A visit to the Virginia Aquarium (and why to buy a membership)
January 02, 2013
Happy 2013! We celebrated the new year at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center with our good friends, Erin and Baby J. and Sarah and Baby A. (By the way, aren't there a lot of Baby A.s in our circle? Is A. a popular initial for your crowd, too?) We'd heard such good things about the aquarium and had been meaning to go for months. So spending New Years Day there felt right, like we were making good on a resolution at the very start of the year.
The first thing I did upon arriving was buy a year's membership, and here's why:
- Admission for just one visit is pretty steep: $21 per adult and $15 per child (aged 3 and up). We bought the cheapest membership (the Otter level, for $80), which will pay for itself in just two visits.
- Speaking of numbers of visits, you'll definitely need more than one to experience everything the aquarium has to offer. We were there for two hours, and only managed to hit about 2/3 of the Bay and Ocean Pavilion. There's still a whole other pavilion, a library, and a theatre waiting to be explored (not to mention special events, like storytimes, nature treks, and boat rides).
- Membership has some great perks, like express entry (valuable in the summertime, when the aquarium gets crowded) and substantial discounts for the cafe and IMAX movie theatre.
- The aquarium is awesome. It's just plain awesome. And we loved it.
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| Baby J. ain't afraid of no horseshoe crabs. |
Some things we were especially excited about: the large walk-through tank, filled with colorful fish and coral; the up-bubble that allowed us to see into the Komodo dragon habitat and come face to face with the giant lizard; the stingray petting tank (I almost had a heart attack when a friendly ray leaped up to say hello); listening to the very knowledgeable docent tell us all about the crocodiles; watching the seals zoom happily through the water. And the sea turtles (Anouk said "turtle" for the first time!) -- and the turtle nursery -- and pressing buttons in the submersible play area -- and, well, you get the picture. It was all pretty great and we're already looking forward to going back.
We had lunch at the cafe, and I want to give a special shout out to the staff there -- who not only didn't mind when Baby Anne accidentally upended her plate onto the floor but told us not to worry about it, either. That kind of attitude is invaluable when you're out with a toddler and it was much appreciated.
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| Um, take a look at the scratches on those windows. Holy |
What about you? How did you celebrate the new year? Are there any local landmarks you're looking forward to visiting in 2013?
3 comments
Is there an aquarium where you live? I think Baby Whimsy would love it. It's one of those rare outings that appeals to kids of all ages (from 1 to 92). Happy new year, friend!
ReplyDeleteI brought in the New Year in Brooklyn w/ fireworks. :) With 6 in our family, a single visit generally costs about the same as a membership, so we tend to buy them!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a cool place to go. We also have the family membership because of the steep one-time admission (I think they do that on purpose).
ReplyDeleteOur 2 year old loves it and so do I. It's many things all in one: educational, fun, entertaining, and active - just walking through the aquarium and lovely outside paths is enough to wear out an active toddler. :)