Sunday, May 21, 2006

Fun At The Camden Waterfront

Out of all of the bloggers in the area, THEY choose us! There was a call for local bloggers to review the Camden Waterfront. Unfortunately, due to other plans, we couldn't see all of the attractions. We had been to the Battleship New Jersey in the recent past. We were both very impressed with the ease of access. While there are many many steps, I did notice that many accommodations have been made for wheelchair and stroller access. Great pains were taken to make this a safe and enjoyable tour and I loved the fact that when we went, there were some little girls that had an Alex's Lemonade Stand right by the entrance gate. We've also been to see the Riversharks play and it was a blast! Very family friendly and lots to see and do (in addition to the baseball game). They have a kids play area with one of those moon bounce thingies and I noticed they now have a carousel and I'm a sucker for a good carousel ride! Now, on to what we did do on Sunday. We happened to get up early so we headed off to the Adventure Aquarium. What an amazing morning it was! Parking was a breeze and quite inexpensive (compared to other venues) at $7.00. Because it was so early, we scored an awesome spot and headed in. Now, if you are like Marc and I, you are up early because the kid(s) are up early. I strongly recommend going on the early side to beat the crowds. Unfortunately, Marc and I are not the best of photographers so we couldn't figure out how to get photos without getting the flash in the glass. We did manage to score a few decent shots.... Here's Dylan and I checking out a huge octopus. Yes, Dylan and I were both duly impressed and grossed out :)

They have this incredible exhibit where you can touch these little sharks and stingrays. While I wasn't comfortable letting Dylan touch them (I was worried he'd try to grab at them) he was quite happy just being this close to them... While Dylan is only 10 1/2 months old, he really enjoyed the outing. He loved being able to get right up on the glass and get close and personal with the fish. They also had this uber cool tunnel where you walk through and are just surrounded by fish. It was quite impressive to have these big sharks sailing over your head. They have a whole area outside where you can see penguins doing their thing.. And a show with these beautiful big seals.. Who looked like they could use a good belly rub (can't we all use a good belly rub?) Toward the end of our trip, we came across this little lovely. Can someone please tell me what in the world this is??? I know it's some sort of alligator or crock but it had both Marc and I totally weirded out... Unfortunately we didn't have time to see the Children's Garden which has more exhibits but we definitely plan to return when we can spend the entire day. As we left, we enjoyed a few moments by the water. The breeze and this beautiful view of the City of Brotherly Love...

Sorry for the screwy alignment at the end - I've played with it but blogger is just doing it's own thing (for a change).

7 comments:

  1. Looks like you had a fun day!

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  2. Anonymous8:44 AM

    What is the first picture of???

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  3. It's a giant octopus

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  4. That crazy-looking alligator is actually my FIL...

    Sorry, but sometimes that's just the way he looks and yes, he could eat a mimi-schnauzer alive.

    I love how babes and toddlers can really be fascinated by something so seemingly complex. It sounds like it was a very busy and fun day.

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  5. Anonymous11:08 AM

    The unusual animal is a Matamata, Chelus fimbriatus. It is among the larger semi-aquatic turtles, and features a body (including a face) designed to help it camouflage expertly with its surroundings while waiting to ambush prey. I am a cast member at Adventure Aquarium, a science educator no less, and will admit that none of us knew what it was either when they first brought it in. Most of our staff thought it had been run over by a car or truck.

    The only other major animals displayed in that exhibit are the two Dwarf Caimans, which are crocodiles.

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  6. Anonymous4:17 PM

    Hello! Thank you so much for stopping by the HSB Company Porch and leaving your excellent comments. I hope you'll return and read the weekly installments to Adoption Options.

    Congratulations on the adoption of your beautiful baby! I have adopted two of my children from the state of Hawaii.

    I hope you'll return and read the weekly installments to Adoption Options. Would you be at all interested in sharing your adoption story with my readers? All it would take is a link to your post/s about your story.

    If you are interested in doing this please e-mail me at sagerats-at-starband-dot-net.

    Sincerely, Tia Linschied

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  7. What's the mata with you? it's a matamata:)

    Looks like you had fun.

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