Aha! I’m never going in the ocean again. OK. That’s not true. I’m just being dramatic. I’ll still go in up to my calves in the Atlantic and a little deeper in warmer, more transparent, tropical waters. But what I saw last week has reinforced my decision to not go deep diving, snorkeling or into the deep waters of the ocean in any way.
Last week I went to Blogalicious Build Your Own Empire in Baltimore. The conference was just as amazing as I imagined, but more on that later. Before I got busy empire building I spent some time with my mom, aunt and cousin. We headed over to the Baltimore Aquarium. I have been to Maryland many many times to visit family but this was my first time to the aquarium. The things I saw were amazing. Some were beautiful others were not. Some were huge, others were barely larger than microscopic. Some were familiar others were completely foreign. The one thing they all had in common was that I have no desire to ever invade their space.
Here are some of the highlights.
We saw a dolphin training. It was cool how they mimicked what the trainers did. I did feel bad that they cannot swim around free. Honestly, I would rather they be free in the ocean than doing tricks for training sessions.
They were huge. The “small” one weighted over 300lbs.
I have a general fear of things that have many legs or tentacles. So while the jelly fish and octopus were interesting to see behind glass they still skived me out. Obviously I opted not to touch the jelly fish in the interactive open tank.
It was amazing to see all of the different forms of life in our waters.
The fact is what I saw at the aquarium is just a small sampling of all that resides in the deep. As a matter of fact there are depths that have not even been explored yet. I will keep my feet firmly planted on land or in shallow water that I can see through. I will reserve checking out marine life discoveries through glass at the aquarium.
Have you been to the Baltimore National Aquarium? Is there an aquarium in your town? Have you ever touched a jelly fish.
Aquariums are as close to some sea creatures as I care to get. The one and only time I took a surfing lesson we were surrounded by dolphins which apparently meant there was some kind of threat nearby. No thank you!!
I never interact with the open tank either. I do think they're fascinating to watch though.
I have touched a jellyfish. Legoland just built an aquarium in the state, but I have not gone. I have some issues with animals in captivity so I am very selective about what animal attractions I go to. I like to know where the animals came from, how they got there, and how they are treated.
I haven't been to that aquarium, though I do love them! They do make me think about what is out there in the water, though there's usually not a whole lot in the shallower waters!
I LOVE aquariums and this one looks amazing! My favourite are the jellyfish. I could stare at jelly fish all day!
We take the kids to an aquarium nearby in Long Beach, CA. I have touched a jelly fish and star fish. 🙂
What fun this was! We love visiting the aquarium.
How fun to hold a conference at the aquarium! We lived in Arlington VA for a bit and always heard how wonderful this aquarium is but never made it. So glad to get a peek thanks to your post!
Looks like fun. I'm not a fan of places that house Dolphins and such but these places make it great for kids to learn about things they wouldn't normally see (like us no where near an ocean!) so very cool. – Jeanine
I have never been to this aquarium, but it sure does look like fun! I love exploring aquariums. We have two nice ones in SC. I am eager to see this one and the one in GA now.
I'm allergic to swimming in the ocean so I'll never go very far into it, but if I could I would love to swim with the fish.
I would love to visit this aquarium. I am quite happy seeing creatures of the deep this way.
Aquariums are so entertaining. I was at the Baltimore National Aquarium several years ago. What an impressive spot!
We love to visit our local aquarium. It is about time for us to take another trip.
We used to have a membership to our local aquarium. My kids would always ask to get in line for the touch pools, and then chicken out. I've touched many a jellyfish on their behalf.
I grew up going there! I remember the saw shark vividly and being scared to death he was going to get me.
Jellyfish are so cool. I have never been to the aquarium in Baltimore.
It sounds like you had a great time. I never had the chance to visit the Baltimore aquarium when I lived in New England, but I always wanted to.
I'd love to visit the Baltimore aquarium. I've never been before, but it looks like a great one.
I was there a few months back and loved it. I have family in Bethesda, so we stayed there for a week in April.