Well, firstly, I was told by a local never go to the Baltimore zoo but the National Aquarium was a must see. As you enter, you’re greeted by a rainforest habitat complete with a waterfall. It was so impressive that it got me so excited to see the rest.

The first floor features an IMAX theater where you can take in a 4D sea adventure. We skipped it because my daughter still isn’t a fan of in your face movies. The second floor features a delicious view of the inner harbor. You can take in the breadth of the view and decide what to hit after your visit to the aquarium.

Ever wanted to touch a moon jelly? You can do it! What about a horseshoe crab? They have a few of those. The touch pools are fun and feature built-in stairs so my preschooler was able to touch a stingray. The stingrays seem to crave attention and swim towards all the hands in the water instead of swim away. When she got her fill of touching the stingray, we touched moon jellyfish!  They’re so squishy!!!

The aquarium is filled with fun interactive explorations like the seashore. The aquarium staff is wonderful. After taking in the reef tank on the second floor, we took some time to get educated on preserving the ocean’s coral reef.  They discussed the conservation efforts of the coral reef and what we as individuals can do to help. In the rainforest, I spent 10 minutes bugging one employee to help me find the sloth.  Those buggers move so slow that I never found him.  Plus, I didn’t have to go to Greenland to see an actual puffin.

The National Aquarium is a national treasure filled with wonders of the seven seas.  It’s in a prime location at Baltimore’s Inner harbor.  It’s architecture is modern, clean and interesting.  I reminds me of the interior of the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. I love that the coral reef on the 2nd floor is in view at every level of the aquarium with the exception of the rainforest level.  This aquarium is educational wrapped up in a whole lot of fun.  If you’re ever in Baltimore, I recommend this be one of your first stops.