Frommer's Review
This entertaining, educational facility focusing on Virginia's marine environment is a wonderful place to take the kids. Its 45 acres are beside Owl Creek salt marsh, a wildlife habitat. You can easily spend half a day here, a full day to see -- and learn -- it all. Plan to spend at least half of your time in the main building, where touch tanks will fascinate you and the kids (bet you don't know a horseshoe crab's mouth feels like a toothbrush). Rays willingly swim over in one tank to have their leathery hides petted. Kids will love playing with the switches and dials in a dark room designed like a submarine, complete with sonar "pings." The sub looks out into one of several room-size aquariums holding a myriad of sea turtles, sharks, rays, and other species found in Virginia waters. Movies in the center's 3-D IMAX theater feature animals leaping off the screen at you.
As you leave the main building, take a look at the salt marsh room, which will prepare you for a .3-mile nature hike along the creek, or to take an informative 35-minute cruise in a 50-passenger pontoon boat on Owl Creek and through Virginia Beach's last undeveloped salt marsh. There's an observation tower from which you might see some of the wild animals living on an island across the creek. The boardwalk nature trail leads to the smaller Owl Creek Marsh Pavilion, were river otters play in an outdoor tank and more than 50 species of birds fly about an aviary (the big noisy birds passing overhead are fighters taking off and landing at nearby Oceana Naval Air Station). It also houses the fascinating "Macro Marsh" display in which everything is enlarged 10 times normal size to give you a crab's eye view of the world.
The Aquarium Trolley stops at both buildings, so you can get on at the pavilion; otherwise, you'll have to walk back to your car outside the main building.
Dolphin-Watching & Splashing with the Seals -- Provided you're not overly prone to seasickness, one of the most interesting things to do here is to take an offshore dolphin-watching cruise given by the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center (daily June-Sept, Sat-Sun in spring and fall). The center also has whale-watching cruises in winter (also offshore) and sea life-collecting trips in summer. The trips cost $18 to $30 for adults, $14 to $25 for children younger than 12. The boats leave from Rudee Inlet. Call the aquarium or check its website for schedules (tel. 757/425-3474; www.virginiaaquarium.com). To make reservations, which are required, call (tel. 757/385-3474).
Another marvelous experience at the center, especially for children 8 and older, is its Harbor Seal Splash. Accompanied by an animal-care specialist, you actually get into a pool and splash around with the resident harbor seals and participate in a training session. The 2-hour sessions take place April through September. If you can afford it, the $125 per person is worth it. Call tel. 757/385-0300 for reservations, which are required.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
