Dive into Adventure at the Adventure Aquarium!

Part 4 of my Mini-Series, Fun Family Things to do in the Bucks County Area!

Camden, New Jersey

WOW!  Just.....WOW.

My almost three year old touched a shark, stingray, starfish (oops...sea star), and a sea cucumber today.  And, he didn't get in trouble for ANY of it!!!

If you want a hands-on experience with ocean animals, you can't do better than the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey.  First of all, the aquarium is right on the waterfront and...it...is...BEAUTIFUL!  You must take a picture with Philly in the background before your visit (you know there will be major meltdowns after...not the best pictures!)!!

 

The entire Aquarium is fantastic, but if you are headed there with your family, you will definitely want to hit all four of the Touch Tanks.  I think our favorite was Chompy, a little shark that bobbed out of the water on his way around the tank to greet all of his visitors!

There are four adventure zones at the Adventure Aquarium...and you'll want to make sure you have enough time to hit all of them.

Adventure Zone A is the temporary home of Mighty Mike, the largest American Alligator living outside of Florida...he is a doozy of an animal at 14 feet long and 800 pounds!  I would not want to run into him outside of the aquarium, but to be able to get so close to such a massive creative was pretty awesome.  (He's there until September 2nd.)  We also saw some incredible sharks, including a hammerhead!  The tanks were immense, and it was so cool to get right up to these amazing creatures.

Adventure Zone B brought us to the penguins...the comedians of the Aquarium!  We could have watched them all day long.  Everything these little guys do is hilarious, and we were laughing at their antics long after we left the Aquarium!  The stingrays were not to miss...they are so graceful as they are swimming around, but they are not above splashing you or nibbling on your fingers.  Perfect for the kids!

The turtles are very friendly in the KidZone!

Adventure Zone C was full of hands-on fun for the kiddos!  Whoever came up with the concept of creating a "break space" full of things that the kids can do on their own...climbing, touching, exploring...ought to be rewarded!  It was a fun, yet educational, part of the adventure!

Adventure Zone D was pretty darn amazing!  We were mesmerized by the jellyfish, and amused by the hippos.  Then, we entered the Shark Tunnel and my kids went berserk with delight!!!  Sharks and other fish were literally swimming all around us!  Those dudes are rockstars.

Bring your lunch or enjoy a meal in the Feeding Frenzy Cafe so you can spend the day at the Adventure Aquarium.  There is so much to see and do, and you will not want to be rushed!  The staff is knowledgeable and friendly, and we learned a lot just by striking up conversations with them...it was like our own private tour!  There are many extra adventures you can take at the Aquarium, like a 4D movie experience or swimming with the sharks, so be sure to check out their website before diving in!

http://www.adventureaquarium.com/

Learn through play at the PLEASE TOUCH MUSEUM!!!!

 Part 3 of my Mini-Series, Fun Family Things to do in the Bucks County Area

Hey Parents....

This is seriously your "Dream-Come-True" museum.  They WANT your kid to touch everything.  EVERYTHING!!!!!!

Run, don't walk, to the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia, PA!!!

My sister and I took our kids (ages 1, almost 3, almost 3 and 8) to the Please Touch Museum on Eagles Day.  We prepared for some serious wrangling (where did we put those leashes???), "hired" the 8 year old to be our helper, and steadied ourselves as we walked through the front doors of the historic building.  I mean, preschoolers in a museum?  The thought is EXHAUSTING, right?

Oh.  My.  Word.
Best. Museum. EVER.

I'm not sure I can adequately describe the Please Touch Museum.  The really want the kiddos to touch.  In fact, everything in the joint encourages them to touch.  And everything in there is AMAZING!

Our kids...

• drove a bus
• rode on a subway, a trolley, a train, a motorcycle
• worked in a grocery store, hospital, construction site, train station, McDonald's, a shoe store, Rita's Water Ice, and a food cart
• exercised at the gym (with mini equipment!!!)
• climbed a rock wall
• ran around a mini track
• visited Alice in Wonderland
• hung out in City Park
• launched rockets
• went to the moon
• banged on drums in the rainforest
• played with a giant snake
• ran a household
• made things go
• completed a maze
• fixed a car
• walked on the gigantic piano that was featured in the movie "Big"

Blast off!

Grocery Shopping

Let's go for a ride on the City Bus!

Go ask Alice...

  
And sooooooooo much more!  They even participated in an Eagles Pep Rally, which was adorable, by the way. 

The Eagles Mascot Swoop visited the museum for Eagles Day!

You and your kids could literally spend all day at this place, and you will want to, so get there early!  We brought our lunch and ate near the (really cool) carousel, but there was also a great restaurant (Please Taste Cafe) right inside the museum.  The bathrooms were nicely placed all over the museum (and they were clean!), which was super helpful to us moms of the potty training crowd.  One of my favorite things about the museum was the very helpful staff members that were stationed in each of the exhibits.

The Please Touch Museum has events all summer long, so you will want to check the calendar before you plan your trip.  They are even hosting each of the area sports teams to support their newest exhibit, The Grow Games, which is part of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! program!

http://www.pleasetouchmuseum.org/visit/events-calendar/

If you are looking for an awesome place to have a birthday party, look no further...your kiddo's friends will be talking about it for weeks!

Honestly, I couldn't give the Please Touch Museum a higher recommendation.  If you have kids up to age 8, you NEED to go!  Check out their website for more info:

http://www.pleasetouchmuseum.org/