Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center
Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center is a attraction in Red Mill & General Booth, Virginia Beach, best for families, rainy days, marine-life lovers, winter visits.
The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center is Virginia Beach's single biggest indoor attraction — a two-building campus on the banks of Owl Creek, just off General Booth Boulevard between the Oceanfront and Sandbridge. More than 800,000 gallons of habitats hold thousands of animals across hundreds of species: loggerhead sea turtles that average around 250 pounds, harbor seals, sharks, rays, river otters, and Komodo dragons, with the renovated South Building adding touch pools and a working veterinary care center that visitors can watch in action. Rotating changing exhibits (a Wildlife Rescue exhibit featuring a leatherback sea turtle, bald eagle, and red panda is a recent example) keep repeat visits fresh — check the current calendar before you go. Beyond the tanks, the aquarium runs behind-the-scenes tours, virtual reality pods, and seasonal boat trips onto the water in search of dolphins and other marine wildlife. It is open daily 9am–5pm, closing only for Thanksgiving and Christmas, which makes it the city's default rainy-day and winter answer as well as a full summer day out. The Adventure Park aerial ropes course shares the South Building campus if the kids still have energy left.
- Family Friendly
Amenities
- Touch pools
- Observable veterinary care center
- Behind-the-scenes tours
- Seasonal wildlife boat trips
- Virtual reality pods
Know Before You Go
- Best for: families, rainy days, marine-life lovers, winter visits
- Parking: On-site lot at the General Booth Boulevard campus.
- Accessibility: Indoor, multi-level facility; the aquarium publishes a dedicated accessibility guide on its official site — check it for current accommodations.
- Dogs: not allowed
- Location: 717 General Booth Blvd, Virginia Beach, VA 23451, Virginia Beach, VA
Last verified 2026-07-10.
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Upcoming Events Nearby
Cherry Blossom Festival
March 26, 2027 – March 28, 2027 · annual
Virginia Beach Parks & Recreation's spring showcase fills Red Wing Park's cherry tree grove with live cultural performances, martial arts demonstrations, and hands-on crafts timed to peak bloom in late March. The 2026 edition added a first-ever Nighttime Hanami, lighting the blossoms after dark on opening evening before the daytime festival took over the weekend. Admission and parking are free, with an overflow grass field opening for weekend crowds -- a genuinely photogenic, low-key alternative to the Oceanfront festival circuit, along General Booth Boulevard.
Sandbridge Pig Pickin'
September 12, 2026 · annual
The Sandbridge Volunteer Rescue Squad's all-you-can-eat pig roast at Little Island Park has been the neighborhood's signature fundraiser for more than four decades, paying for the advanced life-saving equipment behind the squad's 1,000-plus annual emergency calls. Barbecue, beer and wine, live music, local art vendors, and a bounce house for kids fill the park for an afternoon, with free admission for children under 10. It's Sandbridge at its most neighborly -- a beach-community fundraiser rather than a tourist draw, held at the same park that anchors the south end of the beach.
Warbirds Over the Beach
October 3, 2026 – October 4, 2026 · annual
The Military Aviation Museum's premier all-warbird air show fills its Princess Anne Road grounds with flying WWII-era aircraft, bringing the museum's own airworthy collection into the sky rather than leaving it static on display. The two-day show runs 9am to 5pm alongside the museum's regular exhibits; standard museum admission applies ($17 adults, $15 seniors/military/teachers, $10 ages 5-13, free for members, WWII veterans, and children 4 and under). It's the signature annual event for Pungo's rural southern end of the city, a genuine surprise for visitors who don't expect a working WWII airfield inside Virginia Beach limits.