| Children's Museum of Virginia | |
| Established: | 1980 |
| Location: | 221 High Street, Portsmouth, Virginia |
| Director: | Dr. Alex Benitez |
| Website: | http://www.childrensmuseumvirginia.com |
| Type: | Children's Museum |
The Children's Museum of Virginia is the largest children's museum in the state of Virginia. It is located in Olde Town Portsmouth at 221 High Street. The museum has a planetarium and two floors of exhibits. Its antique toy and model train collection is one of the largest on the East Coast. Highlights of the museum include a life-size tug boat and house, as well as a real Hampton Roads Transit bus, the cab of a real fire truck from the Portsmouth Fire Department, and a real motorcycle from the Portsmouth Police Department.
Originally called the Tidewater Children's Museum, the Children's Museum of Virginia opened in Portsmouth in December 1980. Its first location was the basement of the Main Branch of the Portsmouth Public Library at 601 Court Street.[1] Later, the city of Portsmouth took over and renamed it Portsmouth Children's Museum. In 1984, the museum moved to the 1846 Courthouse at the corner of High and Court Streets. The museum moved to its current location in 1994.
The first floor encompasses one large interactive space (My City) as children explore a street (Beazley Way) with multiple themed exhibits including a Port, Market, Bank, Library, and Museum, which houses traveling exhibits, as well as a movie theater (Beazley Planetarium) that plays different shows each month. The first floor also features the very popular Bubbles exhibit. The second floor explores art (CreARTivity), science (Dr. Forces Traveling Energy Extravaganza), and nature (My Backyard and Beyond) through three large themed exhibits.