Never underestimate the power of a ta
nk full of cold blooded aquatic vertebrates, amphibians, or reptiles. Many times if it is too hot, too cold, or too rainy, the kids and I will take a short trip over to Aquarium Adventure to look at the fish. My kids love it! A tank full of fishy goodness seems to mesmerize my young children, peak their interest, and keep them busy for about an hour. Going to the fish store is always exciting because one never knows what a crazy fish will do. The sting rays sometimes come up to the top edge of the tank to say “hi.” I gasped the first time I saw one do it because I thought it was going to jump out. The kids giggled and asked the nice ray to do it again…of course he did, as if understanding their command. Interesting, and you just need to see it for yourself.
At the entrance of the store is a nice sized stone Koi pond with very friendly and colorful Koi fish. I remember being able to feed them, but not lately. Perhaps the fish were getting too big. The kids don’t seem to mind, though, they really just want me to hold them up so they can see in the pond. For smaller kids it is kind of high, and I am not a fan of my kids climbing the stones to get a closer look for safety reasons. Once we gaze at those crazily mustached scaley ones, we head back to take a gander at the large array of fish and other water life tanks. Aquarium Adventu
re displays and sells fish indigenous to lakes, rivers, streams, oceans, and other tropical and fresh waters. Some of the fish look like birds and others look like what you’d stick on the end of a hook to wrangle dinner. They have frogs, turtles, sting rays, and the coolest collection of underwater plants and creatures that I have only seen before in books or on TV. There is also a touch pond, which is my daughter’s favorite. In the little pond are teeny tiny clown fish with the silliest personalities. They come right up to your finger (probably in search of food) and wiggle and jiggle around as if they truly are clowns. Definitely on my cute list.
If you are looking for a short outing, consider stopping in Aquarium Adventure and looking at the fish for a while. It is rather peaceful and the kids get really excited about it. A little tip: use it as the “if you’re good promise.” If you need to run into Babies R Us, Target, Whole Foods, or any of the stores in that area, tell your kids you’ll take them to see the fish for a minute “if they’re good.” It works for my kids who are 4 and 2 – maybe it’ll work for yours too!
Couple of things to remember:
- I tell my children before going in that the fish are just for looking, not for buying. At least for now.
- There are glass tanks and breakable figurines on shelves. Please be sure your children do not touch – mainly for their safety, but also for your pocketbook.
