We love the Virginia Aquarium in Virginia Beach! I think this was our 4th trip, the first being when Sean was just 2 years old. It keeps getting better, too, as they expand their exhibits. We went in the afternoon, at a time when we had it almost to ourselves. There were so many tanks of beautiful and interesting fish that we've read about, or heard about. Sean really seemed to enjoy seeing cuttlefish, longnose gar, huge catfish and snakeheads- not to mention sharks and sea turtles- up close.
Here Chris and Sean sat near this tomistoma (freshwater crocodile) for about 10 minutes and saw it only move a millimeter or so.
Jack was eaten by a great white shark -and not too happy about it!
Max was thrilled with buttons and levers to play with in this replica submarine command center.
One of the coolest exhibits at this aquarium is the ray touch tank. The rays and skates swim/flap up near the surface to be petted. They really are interacting with the people- some being more friendly than others. They all felt really neat- soft and spongy. The skates had little spikes on their backs and the rays were smooth. A very cool experience!
Taking a picture in this next has become a tradition. We took one on our first visit (13 years ago) with just Sean and me. Then we took another one about 5 years ago with Sean, Jack and me. We needed another one, since we have a new bird in our nest, so we took the short hike out to the nest just before the museum closed. Now, it may look like the nest still has some room, but it's actually wonderfully full. And I'm relishing this time, since I'm not looking forward to when it's empty!
