Schedule a Visit

Teachers: Reservations for the 2011-12 school year open at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 31. Call early for best selection of programs and dates. Consider reserving programs in the fall or winter when the Museum is less busy.

Museum Science Programs are:

•  SOL-correlated 
•  Grade-level targeted 
•  Endorsed by the:
  • Virginia Department of Education
  • U.S. Department of Education
  • National Science Foundation

Contract Schools
The Museum has contracts with the following school systems to provide pre-paid science programs: Newport News and Gloucester. Teachers in these school systems should contact the Museum to determine the specific programs available to them.

Planning a field trip can be an enormous undertaking and the Virginia Living Museum wants your class to have the best visit possible. Below are procedures for reserving a field trip. As you plan your visit, check our our step-by-step Planning Guide. 

Before you make a reservation

• Field trip rates are available for school groups visiting the museum during the traditional school year.
• Pick three potential days for your school trip
• To avoid rescheduling or cancellation, please check your school's calendar for holidays, test dates, late arrival/early dismissal, teacher in-services, etc. before requesting your field trip.
• March, April and May are peak months for school field trips. For best selection of activities, try requesting trips in September-October or January-February.
• Find out whether your school buses will be available on those days.
• Confirm permission for the trip with your school administration.

Select your desired program

• Self Guided Visit (Grades K-12)
  $7 per student
  1.5 – 2 hours recommended

• Natural Science Program (Grades K-5)
  $9.75 per student (Minimum fee of $360 if <37 students)
  Maximum of 60 students per program
  45 minutes per program

• Space Science Program (Grades K-12)
  $9.75 per student (Minimum fee of $360 if <37 students)
  Maximum of 60 students per program
  45 minutes per program

• Environmental Science Lab (Grades 6-12)
  $11.75 per student (Minimum fee of $275 if <24 students)
  Maximum of 30 students per program
  1.5 hours per program

• Science Safaris (Grades 6-12)
  Prices vary
  Maximum of 25 students
  Program length varies
  Does not include a Self-Guided Visit

Complimentary admissions

• All Teachers, School Staff, Aides and Bus Drivers are free of charge
• ONE free parent chaperone provided for every TEN students (based on number of students brought to the museum NOT based on number of classes) – round up (15 students = 2 free chaperones)
• Any additional parents will be charged our discounted chaperone rate of $16
• Parents are not guaranteed a seat in programs
• Parents with additional children not enrolled with the grade level/school visiting are NOT permitted in programs

Gather the following information

• School division
• School name
• Street address
• City
• State
• Zip code
• School phone number
• Contact person
• Contact email
• Last names of CLASSROOM teachers
• Email addresses of CLASSROOM teachers
• Grade
• Estimated number of students
• Arrival time
• Departure time
• Will you be doing a picnic lunch on site?
• Will you be allowing your students into the gift store? (Students MUST be supervised closely)

Two ways to make your reservation

• Call the Reservations Office at 757-595-9135 to set up a time and date for your visit.
• Fill out the on-line request form (best option)

• If one of your requested dates is available, you will receive a confirmation email.
• If your requested dates are unavailable for any reason, you will receive a phone call from the Reservations Office to work out a time and date for your visit.
• Submit one application per visit. To book multiple trips on different days, please submit separate requests.
• Once you receive your email confirmation, please review the information to make sure that it is correct and complete.
• Any changes to the numbers of students can be made on the day of the visit (unless it will change the number of programs needed).
• If for some reason you need to change or cancel a field trip, please call the Reservations office at least two weeks before your scheduled date.

Teachers please note
If you schedule a visit, you are entitled to reserve a free Teacher Check Out prior to your school’s visit. To set up your check out, please call Reservations at 757-595-9135.  When you arrive, make sure that you bring your teacher ID.

As you plan your visit, check our our step-by-step Planning Guide.