Children's Museum of Virginia facts for kids
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| Established | 1980 |
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| Location | 221 High Street, Portsmouth, Virginia |
| Type | Children's Museum |
The Children's Museum of Virginia is the biggest children's museum in the state of Virginia. You can find it in Olde Town Portsmouth at 221 High Street. This exciting museum has a special planetarium and two floors packed with fun exhibits.
One of its coolest features is a huge collection of antique toys and model trains. It's actually one of the largest collections on the East Coast! Imagine seeing a life-size tug boat and house inside a museum. You can also explore a real Hampton Roads Transit bus, the front part of a real fire truck from the Portsmouth Fire Department, and even a real motorcycle from the Portsmouth Police Department.
Contents
Museum History: How It Started
The Children's Museum of Virginia first opened its doors in December 1980. Back then, it was called the Tidewater Children's Museum. Its very first home was in the basement of the Main Branch of the Portsmouth Public Library.
Later, the city of Portsmouth took over the museum. They changed its name to the Portsmouth Children's Museum. In 1984, the museum moved to a historic building, the 1846 Courthouse. Finally, in 1994, the museum moved to its current, much larger location.
Growing Bigger: Museum Renovations
The museum has grown and changed a lot over the years to make it even better for visitors!
- 1994: The museum opened its newly expanded space on December 10, 1994. It doubled in size, offering over 60 exhibits across 27,000 square feet. This made it the largest museum of its kind in Virginia.
- 1998: More than two dozen new exhibits were added. The museum also grew by another 63,000 square feet! This huge expansion happened thanks to a generous gift: the Lancaster Antique Train and Toy Collection. This personal collection included 5,000 amazing toys and trains.
- 2009: The museum closed for a big makeover. The entire building was updated to create a modern museum with brand new exhibits. Over 9,000 more square feet were added during this time.
- 2011: The Children's Museum of Virginia reopened on May 26, 2011. It now covers an impressive 72,000 square feet!
- 2020: The museum was closed for most of the year due to the COVID pandemic.
Exciting Exhibits: What You Can Explore
The museum is divided into different zones, each with unique and interactive exhibits.
First Floor Adventures
The first floor is one big, interactive area called My City. Here, you can explore a street named Beazley Way. Along this street, you'll find several themed exhibits:
- Port: Learn about ships and the busy life of a harbor.
- Market: Discover how markets work and what you can find there.
- Bank: Understand how money and banking work in a fun way.
- Library: Explore books and the joy of reading.
- Museum: This area hosts special traveling exhibits that change regularly.
- Beazley Planetarium: Watch different shows each month in this movie theater.
The first floor also features the very popular Bubbles exhibit. You can create giant bubbles and learn about their science!
Second Floor Discoveries
The second floor is where you can dive into art, science, and nature. It has three large themed exhibits:
- CreARTivity: Unleash your artistic side and create amazing things.
- Dr. Forces Traveling Energy Extravaganza: Learn all about energy through exciting science experiments.
- My Backyard and Beyond: Explore the wonders of nature, from your own backyard to the wider world.
