Behind-the-Scenes Tours | Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center

Renovation Updates

Please note some exhibit spaces in the Aquarium are temporarily closed while we conduct maintenance and renovation work. Learn more on our Renovation Progress page .

Staff member feeds carrot to sea turtle in exhibit from behind the scenes using tongs.

Encounter the animals more closely and learn about what happens in the nonpublic areas - from maintaining state-of-the-art technology to the important work of animal care and training!

Tour Details

These tours are add-on experiences and are not included with your Aquarium Admission. We recommend that you purchase your tour when you purchase (or reserve) your admission as space is limited.
Each program runs for about 45 minutes.
Participants must be at least 8 years old.
Participants must be at least 48" tall.
Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a paying, participating adult (18+).
Phones, cameras, and other loose articles are NOT permitted on the tours.
Participants must be able to navigate stairs for the Seals, Komodos, Sharks, and Rays Behind-the-Scenes experiences.
Individuals with seafood or shellfish allergies should not participate in the Rays experience, as participants will be handling fish and shellfish.

Available Tours

Guests watch keeper train harbor seal on behind-the-scenes tour.

NEW: Seals

$55 (Members $50) | Join us for an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of our Harbor Seal Exhibit to meet our expert animal trainers and get an up-close (contact-free) look at our resident harbor seals. Connect with the fascinating world of marine mammals, animal adaptations, and training techniques. Discover the importance of marine conservation, our efforts to conserve these unique animals and their environment, and what you can do to help.

Book a Seals Tour

Life Support

$30 (Members $25) | The Virginia Aquarium is home to a massive network of water processing infrastructure. Learn about the water quality process and filtration systems behind the Chesapeake Bay aquarium, a 50,000-gallon exhibit that cycles 600 gallons of water per minute.

Book a Life Support Tour

Young Komodo dragon being fed with tongs through window of habitat behind the scenes.

Komodo Dragons

$55 (Members $50) | Venture behind the scenes of Restless Planet to view a feeding with Earth's largest lizard species. Learn about how our three Komodo dragons are target-trained and why this is important to the safety of the dragons and handlers alike. Participants must be able to navigate stairs.

Book a Komodo Dragons Tour

Sea Turtles

$30 (Members $25) | From atop the Chesapeake Light Tower Aquarium, learn from our team about threatened sea turtle species and the Aquarium’s conservation efforts. Hear about the resident sea turtles in our care – their diets, unique behaviors, and the stories behind their journeys to the Virginia Aquarium.

Book a Sea Turtles Tour

Sharks

$30 (Members $25) | Experience our sharks from a new perspective above the Norfolk Canyon exhibit, where our aquarists will share their knowledge of sharks and facts unique to our residents. Learn about the Norfolk Canyon itself, lying deep in the Atlantic Ocean nearly 60 miles off the coast. Participants must be able to navigate stairs.

Book a Sharks Tour

Ray Feeding

$55 (Members $50) | What does it take to keep our Rays healthy and their bellies full? Help feed the rays and meet the aquarists who care for these animals every day. Individuals with seafood or shellfish allergies should not participate, as participants will be handling fish and shellfish. Participants must be able to navigate stairs and are required to sign a waiver.

Book a Ray Feeding Tour