The Virginia Living Museum in Newport News is a nonprofit open-air museum devoted to Virginia’s native environments, wildlife, and science education. Founded in 1966 as the Junior Nature Museum and Planetarium, it evolved through later expansions and name changes before reopening as the Virginia Living Museum in 1987. Its indoor and outdoor exhibits recreate several of the state’s landscapes, including coastal plain, Piedmont, Appalachian mountain, swamp, cave, and nocturnal habitats, alongside a large Chesapeake Bay display. With features such as an aviary, butterfly garden, boardwalk, and animal habitats, it is notable for presenting Virginia’s natural history through living collections rather than static displays alone.