National Baltimore Aquarium

I've decided instead of giving gifts of "things" anymore, I'd much rather give the gift of time. There aren't too many people I know that really need more things in their houses, lives or minds. Besides, isn't life all about our adventures?For my Grandson Mark's 8th birthday present, I had decided to give him a trip to the National Baltimore Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland. He has expressed interest in being a marine biologist for several years now & I love encouraging something so positive in his life. And really, marine biologist, how cool is that?! I did some research on the aquariums website & came across sleeping with the sharks. http://www.aqua.org/immersiontours_sharksleepovers.html  To make the deal even sweeter, the sharks are Mark's favorite. So, on this past Friday, we were to be at the aquarium at 6pm to begin our sleeping with the sharks immersion tour. I feel the need to share all of this with you because of how impressed I was with the entire experience. This was such an amazing tour, that I highly recommend you trying it.
From the moment we arrived, we were treated like VIP's. The staff at the aquarium is so well organized, everything ran smoothly from beginning to end. After taking our gear to the classroom where it was safely kept till we gathered it later that night, we were escorted to dinner that awaited us in the New Harbor Market Kitchen Cafe. It consisted of a vegi lasagna, seasoned flat bread, salad, cookies or brownies, & lemonade. You did not leave hungry & the food was actually good. The price paid, $95 per person, included dinner, VIP front row seating at the dolphin show, 4D theater show, "Planet Earth", after the 4D theater, we were brought down to the stage area & were educated on things that sharks eat. We were then divided into two groups. There were a group of 10 girls scouts & then a group totalling 8 in our group. Gotta love intimate small group sizes! They actually take a total of 50 people on these tours. Then we set off for our personal tour of the aquarium. There wasn't anyone else there besides the night crew. We had seen everything. We were taken to the area were the sharks food was prepared, where the sharks were fed, we walked on the catwalk over the shark tanks, all behind the scenes where sharks were being taken care of, checked out one of the education packed classrooms, went through the rain forest & then at 11pm, we gathered our things & went down to the bottom floor where we bedded down by the rays, sharks & hugh turtle tank. I was the last one awake, awake during the night & the first one awake in the early morning hours before the lights came back on at 6:45am. I watched & learned so much about our water living friends, it was incredible. Just thinking about all that I was immersed into was a surreal feeling. Watching the excitement on my grandsons face was even better. The next morning after gathering & storing our belongings again, we went to breakfast, watched the dolphins through the glass in the underground tanks, toured the jellies, did a craft & played a game. Wow! At 9am, it was over.
They even gave us a an aquarium water bottle, ( not dishwasher safe!) shark tattoos & a discount coupon for our parking!
Before we left, they stamped our hands so we could return after 10am when they opened to the public.
We came back to see the sloths & the sharks once more. There were so many people there. Too many people for me! There was also alot of other activities going on around every corner. We eventually ended at the bottom floor where we had slept the night before, watching divers feed the rays.
I watched them for a moment, turned to check on Mark, & he was gone. We separated & searched everywhere. After a few minutes passed, I notified an employee to call security. When a child is missing, every minute that passes is a minute too long. He may have been gone for a total of 25 minutes & in those 25 minutes, an incredible amount of events run through your mind. Anyone who has had a child wander off knows exactly what I mean. Mark ended up on the 4th floor. When he realized he was lost, or we were, (?) he did the right thing & went to an aquarium employee. I tell you everyone in the aquarium seemed to be looking for him, staff of all trades, radioing to one another, taking me through back stairwells to other floors to look for him, till the moment he was found. We then held each other for a good 10 minutes, standing in the middle of what seemed to be 1,000 people, & cried. I couldn't let him go. Eventually, my son, Steven, came back & took his son with him, sat on the floor with him near the bubble tanks & had to regroup himself. I felt as if I had had a small heart attack, was sick to my stomach & couldn't help but to think if it hadn't been in the way the aquarium staff had handled this, I don't know what we would have done.
The National Baltimore Aquarium is a perfect example of what a National Aquarium & entertainment facility should be. The place is well kept, clean, healthy animals, & staff that every business should have. I do alot of traveling, & The National Baltimore Aquarium has to be on the top of my list for best ran establishments. This is a trip for all ages so don't feel like you're too old to enjoy an experience like this!
Thanks for listening & as always, much Peace, Love & Happiness!
Holly