Summer Adventures: Baltimore Aquarium

We just had Sophie's First Birthday party, post on that to come. Mother-in-law still in town and the kids looking for some entertainment. I thought wouldn't it be great to spend the day at the Baltimore Aquarium? We've never been there and I think the kids would love it. So we planned our trip.

Probably only an hour into the ride things took a turn for the worse. Sophie started crying, scratching at her eczema making her ankle bleed. Mason got upset because Sophie was making so much noise he couldn't hear the movie Aladdin, playing. He started to whine and kick my seat. This annoyed me way more than it normally would have because I was feeling car sick. Every time I looked behind me at the kids my head hurt and I felt nauseous. I couldn't look out at the scene passing by without getting dizzy and feeling like I was moving just as fast. And I snapped. I screamed, I threatened and I wanted to cry. Somewhere on Route 15 we pulled over for a much needed breather.

Hours later we made it to National Harbor and were strolling the kids toward the Aquarium. Anticipating an awesome experience. Little did I know that strollers are not allowed. What?! Luckily they had a back pack carrier thing we could borrow and off we went.

I have to say I wasn't all that impressed. Maybe it as due to the problems with my glasses but then again Fred agreed, so maybe not. The Jellyfish were cool. But the exhibit was small and I was expecting more. The open pool with the Sting Rays and Giant Turtles were a hit. Though not as cool as the one in North Carolina where you actually got to touch the Sing Rays. The Dolphin show was lame, to an adult. Most of the information was projected on large screens. They would do a little demonstrating, which lets face it, seeing Dolphins jump in the air and make big splashes will always fascinate little kids. But then they would say something about the Dolphins and point us to the huge screens on the side of pool for a pre-recorded message. Even made a big presentation about Recycling. Which I am all about, but this is supposed to be a Dolphin show. Mason and Sophie loved it though. So much that Sophie started making the sign for more when it was over. The tropical birds were cool and Mason got to play with a rain stick in the Tropical Rainforest. And that is not an alligator but a Caiman, which are predators to Otters. Thank you very much Diego. The shark tank as you walked down the ramp from the top to the bottom was pretty cool too. But we didn't get to see everything as the littlest munchkin was starting to fade. It was nap time after all.

In my opinion, the Zoo is a lot more interesting way to see animals and it's free. Overall, it was a good outing. The kids had fun. Even if it was a bit over priced for what you got.