Virginia Museum of Natural History

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us here at VMNH!! While the museum is closed today, we'll resume our regular operating schedule tomorrow, Friday, November 28. We hope to see you here!

Welcome, Dr. Collin VanBuren! An ecologist with extensive experience in invertebrate & vertebrate biology, Dr. VanBuren joins the VMNH R&C team as Visiting Scholar. Dr. VanBuren's upcoming work will place an emphasis on the natural history of mammals & birds here in Virginia.

Life-size cast skeletons, an extraordinary variety of dinosaur fossils, engaging dino-themed activities, animatronic dino displays, and the opportunity to interact with expert paleontologists! Dino Festival is July 26 & 27, 2024 from 10am to 4pm each day! vmnh.net/events/dino-fe…

VMNH will have a delayed public opening on Tuesday, March 19 at 1 p.m. due to a museum maintenance project. Thank you for your understanding!

Huge congratulations to VMNH Fiscal Supervisor Bobbie Dillon, who recently earned Virginia Contracting Officer certification! Congrats, Bobbie and thank you for admirable dedication to the museum and public service!

Mark your calendar for the 2024 Dino Festival, July 26-27! Learn more at Dino Festival - Virginia Museum of Natural History (vmnh.net) #VMNHDinoFestival

The museum is currently experiencing a power outage, which we hope to have resolved soon. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Thank you for your patience as we paint our Special Exhibit Hall today in preparation for our next special exhibit, “Masters of the Night: The True Story of Bats", opening Saturday, February 10! Learn more at vmnh.net/events/masters…!

Please note that the museum will open to the public at noon on Tuesday, January 16, 2024 due to anticipated icy conditions.

Due to expected hazardous winter weather conditions Saturday morning, the museum will open to the public at noon on Saturday, January 6.

VMNH Assistant Curator of Herpetology Dr. Arianna Kuhn is currently participating in a biological survey of the Andrafiamena-Andavakoera Protected Area in Northern Madagascar. One of the targeted groups of the survey included the leaf-tailed gecko pictured here!

VMNH Assistant Curator of Herpetology Dr. Arianna Kuhn is currently participating in a biological survey of the Andrafiamena-Andavakoera Protected Area in Northern Madagascar. Here, the reptile and amphibian expert is holding the blonde hognose snake (Leioheterodon modestus).

Being closed to visitors on Mondays gives the museum's Buildings & Grounds team the opportunity to make repairs inside the exhibit galleries! Today, technician Joel Clifton is hard at work on an overhead projector that's an integral part of the "Wild Watersheds" exhibit.

Friday, July 21 & Saturday, July 22, 2023! Life-size dinosaur cast skeletons, an awesome variety of fossils, dino-themed activities & crafts, expert paleontologists, & the museum's newest special exhibit "Dinosaur Discoveries: Ancient Fossils, New Ideas"! vmnh.net/events/dino-fe…

🇺🇸We're open today, July 4!!! Whether you're going solo or bringing the fam, a trip to the Virginia Museum of Natural History makes for an amazing adventure! Now through Labor Day weekend, the museum is open Tuesday - Saturday from 10am to 4pm and Sundays from Noon to 4pm!

A recent report on damage to the Sudan National Museum in Khartoum, co-authored by the PennCHC with the @SmithsonianCRI, @VMNH's Cultural Heritage Monitoring Lab, and @GVPTUMD, was cited in this illuminating New York Times article by Abdul Latif Dahir. nytimes.com/2023/05/28/wor…

Congrats to @PseudohajeSci for her recent appointment as Research Adjunct w/ @NaturalSciences! The appointment provides Dr. Kuhn w/ collaboration opportunities & even greater access to the herpetology collections/resources of NCMNS, while she leads & builds the VMNH herp program!

The work of @SmithsonianaCRI, the Cultural Heritage Monitoring Lab (which is headquartered here at VMNH), and other partners continues in the effort to protect Ukraine's history and to document attempts to erase it. smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-in…

The Cultural Heritage Monitoring Lab (CHML) is a partnership between @VMNH and @smithsoniancri. It uses open-source research, remote sensing and commercial satellite imagery to identify and monitor cultural heritage sites that are threatened by armed conflict or natural disaster.

VMNH Curator of Mammals Dr. Nancy Moncrief was awarded today by The VA Chapter of the Wildlife Society with the Dr. Henry S. Mosby Professional Award for significant professional contributions to wildlife species, their habitat & to the citizens of VA! Congrats, Dr. Moncrief!