News Articles

July 31, 2018

The Virginia Museum of Natural History's annual Dino Festival roared in loudly and roared out even louder July 27 and 28, bringing in a record-smashing crowd of over 3,400 visitors, a 59% increase over last year's record of 2,100. Thank you to all who took part in the festival, and thank you to our Corporate Partners: Sovah Health - Martinsville, U.S. Cellular, Brosville Animal Hospital, and the Patterson Trust. We are looking forward to the Dragon Festival coming up on October 20!

July 31, 2018

Trivia Tuesday! Whose foot print? HINT: He's very tall, furry, and greets you as soon as you walk into the museum!

July 28, 2018

We're opening a sauropod fossil jacket at Dino Festival!

July 27, 2018

Coming to Dino Festival later today or tomorrow? Check-out this interview with Dr. Alex Hastings, assistant curator of paleontology, as he previews the adventure waiting for you at the museum!

July 27, 2018

Dino Festival is underway! Don't miss your opportunity to see a plethora of life-size cast dinosaur skeletons, real dinosaur fossils (some you can touch!), and a host of games, activities and photo opportunities! The festival runs until 7 p.m. today and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday...we hope to see you here!

July 25, 2018

Trivia Tuesday Answer- The Baleen Whale!

July 24, 2018

Trivia Tuesday! Who lost their head? HINT: This fossil was found at Carmel Church, sometimes referred to as the "ocean graveyard."

July 23, 2018

Dr. Alex Hastings, assistant curator of paleontology, was on WSLS10's Daytime Blue Ridge this morning to show off a small sample of what visitors to the museum will see during the Dino Festival this Friday and Saturday!

July 20, 2018

Be sure to tune into WSLS10's Daytime Blue Ridge at 11 a.m. on Monday to watch Dr. Alex Hastings, assistant curator of paleontology, show-off a sampling of what visitors will see at DINO FESTIVAL on Friday, July 27 and Saturday, July 28 at the museum!

July 20, 2018

One of the VMNH's #dinosaur fossils is the Featured Fossil at the myFOSSIL website this summer. Click below to learn more about the Triceratops that fought a T. rex and lived! This incredible dinosaur fossil is currently on display at the VMNH. If you haven't seen it yet, the #DinoFestival is the perfect time! July 27-28.

July 18, 2018

Trivia Tuesday Answer- Giant Beaver!

July 17, 2018

Trivia Tuesday: Guess who! HINT: These toothy rodents grew to be over 200 pounds, which is four times larger than the modern species.

July 13, 2018

Sorry parents, but we successfully made mad scientists out of your children this week! Today was the final day of the museum's "Mad Scientist" summer camp for ages 6 to 8. Campers spent the week making messy mixtures and watched stuff explode!

July 13, 2018

Students enrolled in the Summer Residential Governor's School for Mathematics, Science and Technology took over the museum on Tuesday, July 10 to explore the exhibit galleries and take part in interactive lessons provided by the museum's curators and research staff. Students participated in select programs in entomology, paleontology, biology, archaeology, and casting and molding, as well as participated in a scavenger hunt inside the museum's exhibit galleries.

July 11, 2018

Trivia Tuesday Answer- Smilodon!

July 10, 2018

Trivia Tuesday: Guess whose teeth! HINT: Their large canine teeth are still a mystery considering their jaws could only open up to the size of a lion or tiger's today.

July 10, 2018

Want free admission to the museum? Donate during the American Red Cross blood drive on Friday, July 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at First Baptist Church next to the museum and receive a free pass to visit VMNH!

July 9, 2018

The road trip back from the #Wyoming #dinosaur dig is nearing its end! VMNH curators Dr Alex Hastings & Dr Kal Ivanov made an important research stop today at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery in Dayton, Ohio. The main task was to loan a large mastodon femur. This is part of collaborative work to determine its age by carbon dating. They also checked out their impressive collections and exhibits. #DinoDigULVMNH #sloth #mastodon

July 8, 2018

The road trip back from the Wyoming dinosaur dig continues for VMNH curators Dr Alex Hastings & Dr Kal Ivanov. Today they stopped off at the University of Iowa's Natural History Museum and got to meet Rusty, the giant ground sloth, Clawd's long-lost cousin from Iowa! #DinoDigULVMNH

July 7, 2018

The return drive to Virginia started first thing this morning from beautiful Wyoming. The truck is riding a lot heavier than before, loaded with dinosaur fossils! VMNH Curators Dr Alex Hastings (Paleontology) & Dr Kal Ivanov made a short stop today at the Museum of Geology at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology in Rapid City, South Dakota. Amazing fossil collection, which even includes an impressive Megalodon tooth from Virginia! #DinoDigULVMNH

July 7, 2018

The annual dinosaur takeover of the Virginia Museum of Natural History will take place July 27-28 in Martinsville! The event features a huge variety of life-size dinosaur cast skeletons and skulls, a plethora of actual dinosaur fossils that visitors can view and touch, costumed dinosaurs, prehistoric virtual reality, games, crafts and activities! LIFE-SIZE CAST SKELETONS AND SKULLS! Marvel over some of the most well-known dinosaurs to ever roam the earth, including Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Acrocanthosaurus, Tentontosaurus, Allosaurus, Tyrannosaurus rex, Appalachiosaurus, Diplodocus and other prehistoric favorites! DINO MAZE! Find your way through a massive dino-themed maze, where prehistoric creatures await you at every ...

July 6, 2018

This afternoon, the dinosaur crew stopped by the two local museums in Greybull, Wyoming: the Big Horn Basin Geoscience Center and the Greybull Museum. Great places to see the local fossils, like the ones the team was working on! #DinoDigULVMNH

July 6, 2018

The #dinosaur dig is officially wrapped! We re-buried the last of the site so it's as if we were never there. We'll be hauling a truck-load of #Jurassic dinosaur bones back to the VMNH! #DinoDigULVMNH #FossilFriday

July 6, 2018

The final update from the dinosaur dig site! Today we finished re-burying the site until the next dig. Check out this short video with VMNH paleontologist Dr Alex Hastings and University of Lynchburg student Amanda Crouse. Stay tuned for more on the final haul and the road trip back to Virginia! #DinoDigULVMNH #FossilFriday

July 5, 2018

The penultimate update from the dinosaur dig in Wyoming! The dig officially wraps tomorrow, so close-out has already begun. Check out this little tour of the new area that's produced bones of other dinosaurs, still from the Jurassic, about 150 million years ago! #DinoDigULVMNH

July 5, 2018

The team had a great Independence Day, with a half day of digging, revealing some great looking bone. We had to return a vehicle to Billings, Montana, so we also checked out Pictograph Cave State Park. Beautiful place and we even saw a young rattlesnake! #DinoDigULVMNH

July 3, 2018

Some of the VMNH team spent the morning tracking the Harvester Ant (which pick up small #Jurassic fossils) before joining the rest of the crew for the dinosaur dig. Great progress and data obtained! We even uncovered a great-looking big bone on the hill side, which will hopefully come out tomorrow. #DinoDigULVMNH

July 3, 2018

Trivia Tuesday: Guess whose mouth?? HINT: This species is now extinct and was one of the biggest to have ever lived...and next week's trivia won't accidentally have the answer in plain sight ; )

July 3, 2018

LIVE from the #dinosaur dig site in Wyoming! Join VMNH paleontologist Dr Alex Hastings and University of Lynchburg professor Dr Brooke Haiar from just up the hill (where we can get a signal). Feel free to come in with questions and comments at any time! #DinoDigULVMNH #fieldwork #JurassicJuly

July 2, 2018

The crew had another great day at the dig site including this beautiful tibia (lower leg bone) of a two-legged dinosaur (could be a carnivorous theropod or an herbivorous ornithopod). From the #Jurassic of Wyoming, about 150 million years old. Check out some progression shots! #DinoDigULVMNH #JurassicJuly

July 2, 2018

Update from the #dinosaur dig in #Wyoming with Dr Alex Hastings (VMNH paleontologist) and Marina Reid (University of Lynchburg student). Check out the latest as we enter the final week of the #Jurassic fossil dig! #DinoDigULVMNH #fieldwork #JurassicJuly

July 2, 2018

On Sunday, July 1, over 600 visitors took part in a museum open house in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the museum becoming a state agency. The event included free admission to the exhibits, behind-the-scenes access to a variety of the museum's research labs and collections areas, an interactive display, and a special exhibit highlighting the history of the museum.

July 1, 2018

We got a break in the weather and got a whole day of digging in! Got out another rib, a beautiful toe bone and more from a sauropod dinosaur (long-neck), from about 150 million years ago. #DinoDigULVMNH #Jurassic #fieldwork

July 1, 2018

Check out this update from the #Wyoming dig today with VMNH paleontologist Dr Alex Hastings and University of Lynchburg student Amanda Crouse! It was all sunny skies so we had a full day of digging up 150 million year old sauropod (long-neck) dinosaur bones! #DinoDigULVMNH #fieldwork #Jurassic