Field Trips
Whether you choose a self-guided visit, an interactive boat trip, or one of our standards-based programs, we can help give your students an unforgettable experience.
School Admission Rates
Self-Guided | $12 per student
Program & Admission | $17 per student
Behind the Scenes Tours (7th-12th Grade Only) | $12 per student, plus $120 flat fee per 30 students
Free Chaperone Ratios
- 1 teacher free per class
- Pre-K and Kindergarten – 1:5 ratio of chaperones to students
- 1st-12th grades – 1:10 ratio of chaperones to students
- Additional Chaperones: $18
How to Reserve
- If you are booking a self-guided trip, please call 757-385 FISH ext. 3
- If you are interested in booking an SOL-based program and admission, please fill out the request form below and you will be contacted to book a date.
Interested In Grant Funding?
Our Access Aquarium program offers grant funding to Title 1 schools which, if awarded, would cover 50% of your student cost for either a self-guided trip, Aquarium admission, or SOL program or outreach program. Please do not book a field trip until you are approved for grant funding if your field trip is contingent on this funding.
Onsite Programs
Our SOL-based onsite programs can easily be added to your field trip. Programs are available September 1, 2022 - June 16, 2023. Please contact our guest services department at 757-385-FISH ext. 3 to book a self-guided trip if visiting June 16, 2023- August 25, 2023. See below for more information about the programs available for your grade level.
Available Programs
Turtle Talk – Toddlers – 20 Minutes – Available: Onsite, Outreach, or Virtual
Use models and movement to help us learn the differences between sea turtles, land turtles, and aquatic turtles. Then we’ll learn how fun it can be to keep our oceans clean!
ELDS: ALP.1, ALP.3, CD.1
Turtle Talk – Pre-K – K – 30 Minutes – Available: Onsite, Outreach, or Virtual
Use models and movement to help us learn the differences between sea turtles, land turtles, and aquatic turtles. Then we’ll learn how fun it can be to keep our oceans clean!
ELDS and SOLs: ALP.1, ALP.3, CD.1, K.7, K.11
Mini Movers – Pre-K – Kindergarten – 30 Minutes – Available: Onsite, Outreach
Get your students up and moving while they learn how different animals move and why some animals don’t need to move to survive!
ELDS and SOLs: CD1.1, CD4.1, K.7
Water Wizards – Kindergarten – 2nd Grade – 50 Minutes – Available: Onsite
Get a little wet as your students pour, stir, and build to explore the properties of water, matter, and displacement!
SOLs: K.4, 1.3, 2.3
Sea Turtles from Egg to Adult – 1st – 3rd Grade – 50 Minutes – Available: Onsite, Outreach, or Virtual
Learn how a turtle’s life begins and the dangers it faces to survive. We will play a fun game to explore its life cycle from nest to adult. We will also discuss conservation efforts and brainstorm ways that we can help sea turtles survive.
SOLs: 1.5, 2.4, 2.5, 3.4
Fish Focus – 1st – 3rd Grade – 50 Minutes – Available: Onsite
Learn what makes a fish a fish through hands-on activities including a dissection and designing a fish of your own!
SOLs: 1.5, 3.4
Life in the Chesapeake Bay – 1st – 3rd Grade – 50 Minutes – Available: Onsite, Outreach
In this program we will learn about the Chesapeake Bay, and the important roles different organisms play in different estuarine habitats. Then, we will split into stations and learn about oysters, plankton, and build a creature perfectly designed for its habitat.
SOLs: 1.5, 2.5, 3.4, 3.5
Out in the Ocean – 3rd – 4th Grade – 50 Minutes – Available: Onsite, Outreach, Virtual, and Assembly
Go on an adventure through the zones of the ocean and observe changes in animal adaptations in each zone! Along the way, students will learn how ocean properties, animal adaptations, and ocean geology change with depth.
SOLs: 3.4, 3.8, 4.7
Geology Rocks – 5th Grade – 50 Minutes – Available: Onsite
Get a hands-on look at the different types of rocks, how they form, and what we can learn about the Earth’s geological history.
SOLs: 5.8
Bay Watch – 4th – 6th Grade – 50 Minutes – Available: Onsite, Outreach
Get an in-depth look at the Chesapeake Bay and the organisms that make up its food web. We will split into stations, and dissect an oyster, investigate planktonic organisms, and build a food web model.
Sols: 4.3, 4.8, 6.8, 6.9
Wandering Through the Watershed – 4th – 6th – 50 Minutes – Available: Onsite, Outreach
Join us as we explore the many environments of the Chesapeake Bay watershed! Students will use models to learn about the environments and processes that impact the health of the Chesapeake Bay.
SOLs: 4.8, 6.8, 6.9
Sea Turtle Rescue – 4th – 12th Grade (Does not fit 5th grade SOLs) – 50 Minutes – Available: Onsite, Outreach
Become a stranding technician with the Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response Team! Get a hands-on look at what it takes to rescue a stranded sea turtle, and how we study deceased stranded sea turtles to help conservation efforts.
SOLs: 4.8, 6.9, LS.9, BIO.8
Inside the Squid – 7th – 12th Grade – 50 Minutes – Available: Onsite, Outreach
In this program, we’ll investigate the classification of squid, looking at the defining characteristics of different invertebrate phyla to see where the squid fits in. Then we’ll dissect the squid to show how it fits in with other mollusks!
SOLs: LS. 3, LS.11, BIO.6
Oyster Reef Rebuild – 7th – 12th – 50 Minutes – Available: Onsite
Explore the amazing biodiversity of an oyster reef! Students will learn about the ecological significance of oysters, the food webs they support, the historical decimation of oyster reefs and the restoration efforts that are helping to rebuild them in the Chesapeake Bay.
SOLs: LS.5, LS.6, LS.8, BIO.8
Behind the Scenes – 7th – 12th Grade – 45 Minutes – Available: Onsite
An amazing behind-the-scenes glance at how an aquarium runs, how we care for our animals, and different career paths in the Aquarium industry!
Life Cycles – Pre K – 2nd Grade – 50 Minutes – Available: Onsite, Outreach
Join us on our journey through the life cycles of different animals. We’ll learn about sea turtles, butterflies, frogs, and more!
SOLs: K.7, 1.5, 2.4
Compare and Contrast Animal Groups – 2nd – 4th Grade – 50 Minutes – Available: Onsite
What makes a mammal a mammal? Do birds have fur? What’s the difference between a reptile and an amphibian? Come learn all this and more as we check out these fascinating vertebrates!
SOLs: 2.5, 3.4, 4.3
Out in the Ocean – 3rd – 4th Grade – 50 Minutes – Available: Onsite, Outreach, Virtual, and Assembly
Go on an adventure through the zones of the ocean and observe changes in animal adaptations in each zone! Along the way, students will learn how ocean properties, animal adaptations, and ocean geology change with depth
SOLs: 3.4, 3.8, 4.7
Adaptations – 3rd – 8th Grade (Does not fit 5th grade SOLs) – 50 Minutes – Available: Onsite, Outreach
We’ll show you fascinating biofacts and have student volunteers help illustrate the adaptations of some animals that allow them to thrive in a variety of ecosystems.
SOLs: 3.4, 4.2, LS.7
Live Animal Encounters – All Ages – 20 Minutes – Available: Onsite
Come meet some of our Animal Ambassadors! We’ve got reptiles, amphibians, mammals, you name it! We’ll tell you all about its life history, and about how we care for them here at the Virginia Aquarium.
Our summer programs are fun adaptations of our school-year programs, designed for a wider range of ages and a larger audience. The listed range is the optimal age group for each program, but the content will be engaging for all ages!
Turtle Talk – Toddlers – Kindergarten – 30 Minutes
Use models and movement to help us learn the differences between sea turtles, land turtles, and aquatic turtles. Then we’ll learn how fun it can be to keep our oceans clean!
Sea Turtles from Egg to Adult – Kindergarten – 3rd Grade – 50 Minutes
Learn how a turtle’s life begins and the dangers it faces to survive. We will play a fun game to explore its life cycle from nest to adult. We will also discuss conservation efforts and brainstorm ways that we can help sea turtles survive.
Adaptations – 3rd – 8th Grade – 50 Minutes
We’ll show you fascinating biofacts that help illustrate the adaptations of some animals that help them to move, find food, and protect themselves in a variety of ecosystems.
Field Trip Guide
Downloadable
Self-guided activities to help lead students through the exhibit areas.
Map of Aquarium
Printable
Open and print our convenient Aquarium map
Dolphin Discoveries
Observe bottlenose dolphins, Virginia’s most common marine mammal, up-close during this ocean excursion. Students will delve further into dolphin behaviors and marine mammal conservation. Biofacts and other visual aids add a hands-on element to the trip.
Whales & Wildlife
Did you know that large whales visit the coast of Virginia each winter? Educators will share three decades' worth of knowledge, research, and experience with our local whales and wildlife. During this incredible tour, students will search out whales, dolphins, seals, and seabirds highlighting the diversity just off our coastline.
Ocean Collections
Students will have the opportunity to assist in the collection of fish, invertebrates, and plankton using the same tools and methods as marine scientists. Observation and investigation help students identify adaptations that marine animals possess to survive their special habitat. This is our most interactive tour!
Seal Spotting Boat Tour
Seals are frequent visitors to this area when the water temperatures drop, although their favorite haul-out spots can make them difficult to see. Catch eye-level observations while learning about the species that frequent our waters as well as the most recent research conducted by the Virginia Aquarium’s Stranding Response Team.
More Questions?
See our Frequently Asked Questions page for more on scheduling this amazing experience for your students.
Field Trip Feedback
Take the field trip survey to tell us how we're doing and you'll be entered to win a free program, resource kit rental, or free chaperones for your visit.