Aquarium

When we moved here, many people recommend that we become members of the Baltimore aquarium. We heard it rivaled the Monterey aquarium, and we LOVED the Monterey aquarium, so without first checking it out, we just signed up and went soon after we moved here last year. While the Baltimore aquarium is quite nice, and used to include a dolphin show that the Monterey aquarium did not (which has since discontinued), we decided not to continue our membership. Some of our favorite parts of the Monterey aquarium were not present in Baltimore. First of all, the Baltimore aquarium is located downtown on the harbor which means parking is at least $20 every time we go as opposed to the maybe $5 it cost to park in Monterey. Baltimore is a much larger city, so I understand it, but it's annoying. In Monterey, it's more open and you can decide which exhibits you want to go to while in Baltimore, there is one path. You work your way up, then work your way down, and no strollers are allowed which is kind of annoying. We often went to Monterey during the week when it was less crowded, but every time we went to Baltimore, which to be fair, was on a weekend, it was ridiculously crowded. We loved walking around the Monterey aquarium listening to the relaxing aquatic music while Claire ran to discover and play. That leads me to my final, and largest complaint about Baltimore - Monterey has a LOT more things for kids. There is a little jungle gym, ocean animal dress ups, little tunnels and nooks throughout the aquarium, and a place where kids and adults (with the help and supervision of aquarium workers) can touch, feel, and hold various creatures like different star fish, sea cucumbers, etc. There is also an area where kids can play with boats, squirters, and blocks to learn how water flows, as well as a little baby area to play. It was AWESOME! Sadly, Baltimore doesn't have anything like this.

So, we tried to make the most of our membership, and went occasionally, but we weren't ready to fork over the $150 a year to continue our membership. I did want to make it back before it ran out in June though, and thought it'd be fun to check out a member's night they often e-mailed me about. I'm so glad I did! Getting rid of the crowds very much added to the enjoyment of the visit. We also enjoyed watching a 4D movie while we were there. It was much more personable, and while we still won't continue our membership, we were glad we went to this member's night. (Parking is cheaper on a weeknight too.) Here are some highlights from our visit:

Isn't this long neck turtle funny? It looks like someone pulled on his head and stretched out his neck. Haha.

In this area, there was an awesome demonstration. An aquarium worker would put a cricket on a stick and hold it over a large fish tank. The next thing you know, there is water shooting up in the air. The fish spit a stream of water at the cricket to knock it off the stick and then eat it. It was HILARIOUS! I had never seen anything like this before. The kids even got to hold the stick with the cricket. We got video, but no pictures of this. Haha!

Scary jaw! Chris pulled his hamstring that day and was supposed to take it easy. I wheeled him around in a wheel chair which was a very convenient way to carry Amelia around since you can't use strollers. Also, notice his old man slippers. Yes, he wore his slippers in the car, walked in downtown Baltimore in them, and through the aquarium. He cracks me up.

During a member night, the 4D movies are free! We thought it would be fun to take the kids to see a 15 minute Sponge Bob movie they had. Chris didn't get out of his wheelchair, so he didn't have the whole 4D effect, but suffice it to say, the kids did NOT like it. The 3D glasses were ok, and they liked when there were real bubbles floating all around them, but the other aspects that made it 4D like really fast, sudden shots of air around their feet or on their neck, water sprayed in their face (Amelia's least favorite part), or the chair poking into them were not pleasant. All three girls were crying at different points. Maddie still talks about how she didn't like the Sponge Bob movie, and the first time we were at a similar auditorium setting, she was a little scared it was the return of Sponge Bob. You would have thought we learned our lesson, but when we went to another member night in June, we went to the other movie they offered. Yeah, the kids still weren't a fan. In fact, Chris didn't really like it much either. Claire ended up standing in the back to avoid the unpleasant 4D effects. Lesson learned.

Watching ocean creatures on a movie waiting outside the theater for the 4D movie.

All smiles before it started.

We really did enjoy going to the aquarium this last year, but we've now moved on to a different membership - the science museum. It is also downtown, but there is a much cheaper parking garage close by, and I got a deal on living social and paid only $35 for the year long membership. Score! We've been there once so far, and are looking forward to exploring that area more. :)