former VMNH Assistant Curator of Paleontology, Dr. Alex Hastings. Dr. Hastings is now Fitzpatrick Chair of Paleontology at the Science Museum of Minnesota.

April 11, 2019

Today's Grapes & Grains featured winery is Bright Meadows Farm Vineyard & Winery located in Nathalie, Virginia! Come out to the museum's Grapes & Grains wine tasting event on Saturday, April 20 and sample a variety of its offerings, as well as offerings from other wineries and distilleries from around the region! Tickets are available online at www.vmnh.store/grapes-and-grains.html!

April 10, 2019

Ray Vodden, research technician, is at the Sanford Museum & Planetarium in Cherokee, Iowa today to return its Megalonyx pelvis fossil that has been at VMNH this past year in order to mold, cast and 3D scan. The full cast skeleton of Megalonyx will be unveiled at VMNH in the next several years.

April 10, 2019

Today's Grapes & Grains featured distillery is Franklin County Distilleries located in Boones Mill, Virginia! Come out to the museum's Grapes & Grains on Saturday, April 20 to sample a variety of its offerings! Tickets are available online at www.vmnh.store/grapes-and-grains.html!

April 10, 2019

Bugs! Tomorrow! Free!

April 9, 2019

Take advantage of behind-the-scenes tours this Saturday at the museum! Click to learn more!

April 9, 2019

Tickets still available! Order now at www.vmnh.store/grapes-and-grains.html

April 9, 2019

Today's Grapes & Grains featured winery is Brooks Mill Winery located in Wirtz, Virginia! Come out to the museum's Grapes & Grains wine tasting event on Saturday, April 20 and sample a variety of its offerings, as well as offerings from other wineries and distilleries from around the region! Tickets are available online at www.vmnh.store/grapes-and-grains.html!

April 8, 2019

Today's Grapes & Grains featured winery is Hamlet Vineyards located in Bassett, Virginia! Come out to the museum's Grapes & Grains wine tasting event on Saturday, April 20 and sample a variety of its offerings, as well as offerings from other wineries and distilleries from around the region! Tickets to the event are available online at www.vmnh.store/grapes-and-grains.html

April 4, 2019

Sample a wide variety of wines and whiskies, while enjoying heavy hors d'oeuvres and live music! Bid on a variety of auction items, including fine furniture and art! Tickets are only $50 per person and should be purchased in advance.

April 2, 2019

Sample a wide variety of wines and whiskies, while enjoying heavy hors d'oeuvres and live music! Bid on a variety of auction items, including fine furniture and art! Tickets remain available and should be purchased in advance.

April 2, 2019

Curators and research technicians from the museum teamed-up with Roanoke College to present the training workshop "Capture and Curation Methods for Studying Terrestrial Animals". The day-long workshop gave participants hands-on training in the ways mammals and invertebrates are captured for scientific study and how they are prepared and curated as museum specimens for long-term preservation. Museum instructors also provided examples from their own research programs of how museum specimens are used to further our understanding of Virginia's fauna. Dr. Nancy D. Moncrief, curator of mammalogy, presented the portion of instruction focussing on mammals. Dr. Moncrief studies mammals that live on the Virginia barrier islands ...

April 2, 2019

Alright, all you insect lovers! Here's your chance to learn - directly from expert entomologists - all about the ants and beetles that call Virginia and West Virginia home!

April 2, 2019

Congratulations to Haley Cartmell (left), research collections manager, for 15 years of service to the museum and Commonwealth of Virginia! Haley was recognized by Dr. Elizabeth Moore, curator of archaeology, with a certificate honoring her service.

April 1, 2019

Dr. Joe Keiper, VMNH Executive Director (left) presented Senior Curator of Earth Sciences Dr. James Beard a certificate today honoring Dr. Beard's 30 years of service to the Commonwealth of Virginia. Congratulations Jim on this amazing accomplishment!