Visit the Virginia Aquarium
Posted By admin On July 2, 2010 @ 5:50 am In Family Day Trips,Kid-Friendly Trips,Nature & Wildlife | No Comments
So while we were in Virginia Beach the other week (and it was humid enough to cut the air with a knife) we decided to cool off and visit the Virginia Aquarium [1]. This is a wonderful hands on place for kids of all ages and there’s more then just fish there too!
[2]The harbor seals
When you pull into the main parking lot you’ll see the Harbor Seals greet you as you walk up the walkway. These interesting animals will put on quite the show swimming around. In fact Baby Girl asked to stop by later in the trip to just watch the seals play in the water. They have hoops to swim through and balls to play with. We really could have sat there and just watched them all day!
The aquarium is actually housed in two different buildings and there is a long nature trail that connects them. From one building to the other you’ll see the active (and not so active) wildlife in it’s natural setting. If the tide’s out check out the crabs crawling around in the mud next to the water’s edge.
[3]Little 2 making a habitat craft
The aquarium offers something for everyone. You can buy a pass to just the aquarium, you can take a pontoon boat ride up the creek and out to the edge of the bay. There’s also an Imax theater there as well. With it threatening to look like rain we passed on the boat ride (although we did hear people talking about it as we walked around and they seemed to enjoy it) and we weren’t sure how Little Man and Baby Girl would make out with the movie so we didn’t go to that. But really the aquarium was enough of an experience for all.
[4]getting up close to the "dragon"
There are some exhibits that have a dome in them so the kids (and agile adults) can get a closer view of some of the animals habitats. The little ones seemed to really enjoy that. Then there’s the learning aspect of the aquarium, but since it’s all hands on projects, they’re too busy having fun to realize they’re learning when they’re not in school. Even the 17 year old got into the fun. (just a little side note, metal in the water does something that sharks don’t like, and the shark cages people put in the water, did you ever notice , made of metal, doesn’t seem like the smartest idea to me!) There are also places where you can touch stingrays, hermit craps and horseshoe crabs.
Another great aspect of the aquarium is all the volunteers (you’ll see their red shirts all over the place)They are at most of the exhibits ready to answer your questions and tell you a little about what’s going on in the exhibit. They all did a great job!
[5]wow look at that shark!!
We really enjoyed our visit to the aquarium and we all took away new knowledge of the eco-systems and how they work. Figure on four hours at least to really enjoy all the aquarium has to offer. If you’re camping at the Holiday Travel Park, stop by their registration desk and ask to buy discount tickets.
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URLs in this post:
[1] Virginia Aquarium: http://www.virginiaaquarium.com/Pages/default.aspx
[2] Image: http://blog.goodsamcamping.com/2010/07/visit-the-virginia-aquarium/101_3083/
[3] Image: http://blog.goodsamcamping.com/2010/07/visit-the-virginia-aquarium/101_3129/
[4] Image: http://blog.goodsamcamping.com/2010/07/visit-the-virginia-aquarium/101_3085/
[5] Image: http://blog.goodsamcamping.com/2010/07/visit-the-virginia-aquarium/101_3102/
[6] Texas State Aquarium, Corpus Christi, TX…: http://blog.goodsamcamping.com/2012/12/texas-state-aquarium-corpus-christi-tx/
[7] In Vancouver, Belly to Belly With A Beluga!: http://blog.goodsamcamping.com/2011/04/in-vancouver-belly-to-belly-with-a-beluga/
[8] Visit Holiday Travel Park in Virginia Beach: http://blog.goodsamcamping.com/2010/06/visit-holiday-travel-park-in-virginia-beach/
[9] Flip, the Stranded Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle Returns to…: http://blog.goodsamcamping.com/2012/11/flip-the-stranded-kemps-ridley-sea-turtle-returns-to-texas/
[10] Buying Fresh Food on the Road: http://blog.goodsamcamping.com/2010/12/buying-fresh-food-on-the-road/
[11] Contextual Related Posts: http://ajaydsouza.com/wordpress/plugins/contextual-related-posts/
[12] Trick or Treat Camping: http://blog.goodsamcamping.com/2010/11/trick-or-treat-camping/
[13] What are we going to eat?: http://blog.goodsamcamping.com/2010/08/what-are-we-going-to-eat/
[14] Warm Springs, Georgia - FDR's Retreat: http://blog.goodsamcamping.com/2010/07/4056/
[15] Camping With a Group: http://blog.goodsamcamping.com/2010/07/camping-with-a-group/
[16] Heaven on Earth in Pine Mountain, Georgia: http://blog.goodsamcamping.com/2010/07/heaven-on-earth-in-pine-mountain-georgia/
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