The 37-acre property of the Science Museum of Virginia was once Richmond’s central train station. The museum’s creative designers made great use of the soaring ceilings and even the train tracks! Families enter the vaulted entrance to find an airplane suspended from the lofty ceiling and the mesmerizing Foucault Pendulum.
The Science Museum of Virginia is perfect for all ages from baby to adult – truly! It is an absolute CharlottesvilleFamily Favorite – winning a coveted place on our reader-voted Family Favorite Museums list year after year! It features hands on exhibits about innovation, speed, and wellness in addition to great big bugs, a submarine, music, native plant garden and more. There is something for every kind of curious mind to explore.
PLAN YOUR TRIP TO THE SCIENCE MUSEUM OF VIRGINIA
The largest screen in Virginia is found at The Dome & Planetarium, where guests are right in the thick of things! Select from hundreds of annual special events that range from talks to overnight excursions and summer camps. Families can easily spend a full day.
Plan time for lunch or snacks in the Periodic Table Cafe and to explore the great museum gift shop for souvenirs. From aeronautics to fossils and gemstones to nature centers, Virginia Science Museums have lots to offer families including education resources for parents.
Your children can explore science while having fun with hundreds of unique, hands-on STEAM exhibits at the Science Museum of Virginia.
Science Museum of Virginia Exhibits for Families
The Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond will astound and excite kids and parents alike. There are three floors of interactive labs, amazing artifacts and hundreds of hands-on experiences along with lots of events. The museum hosts both permanent and traveling international exhibitions! There are three permanent exhibits: Lightspace (for children under five), Boost, and Speed. Seasonal and visiting exhibits are also available, and they are always changing. Rat basketball in the live animal lab is yet another beloved attraction! The Dome, Virginia’s largest movie screen, is located within the Science Museum and offers Giant Screen Films and planetarium shows.
Explore permanent Science Museum exhibitions on wellness, innovation, and speed, interact with real animals, watch rats play basketball, and more! For kids that are animal lovers you may enjoy also visiting a zoo or aquarium nearby or My Three-Chambered Heart reptile museum. Specialty exhibits, such as the visiting “Body Worlds” or “LEGO Towers of Tomorrow“, are usually a hit. Outside you can see the Aluminaut. The Aluminaut is a submarine that broke records when it descended into the ocean.
A popular permanent wellness exhibit at the museum, “Boost!”, is undoubtedly a standout. You can monitor and increase your happiness quotient and compare it to others using your own unique data card. The Dome is the most cutting-edge digital dome theater in the world. Popular Giant Screen shows include Secrets of the Sea, Animal Kingdom, Oceans and Living Worlds. Seeing a film makes a great break during your visit to the Science Museum of Virginia with kids. There are no age restriction in The Dome but there is a recommendation that it is best for ages 5 and older.
Tips for Visiting the Science Museum of Virginia with Kids
Richmond’s Science Museum offers a daily schedule of events perfect for kids . You can enjoy films, live animal interactions, performances, dissections, and cooking demonstrations. Make sure you get a schedule when you purchase your tickets. The Dome theater is a breathtaking experience, but it can sometimes be overwhelming for children under the age of four. You might want to reconsider going to a show at The Dome if you suffer from motion sickness, vertigo, or similar conditions. Earplugs or headphones may help bring down the stimuli for sensitive kids.
The Science Museum offers a daily schedule of events that includes films, live animal interactions, performances, dissections, and cooking demonstrations.
Save money by purchasing a museum membership. If you travel, membership is an even better value! The Science Museum of Virginia is an accredited member of the Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC). Museum members receive free or discounted general admission to a network of more than 300 member museums all over the world. As a proud member of the Museums for All national initiative, the Science Museum of Virginia offers reduced admission rates for low-income families. Click here to learn more about daily admission rates.
Accessibility at Richmond’s Science Museum
Developing an inclusive museum experience is important to the Science Museum’s goals and principles. The Science Museum tries hard to create an inclusive experience in all they do.
The Science Museum is working to remove any barriers, both financial and otherwise. The goal is to serve the greatest possible number of people in the community. They have great resources specific to autism spectrum and sensory concerns, blind and low vision, deaf and hard of hearing and mobility. They also offer a unique “Minds of All Kinds” event regularly. The event is a sensory-friendly evening for guests with disabilities.
FAVORITE SPOTS TO VISIT AT RICHMOND’S SCIENCE MUSEUM
The Science Museum’s Forge Makerspace
The foundation of manufacturing is math, science, technology, and engineering. The Forge, the Science Museum’s permanent makerspace invites visitors to get creative! The space is designed to facilitate the creative process for all generations and instill the idea that anything is possible.
The Forge’s highlight is a gigantic welding robot. It has been taught to sketch and generates great creative renderings right in front of your eyes!
At the heart of The Forge is the makerspace, which includes the Sharp Design Studio, workroom, and machine shop. This facility is outfitted with traditional tools as well as cutting-edge technology such as CNC routers, 3D printers, laser cutters, and more. This room lets visitors go deeper into STEM and making with hands-on programs. Reservations are sometimes required, we recommend checking ahead.
Toddlers & Preschoolers at the Science Museum
LightPlace is a bright experience for the youngest scientists. This exhibit encourages skill development and exploratory learning in children aged 5 and younger. Engaging, preschool-sized hands-on activities make learning fun. The Science Museum of Virginia is a great space for even the youngest kids to play and learn.
Encourage your child to play, explore, discover, and learn through experience and problem-solving. The display includes instruments for improving environmental awareness, motor abilities, sensory perception and object recognition. Basic reading and math activities are included in the exhibit too. Multi-sensory exercises help children reach developmental milestones. There are lots of great science experiments and hands-on math that you can do at home, too.
The LightPlace Exhibit boosts preschoolers’ confidence as they master new abilities. Caregivers can engage toddlers in sensory learning. By exploring the space together, guests of all ages are reminded that science is all around them.
Early ExpLORE presentations, created for LightPlace’s young scientists. These brief, live-action events bring a science tale to life with exciting costumes, dances, characters, and more. Check the daily schedule for events.
The Science Museum of Virginia is located in Richmond, Virginia, and occupies the historic Broad Street Station. They have three levels of interactive exhibitions, a 76-foot-tall Dome theater, hands-on labs, and more to keep curious minds of all ages engaged. Exciting adventures in STEAM await!
Before you visit, please sure to review the current operating procedures and building map guide. Science Museum of Virginia: 2500 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23220-2057; 804.864.1400; info@smv.org.
Enjoy lots more family fun in Richmond and Central Virginia with these great day trip guides – Zoos & Aquariums, Historic Attractions, Interactive Kids Museums, Charlottesville Attractions for Families, and more!
JENNIFER BRYERTON, Ma Ed., our Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, started her career in teaching, is a mom of four and Co-Founder of CharlottesvilleFamily. A believer in hands-on learning and an avid gardener, beehives, a fruit & vegi plot, perennial borders and a chicken coop dot the family lawn west of Charlottesville. Jen also enjoys sharing travel, museums, theater performances and nature attractions with her family.