Lots of people know about the one in D.C., but did you know there's a Smithsonian Virginia Museum of Natural History with tons of cool exhibits?
After a recent harrowing family trip to D.C.'s version of this museum, in which I ended up having to park 200 miles away (only a slight exaggeration), I think a four-hour drive to Martinsville, Virginia, near Roanoke, sounds downright relaxing. With over 13 exhibits spread throughout three floors, including a play area for kids 8 and under, and a kid-food laden cafe, the Virginia Museum of Natural History is a perfect family outing with kids of all ages.
Here are some descriptions of just a few of the exhibits you'll find!
Uncovering Virginia
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Courtesy Virginia Natural History Museum Facebook[/caption]
Walk through Virginia's natural history from beginning to present as you discover the recreations of six research sites in Virginia where scientists and their colleagues have worked or are working. Virginia's rich natural and geological history provides a range of locations around the Commonwealth that span a broad interval of time from 700 million years ago to 300 years ago. The original sites are located in the following counties: Buchanan, Pittsylvania, Caroline, Surry, Smyth, and Salem.
Dinosaurs: Reign of the Giants
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The museum's newest exhibit is a Mesozoic wonderland. The exhibit features a wide variety of life-size dinosaur cast skeletons and dinosaur fossils, including the only known fossil evidence that
Tyrannosaurus rex and
Triceratops engaged in a battle. A
Triceratops horn on display shows healed bite marks from a
T. rex, meaning the bite occurred while the
Triceratops was alive.
Other exhibit highlights include the Smithsonian’s
Stegosaurus stenops skeleton that was first displayed at the National Museum of Natural History in 1917 and re-cast in 2003, as well as a full skeleton cast of
Triceratops horridus lent by the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum.
Hall of Ancient Life
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The Harvest Foundation of the Piedmont Hall of Ancient Life treats Virginia Museum of Natural History visitors to a wide assortment of displays featuring ancient creatures and modern science. Marvel at the flying reptile,
Pteranadon, and its impressive 20-foot-wing-span soaring 40 feet above the hall. See the cast skeleton of the theropod dinosaur,
Allosaurus, a 140 million-year-old dinosaur discovered in north-central Wyoming. Witness
Eobalaenoptera, a 14 million-year-old baleen whale specimen collected by museum scientists in the
Northern Neck of Virginia.
Ice Age
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Courtesy Virginia Natural History Museum Web Site[/caption]
The Virginia Museum of Natural History has re-created full-sized, skeleton casts of some of the most amazing creatures of the Pleistocene epoch, which ended approximately 11,700 years ago. The exhibit features a saber-tooth cat (
Smilodon), muskox (
Bootherium), and giant beavers (
Castoroides) depicted in carefully crafted scenes with plant and insect replications true to the time period.
Plan Your Visit
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Courtesy westandstem.com[/caption]
Where: 21 Starling Avenue, Martinsville, Virginia, 24112
When: Open every day except Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
How Much: $7 per adult (ages 19-59)
$5 for children and youth (ages 3-18), seniors (60+) and college students
Free for members and children under 3
Go get a stress-free slice of history with a visit to the Virginia Museum of Natural History, and come back here and tell us all about it when you do!
