I had the opportunity to tour the Vancouver Aquarium with other local bloggers this winter season.
I took my 7-year old cousin, Isabella, with me to visit the Vancouver Aquarium. She didn’t remember attending previously so it was really exciting watching her be in awe of her surroundings. The Sea of Lights will be happening at the Vancouver Aquarium from November 23rd to January 6th. The aquarium is open on Christmas Day. We explored all of the exhibits at the aquarium but below are my top 5 things to check out this holiday season.
Electric Eels
The Amazonian electric eel, located near the main entrance, are lighting up the Christmas tree in the Teck Connections Gallery. These inspiring creatures heads are a positive and their tails are negative almost making them a swimming battery. We didn’t get a chance to see the tree lit up but Isabella was excited to keep checking in on the exhibit. They do offer a show at 11:30am that explain why they produce energy and what exactly it takes for one to light up the Christmas tree.
Scuba Claus
We got to help Scuba Claus find the nice and naughty animals this season. He plunges into the Strait of Georgia habitat daily at 12:30pm until December 24th. Children can write Scuba Claus letters to be left at the aquarium as well.
4D Movie
Every year the aquarium shows a different holiday themed movie and this year it is a condensed version of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. This movie brings on such childhood nostalgia that is it really even Christmas without watching it? The 4D movie includes a few splashes of water, rumbling of the seats, bubbles falling from the ceiling to fully bring the movie to life. When my daughter was much younger she was not a fan of the air blowing near her ankles so we recommended she sit cross legged and she never had any issues with the rest of it. The aquarium does offer a disclaimer that movies might not be recommended for children under 6 or if you suffer from motion sickness.
Bubble Exhibit
The interactive Bubbles by Tangible Exhibit was amazing. The children are surrounded by a bubble screen that allows them to feel like they are underwater. Canadian-born Adam Lastiwka composed the soundscape for the installation. They have bubble balloons that the children can make float. Isabella could have spent hours playing with it.
Plastic Exhibit
They also have a section dedicated to plastic found near Vancouver Island. The characters in the boat represent human’s past, present and future relationship with plastic. It showcases how important it is to recycle, re-use and re-think single use plastic. The aquarium sells re-useable straws if looking for one way to incorporate eliminating single-use plastics at home.
If going to the aquarium this winter I recommend checking out Bright Nights in Stanley Park. It is located directly behind the aquarium.