Marsh Pavilion at the Virginia Aquarium

We've been to the Virginia Aquarium approximately a million times, but somehow, we never quite make it over to the Marsh Pavilion. It's not in the same complex as the main building, it doesn't have seals (mine and Anne's favorite) or sharks (James's favorite). But by not visiting, we were making a big mistake. The Marsh Pavilion is pretty cool, and worthy of a visit in itself, and here are a few reasons why.

1. OTTERS. They roll, they tumble, they dive and play, they are just as cute as seals (maybe more?) Watching these little fellows glide through the water is entrancing, I could have watched all day.

2. Snakes! Lately, Anouk's big obsession is with snakes (don't ask me!) She swears she is going to be a herpetologist when she grows up, and thus needs to go look at and "study" snakes whenever possible. Turns out it is kind of hard to find a place to see lots of snakes in the HRVA region -- except at the Marsh Pavilion, where there were just enough slitery friends to keep her happy.

3. Aviary. The half-acre aviary features a raised path that allows you to walk through and get a close look at the 55 bird species that reside there. Including the great horned owl, Owlex, who is a popular aquarium resident and always fun to watch.

4. Adventure Park. The new adventure park (zip lines!) is located along Owl Creek at the Marsh Pavilion. It's only for ages 5 and up (and definitely not for preggos) so we didn't visit it on our last visit, but boy, does it look fun.

Speaking of Owl Creek, did you know that you can take the Owls Creek path from the Bay and Ocean Pavilion to the Marsh Pavilion? It's a 10 minute walk along the marsh and woods preserves that border the creek, with a 30-foot observation tower to climb for an aerial view. During the summer, activity carts are stationed along the trail for a more interactive experience.

Have you been to the Marsh Pavilion? What's your favorite thing to see there?