Holidays at The Aquarium of the Pacific
This past weekend we took a trip to Long Beach to visit the Aquarium of the Pacific. I don’t think we have been since Ryan was a toddler, so our two boys had never been at all. I don’t know why it’s taken so long for us to go back, as soon as we walked in I remembered how much we loved going!
We first went outside to visit the Lorikeet Forest. On our way in we purchased a small cup of nectar for the birds to eat. As soon as we walked in the birds flew towards us and one landed on my head! It was such a fun experience. The kids loved the birds’ bright colors, and the seemed very comfortable around people.
Next, we went to Shark Lagoon. The kids watched the different sharks swim around and tried to name all of the different breeds. Then we went to pet the bamboo sharks and rays.
We made our way to the Penguin Habitat where we took pictures and watch the penguins swim and play.
I wasn’t able to get too many good pictures inside because it was very dark, but our highlights were the Horses & Dragons, and the Jellyfish exhibits. Before we left, we stopped in the Great Hall to see Santa Diver and listen to a presentation about the fish inside the Honda Blue Cavern tank.
Holidays at the Aquarium of the Pacific:
Get into the holiday spirit December 3 through 23, 2016, at the Aquarium during the month-long Aquarium Holidays celebration. Santa Diver will appear daily underwater in the Honda Blue Cavern. Aquarium Holidays also features a daily Penguin Walk at 10:00 a.m., a display of gingerbread houses made by Aquarium staff members and one created by a professional bakery, and free daily showings of Sleigh Ride 3D. Snow will fall in the Great Hall, the Aquarium will be decked with festive décor, and the Aquarium’s costumed characters will appear in their holiday outfits daily. Visitors can also enjoy holiday music, shopping, and a special holiday menu offered daily in Café Scuba.
On weekends through December 23 the Aquarium will have a snow play area, children’s crafts, photo opportunities with Santa and holiday characters, and Hanukkah storytelling with opportunities to play dreidel.
On December 17 and 18 families can attend Breakfast with Santa in the Aquarium’s Café Scuba. Enjoy a tasty selection of breakfast foods available for purchase and get your holiday card picture snapped with Santa and other aquarium mascots. No RSVP is necessary.
In addition to all the holiday fun, visitors can also view all of the Aquarium’s animals and exhibits, including the Horses and Dragons exhibits and Vanishing Animals gallery opened this summer, the two young penguins born in May, and the rest of the 11,000 Pacific Ocean animals that call the Aquarium home. In addition, the Aquarium’s Pacific Collections store offers a variety of unique marine-themed gifts, including toys, books, home décor, clothes, and more.
