Hi everyone! I am back! It has been a long time since I last posted, and it is time for some fresh blog posts! For Christmas, my parents bought my family a membership to the National Aquarium in Baltimore. We have learned in years past that getting a membership is better than paying a daily admission fee. With the size of our family, and multiple visits to the aquarium, the membership more than pays for itself. At this time, admission to the aquarium is $49.95 for adults ages 21-69, and $39.95 for children ages 5-20. Children 4 and under are free. For our family of five, it would over two hundred dollars for us to visit the aquarium once. The family membership, which is for 2 adults and up to 5 youths, is $250 for the year. We have already visited the aquarium twice since our membership cards arrived in October, and it is an amazing place! FYI, I normally included hours, but the hours for the aquarium vary depending on the month. Check their website to order tickets and for opening / closing times.
Sadly, our most recent visit was on a holiday weekend, not exactly the smartest idea as we learned. We went on a Sunday morning, and the place was jammed! Fortunately, the entrance line for members was short and sweet, and we were inside out of the cold pretty quickly. It was about a two block walk from the parking garage to the aquarium itself. Once inside, we checked out the lockers to see if we could rent one to put our coats into, but decided to hold onto our jackets because we weren’t dropping $8 on a 4 hour locker rental.
Our first destination of the day was the Australian Exhibit. My girls always love looking for the birds, seeing the crocodiles, and watching the snakes. From here, we moved to Blacktip Reef. It was there we realized how insanely busy the place was. Both my husband and I were struggling to keep track of our three kiddos plus a friend of Stormy’s. Aquarium staff were out and about, with hands on exhibit carts for visitors to check out. In Australia, we saw the skulls of a crocodile and an alligator, and learned the difference between the two. Here at the reef, we were treated to the sight of baby jellyfish. They were so cute!
The main area of the aquarium is arranged in such a way as to funnel people through in one direction, and one direction only. Visitors move from floor to floor via moving walkways and stairs. No strollers are allowed, there is stroller parking on the ground floor. We moved from the reef upward, trying to see what we could see around the many other people trying to do the same thing. If we thought it was difficult keeping track of 4 kids down at the reef, it was even harder on the next two levels in the darker exhibits. I kept a grip on Pebble because it would have been easy to lose her. We stopped briefly at the touch tanks on the third level so the girls could gently touch the jellyfish. They felt a little like rubbery, soft Jello. I was glad they had a handwashing station right there to clean the kids up after using the touch tank.
On the 4th level we stopped in the Harbor View Room, which has sweeping views of the Inner Harbor. During our ascent from level to level, my girls had been getting whiffs of popcorn. Now we discovered the source of the delicious smell, and the girls begged for a bag. We all munched on popcorn, watching the snow flakes gently drift down over the harbor. It was a much needed break from the chaos of the rest of the aquarium.
After our snack, we visited the puffins, then headed upward into a tropical rain forest. Stormy was on high alert because her favorite animal was in this exhibit, sloths! The rain forest was our favorite exhibit of the day because not one, not two, but three of the sloths were visible, and some were closer than they’d ever been before. Stormy moved from area to area, trying to see all 3 sloths. Her bestie, while she liked the sloths, she was more enamored with the blue and gold macaw we saw resting on a branch near the waterfall.
Leaving the rainforest behind, we descended through the Atlantic Coral Reef to Shark Alley. Keep an eye on the kids on these ramps because the lighting is fairly dim, and, again, it is easy to lose track of littles. Then it was on to an underwater view of Blacktip Reef, where an employee showed us a most unusual animal lurking near the glass near the bottom of the Reef. It was called a Tasselled Wobbegong, a type of carpet shark, and super neat!
From the Reef we took the walkway over to Pier 4 to see the dolphins and then the jellyfish exhibit. The girls loved watching the dolphins swim and play, but I would say the jellyfish were my favorite exhibit. There is something so relaxing to watching them bob up and down gently in their tanks.
After returning for another look at the dolphins, we headed for the exit. It was lunchtime, and we were all hungry. Time to head home, and feed everyone. The girls all begged to visit the gift shop, but we decided against it this visit. Both my husband and myself were anxious and stressed out from trying to watch our kids in the mass of humanity that decided to visit the aquarium on this day. If you decide to visit, make sure you don’t go on a holiday weekend or a day where they offer reduced admission, it just isn’t worth it to be jostled and knocked around. The girls had a great time, they didn’t notice the crowds like we did. Another piece of advice, weigh the cost of membership against admission price, and think about how often you’d visit. Sometimes we pop up there just to visit Blacktip Reef, and the levels above it, leaving the jellies, Australia, and the dolphins for another visit. The membership also gives a discount at the parking garage. Food for thought! Check this amazing place out, and happy trails!