Sea Life Aquarium

Every year we like to take the girls out for their birthday day celebration. The birthday girl gets to decide where we are going and what we are doing. So far this has been pretty good. Mainly because their minds haven't expanded into the vast unknown of what the possibilities could be. =) I am just waiting for the day that we say, "where do you want to go?" and they come back with San Antonio or something of that nature. lol. So, since it was K's birthday it was her choice and she decided to check out the new aquarium in Grapevine mills. We have watched this aquarium from start to finish and I told them that when it was finished last summer we could go.. Little did I know that the entire population of Texas would want to go also. Most days during the summer the wait was 2+ hrs to get in. Then do you really want to go into and aquarium where you can't see anything because so many people are in there. I took into account the amount of time K likes to spend at each tank and decided to put off our aquarium visit for another time. THAT TIME HAS COME! With all the hype that this aquarium brought with it and the knowledge that there are only 36 Sea life aquariums in the world and only 5 in the United States I was excited to know that we had one only a few miles away. We bought our tickets online(have to be there the time your ticket says) and we were there 10 mins before opening. The girls excitement couldn't be contained. They were all over the place. Once we got in, it wasn't that bad. The girls had time to look at each tank and we weren't rushed. However, the down side I have to the aquarium is for the money and the drive it wasn't all that I had hyped it up to be. We have better aquariums (while they might not have the colorful coral or brightly colored fish or the 360 tunnel, they have more hands on.) They did have a touch tank but it was small and the animals that you could touch were little. The 360 tunnel was cool, it was short, and about 20 steps or less and you were though it. My least favorite part was that I couldn't get very good pictures. They don't let you use flash do to the fact that apparently it makes the fish angry. I for one don't want the shark mad at me. =) So through it all it was a good experience, and is it one that I think we need a season pass too.. NO, is it one that I am itching to go back to NO. We have seen it and done it,  The girls and I voted and we like the Dallas aquarium better. Even though you don't have a tunnel, or 5 sharks (they have a few) you can touch the sting rays and feed them, they have a larger touch tank for the crabs and starfish, and it's one that you can stay for a couple hrs and not leave thinking that's it? Don't get me wrong K had a wonderful birthday day outing and we thoroughly enjoyed the aquarium, it's just on of those things were there hype is great and the return is small. Here are what pictures I did manage to get. Hope you enjoy.

They have this room where you are standing

above a tank and glass in the floor so you can look down.

Bubbles inside the tanks- up close and personal

the Lion fish

360 tunnel

The sea turtle that's getting a new name

While this face looks like she is not having

a good time, this is the face of concentration and 

deciding what to touch next. 

This is a shark egg. 

K is as tall as a Cat shark

E is as tall as the Port Jackson

STOP KILLING THE SHARKS!

Getting a shark education by one of the workers. 

This room made me dizzy with all the blue I think. 

In fact I was pretty off balance the whole time. 

Notice K's shirt. Don't wear a green shirt if you don't

want to be a part of the scene.