We recently got to experience SEA LIFE Aquarium for the first time. Okay it was my first time, the kids had been once. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I’m from AZ and well, how much sea life can you really have here? I was definitely surprised how awesome this place is.
Our first thing on our list was getting a preview at the brand new Behind The Scenes Discovery Tour. This tour will give aquarium goers a behind the scenes look at what goes into taking care of the animals and keeping the aquarium going. This was a lot of fun. We saw the laboratory where they take tests of water and sea life to make sure they all is healthy in the water. We also got to see the animal holding area, where they take the sea creatures of all sizes when they aren’t feeling well or when they are new before they introduce them to their new home. We also saw the food prep kitchen which was cool, we got to see what they serve the animals and how they prepare it. The most exciting thing on the tour was getting the hands on experience of the microscopes. Tyler is all about science (eh hem, Mad Science Birthday party) and it was fun getting to see the different things that they look at behind the scenes. Also, I loved learning about how much each animal eats by their chart that they keep for each animal.
After the tour, we experienced the aquarium and while it looks small from the outside, this place has SO much to offer! There are sharks in the walk through tank which was really neat because you can really see all sides of these animals since they can swim right above you! There is the touch pond which was one of my favorite things. People can touch starfish, crabs and snails. The little tentacles on the bottom of starfish are all squirmy, it was quite cool. We also saw so many types of fish including a giant puffer fish, jellyfish, and fish from Finding Nemo! I personally loved the octopus, I mean, it’s not everyday they are showing features on those animals and when the octopus moves around, it is pretty awesome. Along with the different rooms of fish and the giant sharks mouth, which you will see Tyler in below, there is also a giant play area for kids to get their energy out. We loved the hand on experience and how close we got to some of these beautiful creatures.
The SEA LIFE is definitely something to see, especially in the Summer where our adventures are quite limited.
If you go:
The Discovery Tours start this Friday, June 29th and it is only an additional $4 for adults and $3 for children, well worth it! The aquarium tickets start at $18 for adults and $12 for kids but you can save money when you purchase them online ahead of time http://www.visitsealife.com/Arizona/.
Go early during the week. This places gets busy so plan a trip when they open or later in the day.
Disclosure: We went to SEA LIFE as part of their blogger outreach, all opinions and photos expressed in this post are my own unless otherwise stated.
Photo credit for the above photo goes to Wendy from ChoosingLove.net
If you want to see AMAZING photos of Sea Life, check out her blog post on SEA LIFE: http://www.choosinglove.net/2012/06/behind-the-scenes-tour-with-sea-life-arizona/
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