VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Some big changes are coming to the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center!
The Aquarium gave an update about their new South Building. One new exhibit will see a lot of action, Our Watershed. It's an outdoor watershed model that was made possible through the support of Jane P. Batten.
The Aquarium hopes the hands-on opportunities with the watershed will children and adults alike to discover the wonders of water and better understand the impact humans have on waterways.
A look at what's to come to the Aquarium includes a Play with model mountain streams, manipulating a variety of structures to divert and change the water flow. There will also be a Rain Garden and House Exhibit. Guests can start a rain shower on a cottage roof and watch the water run-off into rain barrels and the rain garden.
When the exhibit is completed in 2021, guests will be able to learn ways to reduce marine debris in the ocean, especially plastics. There will be a Bubbles Not Balloons Exhibit where everyone will have fun creating their giant bubbles and playing with environmentally-safe bubble foam.
The Aquarium will also offer educational exhibits on how marshes and oysters improve water quality and learn how natural habitats are important to healthy watersheds. Our Watershed will allow guests to build an oyster castle structure along the shore and conduct an experiment to determine why marshes are good at slowing runoff.
May officials are excited about opportunities for guests to pretend to be a boat captain, prepare for a SCUBA dive, and how to be a marine scientist for the day aboard the "RV Ocean Explorer."
Click here to learn more about the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center's South Building exhibits!
The new exhibits will be at the South Building and the new Veterinary Center. The area has already been cleared, and the work to prepare the site for construction is underway.
