Museum Hopper

We went to the Newport Aquarium on a Sunday rainy afternoon with my husband, his sister and her almost two year old son!   I had not been in a while and we went about two hours before close.  It was just the right amount of time.   The aquarium is not cheap -- it is worth making sure that you are in the mood and can spend as much time as you need to there.  I think they charge since they are fairly restricted in how many people can be in there.  That being said, it feels like it is always crowded.   We followed the path.  Our nephew loved splashing in the water at the different exhibits where you could touch the animals.  It did remind me of the Finding Dory scene where all the animals hide!  The turtles were great and he loved seeing those.  He kept pointing out all the fish and their colors.  He seemed more engaged at the aquarium than at the zoo.  Perhaps the zoo warmed him up?  Or getting closer to ...

Today I finally made it to the Newport Aquarium.  I went by myself, so I can only imagine how much fun this would be with people and especially children. The aquarium is set up as a route -- it does not have the ability to pick your own adventure.  The fish and animals are broadly structured in groups or clusters (e.g., seahorses, sharks, rays, alligators), but also a little bit around geographies.   The path takes you through the entire aquarium with the cafeteria in the middle and you end in the gift store (feels a little like Disney World).  Great since you don't miss anything, but could be challenge if all your child really wants to see is the turtles.   The aquarium has a variety of shows and interactive exhibits with plenty of options to touch different animals.  I took in the shark tank show involving divers in the tank.   The signage was very appropriate and updated.  It definitely has been prioritized an...