You and your family will enjoy a visit to cool, dark interior of the Mystic Marine Life Aquarium where you will see exotic and tropical fish and water mammals. It is an exciting and education outing for a family.
Mystic Aquarium is in southern Connecticut in the town of Mystic. It is one of the premier aquariums in the country. For a family outing there is nothing better than a day at the Aquarium which is both fun and educational. If you have a weekend you can also drive about one mile down the road and spend a day at the Mystic Seaport Museum.
You enter in a dark area filled with tanks of exotic colored fish. A shark bangs against the glass on one side making little kids scream with fear and delight. Meanwhile, beautifully colored small fish peacefully swim back and forth safe in their glass enclosed tanks.
It is best to go early because the aquarium is crowded even during the week. Many school and community groups sponsor bus trips here even from other states. Mothers with little kids in strollers vie for space among older children and adults. Everyone is fascinated with the live display of unique fish from around the world. The aquarium is also a scientif center for the study of fish and water mammals.
Once out of the dark interior there is a large pool with penguins, and sea lions. The animals are not taught to perform as in a circus, but they are fun to watch in their natural looking habitat. The penguins walk from side to side with their wings at their sides. Yes, they look like they are wearing tuxedos. I enjoyed watching the way they huddled together, or swam. The sea lions were particularly amusing as they were in a playful mood. They seemed to enjoy the attention of the visitors as they dived into the water, then slipped back up on the rocks. If the audience didn't clap fast enough the sea lions clapped and shouted for themselves. It was really very amusing.
A free show inside the building featured the dolphins. The handlers said they don't teach the dolphins tricks, but that this is natural behavior. I enjoyed watching the dolphins raise their snub noses in the air, swim around the pool, and jump up for fish. It was very entertaining.
The aquarium is a wonderful place not only for visitors but for the fish and mammals they rescue and care for. The study they do of marine life is invaluable. Education is the primary purpose of the museum, but it is also fun and not just for kids.
