Mystic Aquarium♥

Mystic Aquarium is an aquarium and oceanography institute in Mystic, Connecticut. It is part of the Sea Research Foundation, a nonprofit organization that also includes JASON Learning and the Ocean Exploration Center. The Aquarium is one of three U.S. facilities holding Steller sea lions and it has one of the largest outdoor Beluga whale exhibits in the United States. Special exhibits include a ray and shark touch pool, a penguin exhibit, and a jelly gallery. Within the aquarium, encounter programs are offered to visitors for an additional fee. Through these programs, visitors can to get close to the African penguins, touch and stand in the water with Beluga whales, and feed and touch sting rays in a special pool.

My family and I had the chance to visit Mystic Aquarium. The day we visited Sid & Scrat from Ice Age were also visiting! And in celebration of Father’s Day, Mystic Aquarium was also offering fathers free admission with a full-paid child admission, such an awesome promotion! The first thing we did was visit Sid & Scrat and after we headed to the 4-D theater to join Scrat as he time travels in his zaniest adventure to date, Ice Age No Time For Nuts 4-D. Scrat battles a wonky time-machine that has zapped his beloved nut, and with buddies Manny, Diego and especially Sid along for the ride, the laughs are right on time in this custom 4-D special effects extravaganza! My girls absolutely loved this 4-D experience.

Once the Ice Age No Time For Nuts 4-D was over, we explored the Beluga whale exhibits. Which was absolutely incredible! This one-acre outdoor habitat features three interconnected pools holding more than 750,000 gallons of water, making it one of the largest outdoor beluga whale exhibits in the United States.

We made our way to The Roger Tory Peterson Penguin Exhibit, this exhibit offers above- and below-water viewing for more than 28 resident African penguins. There is always a staff member at this exhibit ready to answer any of your questions and tell you all about these fascinating birds. After learning Penguins respond to hand movements my fiance and daughter just had to try it and sure enough they caught a Penguins attention. They tried this trick over and over. Which was pretty amazing to watch!

After having lunch at Penguins Cafe, my fiance had the opportunity to do the Whales Up Close Encounter. He was able to learn so much about the Beluga Whales during the Encounter and he was actually able to touch a Beluga Whale. He hasn't stopped talking about this unique experience. This encounter was $65 and if getting in the water is your thing, they have a Beluga Whale encounter for $165 that allows you to not only get in the water with the Beluga whale but get demonstrations on their health and well-being!

Before leaving, we decided to visit the Main Exhibit Gallery. This Gallery includes Shark encounters, Stingray Bay and Shark Lagoon, Coral Reef & Loggerhead Turtle Area and so much more. Unfortunately we were unable to experience the Shark Encounter due to timing issues. My girls loved the Jellies: The Ocean in Motion. They were able to learn about six jelly species! We loved the Moon Jellies.

We had a wonderful time at the Mystic Aquarium and of course will be going back. Our visit was so effortless for me, between the family restrooms, interactive exhibits and friendly staff, it is easy to feel relaxed. Also, If you are local, make sure you check out their website for more information on their summer camps for ages 2 - 16! Thank you Mystic Aquarium for a wonderful visit, especially during Fathers Day Weekend.

DISCLAIMER: Mystic Aquarium provided complimentary passes to their Aquarium. All opinions stated are my own and are not influenced by any affiliates.