NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Virginia Living Museum joins the Luray Caverns, Natural Bridge State Park and 22 other locations as one of the newest stops of the Virginia Cave and Karst Trail.
The trail is a collaborative project between the governor-appointed Virginia Cave Board and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. With more than a dozen stops, the trail gives visitors the opportunity to learn about and appreciate caves and karst features.
The goal of the trail is to educate the public about these sensitive environments and to promote their protection.
The Museums Virginia Underground Gallery at the Virginia Living Museum takes visitors through Virginia’s ancient past by showcasing fossil remains preserved beneath our feet and the rocks and minerals that formed deep under the Earth.
Visitors can explore, on the Museum’s lower level, a simulated limestone cave and creatures that dwell in them including the slimy salamander, cave salamander, pack rat, cave crickets, Mexican blind cavefish and black rat snake. Guests wind their way past a cut-away of the fossil-rich layers along the steep banks of the James River and the colorful gems that can be found in the “jewel box” of an underground mine.
The Virginia Living Museum is open daily from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Museum admission is $20 for adults and $15 for children ages 3-12.
