The Virginia Living Museum

The Virginia Living Museum was one of my favorite places to go growing up, the absolute best field trip destination. While I always loved the zoo and the aquarium, there was something special about the VLM. The animals weren't exotic but native to my home state, ones I could, theoretically encounter in my backyard. And yet at the museum, I had a chance to see them up close in their own habitats, not bounding away or freezing in fear but doing the kind of things they do in their daily animal lives.

I was excited to share it with Anne. This is a kid who loves all things outdoors and animals of all stripes. She's a Virginia girl, too boot. So J and I hit the museum on a cloudy day last week with high hopes of initiating her into the tribe.

But we ran into trouble early on. Surprise tantrum -- hit the deck! I think it was prompted by the fact that we wouldn't let her take her coat off. Oh, almost two...you are a delight.

Still, despite a few squalls, we ended up having a great time exploring the VLM (which was nice, because after paying over $30 to get in, we weren't looking forward to 1-2-3 Magicking our way out before we'd seen everything). The interior exhibits, featuring plants and wildlife from different geographical regions of Virginia, were punctuated by interactive discovery centers where kids can piece together fossils, climb through tree trunks, and examine brightly-painted butterfly wings. We especially loved the Coastal Plain aquariums and the World of Darkness gallery, and seeing all of the animals that have so creatively adapted to life without light.

But the real highlight of the trip was a stroll over the elevated boardwalk that spans Deer Park Lake to see the big stars of the museum: coyotes, foxes, eagles, deer...  My favorites were the crafty (and slightly neurotic?) raccoons, James liked the wolves, and the playful otters made A. laugh out loud. Not an easy task on this particular day, but those otters are seriously charming. Even the most crotchety of toddlers cannot resist.

Have you been to the VLM lately? What was your favorite exhibit?

A visit to the Virginia Aquarium (and why to buy a membership)

Happy 2013! We celebrated the new year at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center with our good friends, Erin and Baby J. and Sarah and Baby A. (By the way, aren't there a lot of Baby A.s in our circle? Is A. a popular initial for your crowd, too?) We'd heard such good things about the aquarium and had been meaning to go for months. So spending New Years Day there felt right, like we were making good on a resolution at the very start of the year.

The first thing I did upon arriving was buy a year's membership, and here's why:

• Admission for just one visit is pretty steep: $21 per adult and $15 per child (aged 3 and up). We bought the cheapest membership (the Otter level, for $80), which will pay for itself in just two visits. 
• Speaking of numbers of visits, you'll definitely need more than one to experience everything the aquarium has to offer. We were there for two hours, and only managed to hit about 2/3 of the Bay and Ocean Pavilion. There's still a whole other pavilion, a library, and a theatre waiting to be explored (not to mention special events, like storytimes, nature treks, and boat rides).  
• Membership has some great perks, like express entry (valuable in the summertime, when the aquarium gets crowded) and substantial discounts for the cafe and IMAX movie theatre. 
• The aquarium is awesome. It's just plain awesome. And we loved it. 

Baby J. ain't afraid of no horseshoe crabs.

Some things we were especially excited about: the large walk-through tank, filled with colorful fish and coral; the up-bubble that allowed us to see into the Komodo dragon habitat and come face to face with the giant lizard; the stingray petting tank (I almost had a heart attack when a friendly ray leaped up to say hello); listening to the very knowledgeable docent tell us all about the crocodiles; watching the seals zoom happily through the water. And the sea turtles (Anouk said "turtle" for the first time!) -- and the turtle nursery -- and pressing buttons in the submersible play area -- and, well, you get the picture. It was all pretty great and we're already looking forward to going back.

We had lunch at the cafe, and I want to give a special shout out to the staff there -- who not only didn't mind when Baby Anne accidentally upended her plate onto the floor but told us not to worry about it, either. That kind of attitude is invaluable when you're out with a toddler and it was much appreciated.

Um, take a look at the scratches on those windows. Holy cow Komodo dragon!

What about you? How did you celebrate the new year? Are there any local landmarks you're looking forward to visiting in 2013?