by Cynthia Wall

Created on: June 23, 2009   Last Updated: August 13, 2009

If stingrays passed out cigars, they'd be pretty busy this month at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center, 717 General Booth Boulevard. That's because a female Atlantic stingray gave birth to two female and two male pups on June 15th. It's the first successful breeding and birth of an Atlantic Ray at Virginia Aquarium but certainly not the only interesting happening at this well-run facility.

As the state's largest aquarium, Virginia Aquarium and Science Center has more than 300 hands-on-exhibits, three touch tanks, an outdoor aviary, 10 acres of marsh habitats and a 1/3 mile nature trail. The Marine Science Center includes a 6 story high IMAX theater where you can see such films as Jean-Michel Cousteau's Dolphins and Whales 3D.

The Virginia Aquarium is the only place in the U.S. where you can actually get in the water to interact with harbor seals. In a behind the scenes adventure, seal trainers will escort you into the training pavilion and show you the inside techniques of training and caring for these fun marine mammals. After your introductory session, you'll accompany a mammal care specialist into the water to lead a seal through a training activity. Children must be at least 8 years old and 48 inches tall to participate and children 8-12 must be accompanied by a participating adult.

There's lot to do out of the water as well. In the Bay and Ocean Pavilion experience, you'll see the rivers leading into the Chesapeake Bay and on into the Atlantic. Exhibits show the various animals from each water zone. Touch a horseshoe crab at the Chesapeake Bay touch pool and watch Loggerhead, Kemp's ridley and Green turtles in the Chesapeake Light Tower Aquarium. Sharks and stingrays swim through the Norfolk Canyon Aquarium.

In the Marsh Pavilion, observe fun-loving sea otters, beautiful seahorses, graceful snakes and other marsh dwellers. On an outside elevated deck, enjoy the half acre aviary home to 55 species of native birds.

The Nature Walk takes you through the salt marsh and woodland preserve between the Aquarium's buildings. You can also climb the 30 foot observation tower for a tree-top eye view of Owls Creek. As with all the exhibits, the Nature Walk has activity carts and educators along the way to enrich your experience.

From April to September, the 50 passenger pontoon boat, the Rudee Explorer takes guests through Owls Creek Salt Marsh, the last undeveloped salt marsh in Virginia Beach. Dolphin and whale watching trips are also offered during the summer months. These well-narrated mini cruises allow for close up observation of marine mammals and the many sea birds in the area. The Virginia Aquarium is well-know for its work on bottlenose dolphins. Their studies have identified more than 650 unique habits of migration and life history which hopefully will lead to better responses to bottlenose dolphin stranding incidents.

The Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $11.95 for adults; $10.95 for seniors; and $7.95 for children 3-11. The IMAX is an additional $5 when purchased in combination with aquarium admission.

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