Explore Family Fun Activities at the
Children's Museum of Virginia

"It's the only museum where you can come and touch things. [At other museums] you have to walk around, keep your hands in your pockets. Here we say go up, touch it, play with it, push it, figure out what makes it work."

First Floor Exhibits

A Working Port

The busy ports of Norfolk and Portsmouth come alive in this bustling waterfront area. Visitors may explore the port environment through role play and hands-on activities. Visitors are introduced to the functions of a port, how tugboats operate, and what goods are imported and exported.

Bubbles

Create bubbles of varying shapes and sizes — even ones that are bigger than you.

Tot Yard

Designed especially for toddlers up to three will have the opportunity to move, play, and explore. Upon passing through a picket fence gate, children may let their curiosities guide them through this safe and interactive nature-themed environment.

Lancaster Antique Train and Toy Collection

Designed to look like a train depot platform. Railway tracks guide visitors from the platform area toward the main Lancaster exhibit and collection. Tots will enjoy the Thomas and Friends play area.

Bank

Explore the essential functions of a bank such as depositing and withdrawing money and storing valuable possessions. It will also introduce visitors to concepts such as earning and saving, counterfeiting and international currency

Planetarium

Inspiring Tomorrow's Stars. Nothing quite amazes or inspires a child like that first trip to a planetarium. Click here for show times.

Now Playing at the Planetarium:

One World, One Sky
A brilliant spectacle of light and color as the furry friends watch the stars twinkle over Sesame Street. Children attending the show can interact as they watch, drawing constellations and counting the time it takes the sun to set. The 20-minute planetarium show follows Sesame Street's Big Bird and Elmo as they explore the night sky with Hu Hu Zhu, a Muppet from Zhima Jie, the Chinese co-production of Sesame Street. Together, they take an imaginary trip from Sesame Street to the moon, where they discover how different it is from Earth.

Sounds Around

Enter a soon-to-be-open music store. Learn about the four families of musical instruments. Enjoy playing instruments made from unusual and found materials such as trash cans lids, hubcaps, wrenches and more.

From Farm to Foodmart

In the Market area, visitors will recognize their local grocery store environment, full of foods that they regularly see in their store. Children will have the opportunity to work in a simulated grocery store, scanning items and checking out groceries. Visitors will see where much of their food comes from in a variety of hands-on activities.

Bodyworks

Enter a wellness center just for kids where they will have fun while learning about sports, work safety, hygiene and fitness.

REACH Library

In this quiet REACH (Reading Enriches All Children) reading area, children may choose to read a book, take a book home with them, or drop a book into a donation box.

Museum Gift Shop

Looking for a unique toy or gift? Our Museum Gift Shop has all kinds of educational gift to spur the imagination.

Safety Zone

Learn all about home safety and hazard prevention while engaging with fun, hands-on activities. Play in a real fire truck cab. Play a home fire safety detective game and put out the fire.

Pets and Vets

Pets and Vets is a welcoming pet clinic where children are invited to explore pet care, animal communication, and what pets need to live healthy lives.

Second Floor Exhibits

Dr. Forces Traveling
Energy Extravaganza

Come explore energy and physical sciences through the lens of a fairground/carnival sideshow. Concepts include magnetism, electrical energy, waves, fluid dynamics, and simple and compound machines.

My Backyard and Beyond

Investigate a variety of topics through the familiar entry point of your own backyard."My House" is an interactive environment introducing visitors to recycling and energy consumption. Explore topics such as biology, ecology, archaeology, geology, and astronomy in the "backyard". area.

CreARTvity

Discover a series of engaging spaces, each with a different themes and functions. Enter into an area full of hands-on experiences organized around particular art forms, such as drawing, painting, sculpture, and architecture. There's also a Performance Space that allows for dance, music and small-scale performances. This area includes the Make It & Take It workshops and two classrooms dedicated to serving groups.