Stay-Cation: Virginia Living Museum

My girls are crazy about dinosaurs.  Elora can name all the common ones, and the only animal sound I've been able to teach Kaylie is "rawr" for dinosaur.  So naturally, when the Virginia Living Museum started advertising a "living" dinosaur exhibit, it went to the top of our "must do" list for the summer.

We got up on Saturday morning (after our sleep-over) and caravan-ed (since neither of us has a car big enough for 2 adults and 3 car seats) up to Newport News to check it out. 

Kaylie, telling Aunt Bekah what dinosaurs say---without prompting

corythosaurus with nest

triceratops with babies

skinless dinosaur robot, with a panel to control its movements

the t-rex

I think this one was Kaylie's favorite

triceratops photo-op.  I should have taken the photos from straight-on, but I didn't think about it until I was going through my photos at home.

Naturally, the dinosaurs were a major hit, but there was a lot more to see there then just the dinosaurs.  We didn't venture outside, because it was just too hot, but we did look at all of the inside exhibits, which focus on the local ecology.  

Appalachian Cove exhibit, upper level

There were lots of hands-on and interactive things to see, do, and climb on.

Cypress Swamp and  Appalachian Cove exhibits, lower level.

I'd say we saw about half of what the VLM has to offer, and it was great.  I'm thinking that we'll have to go back.  The dinosaurs will be exchanged for something new in September; maybe we'll go back then?