College Group Request Form

This request form is for college groups of 10 or more

Guided tours are offered the following days and times (excluding holidays and tour guide breaks):

• Mon: noon
• Sat–Sun: 11 am, noon
• Mon–Wed: 12–4 pm
• Thu–Fri: 12–8 pm

Self-directed visit requests must be submitted at least 3 weeks in advance.

Full payment for all special exhibition tickets and lunches must be made at least one week prior to your visit. Once payment is made, it is not VMFA's policy to offer refunds. Payments must be made in one payment, by either credit card, cash or check paid to VMFA. We will not accept individual payments, nor will individual payments receive the group discount.

We will attempt to contact you for payment one week prior to your visit. If payment arrangements have not been made at least 4 days prior to your planned date, you will be sent a letter of cancellation.

If you have scheduled a guided tour and you are late, it is up to the Tour Guide to decide whether he or she may extend the scheduled time to accommodate your group, or they may opt to provide an abbreviated tour for the duration f the time they have been scheduled.

Names of VMFA members, as well as their membership numbers, must be provided to secure a free member ticket for anyone in your group.

Please visit the FAQ page for responses to many common questions we receive regarding adult group visits.

The typical response time for a request is 5 business days.

Once your request form has been processed, you will be contacted by our Adult and College Group Tour Department via email. If we are able to book your visit you will receive a confirmation email that includes our visit guidelines. The guidelines should be shared with all attendees of the museum.

Group Policies

If you arrive more than 30 minutes after your arranged tour time, you may be required to reschedule your time, depending on ticket availability. If you are running late for your tour time, kindly call (804)340-1575, Monday through Friday, and (804)340-1405 on Saturday and Sunday.

A group of 10 to 40 people may add a guided tour component to their visit, based on Tour Guide availability, with at least a three-week notice.

Special arrangements may be able to be made for larger groups.

Guided tours are free for students. Guided tours may not be offered for all Special Exhibitions. Groups of more than ten people may not join the free daily tours led by museum Tour Guides.

Full payment for all scavenger hunts, Special Exhibition tickets, and lunches must be made at least one week prior to your visit. Once payment is made, it is not VMFA's policy to offer refunds.

Payments must be made in one payment, by either credit card, cash, or check paid to VMFA/Group Tours. We will not accept individual payments, nor will individual payments receive the group discount.

We will attempt to contact you one week prior to your visit to make payment arrangements. If those arrangements have not been made at least four days prior to your planned date, you will be sent a letter of cancellation.

Once payment is made, you will be sent a detailed confirmation of your visit.

Membership numbers must be provided in order to secure free member tickets for anyone in your group.

If you have scheduled a guided tour and you are late, it is up to the Tour Guide to decide whether he or she may extend the scheduled time to accommodate your group, or they may opt to provide an abbreviated tour for the duration of the time they have been scheduled.

Please arrive 10 to 15 minutes early, so that your tour may begin at the scheduled time.

College groups may enter through the Main Entrance.

Busses may drop the group off at the Main Entrance.

Bus parking spaces are available in front of the VMFA Parking Deck, on a first-come, first-served basis.

Credit will not be given for any unused tickets.

Unused tickets may not be redistributed nor refunded.

All sales are final.

Visitors are required to leave their belongings at the coat check by the Main Entrance of the museum. This includes backpacks, lunches, and outerwear. Luggage is not permitted.

Free Coat Check is provided at the Main Entrance for your convenience. All umbrellas, backpacks, and bags larger than 8x13x16 inches must be checked. Wheelchairs, strollers and gallery stools are available at Coat Check free of charge.

Nothing may be carried on your back. All backpacks and all bags larger than 8x13x16 must be checked at Coat Check. This includes diaper bags. Anyone who accidentally makes it into the galleries with a backpack should be asked to wear it on the front or carry it in their hands through the galleries, directly to Coat Check. Those with permission to carry a bag due to medical supplies will receive an identifying sticker and should also wear the backpack on the front or carry it in their hands.

Items on your back or side are easy to forget and can accidentally hit works of art of other visitors. Umbrellas are large and can accidentally swing into art when they are being carried.

Cancellations may be made with no penalty prior to payment.

Once payment is made, no refund will be provided, unless VMFA initiated the cancellation.

VMFA reserves the right to cancel reservations.

If a cancellation has been made after payment, but prior to the date of your visit, our Group Tours Department will work to the best of their ability to reschedule your visit at no additional cost, however, a refund will not be provided.

Group lunches may be arranged through our Adult and College Group Tours Department, with at least a three-week notice, and based on availability.

BEST CAFE offers a cafeteria-style lunch, with seating on a first-come-first-served basis. Tables may not be reserved for groups.

AMUSE RESTAURANT has seating to accommodate 20 to 32 people. Reservations must be made in advance for all large groups, and are recommended for all visitors. Reservations in Amuse must be made through Amuse Restaurant. VMFA's Adult and College Group Tours Department do not make reservations in Amuse Restaurant, nor are they responsible for reservations made in Amuse Restaurant.

VMFA does not have a designated area for groups to have bagged or catered lunches. Groups may eat in the Sculpture Garden if weather permits. No outside catering is allowed in VMFA.

To avoid confusion, we will communicate with one person from your organization throughout the scheduling process.

Tours can only be scheduled by submitting a Group Request Form. Phone and email requests will not be honored.

If you would like to submit a question prior to submitting your Group Request Form, please do so by emailing Kathy.parrish@vmfa.museum.

Email is the best way for us to communicate with you. Please make sure the email you provided on your Group Request Form is correct. All group related correspondence is emailed. if the email you provided is incorrect this may result in your missing important information pertaining to your visit. We will not honor any phone requests.