Not So Lazy Days: Viewing sharks, other animals at the Adventure Aquarium
Field Trip
Adventure Aquarium is an annual Shark Week trip for our family. It has a shark realm, shark tunnel, shark cage match, a shark mascot and even an exhibit where you can touch a shark.
Where else would two little boys want to go during Shark Week?
We started in Zone D, where a majority of the shark exhibits are located. After going past the hippos (which the little one called pigs), the kids stopped in the Jules Verne gallery when they came upon the spider crab. It almost distracted them from their shark mission.
Soon, we were in the Shark Realm. A tank-height window lets visitors view sharks as they swim with alongside fish. To the side of the room, is a fake shark with it's mouth open for kids to crawl inside and get their photos taken.
Then, up the stairs is the hardest room to leave-- the shark tunnel. It is a 40-foot tunnel, clear on all sides except beneath, for visitors to see the sharks swim all around them. Throughout the tunnel, you hear people exclaiming the types of sharks they see, some even jumping when a shark surprises them.
One shark the boys liked, and it seemed vice versa, was one they were calling a "sword shark," but I think it is actually called a Saw Shark. It has a long sword-like nose with teeth-like (may actually be some sort of teeth) edges.
After making it through the tunnel, the boys started racing because they knew what was around the corner. Cage Match is an interactive experience like the Star Tours ride at Disney. Only, you are in a shark cage and a Great White wants lunch. Lunch, by the way, appears to be you.
The little one is technically too little for the shark cage, but he loves it, squealing with joy as he stays attached to me throughout the experience.
Our next stop was Zone A and a visit to Gill's Clubhouse (Gill is that shark mascot I mentioned earlier) where kids can learn more about sharks. Their favorite is an interactive wall which reveals the insides of a shark when a child presses a button. The button also creates sound effects children can't resist listening to over and over again. There are more windows of various sizes to view sharks.
Just outside the clubhouse is the Touch-A-Shark exhibit. The sharks are small shark rays that seem to swim along the the edge like they are puppies in a pet store waiting to be petted.
We finished our trip going through Zones B and C, visiting the stingrays, penguins and clown fish.
About the Not So Lazy Days series
I've challenged myself to find a new activity to do five days a week every week of the kids' summer vacation. Activities will fall under one of three categories: Arts & Crafts, Sports & Games or Field Trips. Follow me on Twitter @readallaboutsam for immediate updates on posts!
