In an Octopus Garden with you!

When the Dallas Moms Blog was invited to a sneak-peek of the new Octopus Garden exhibit at SEA LIFE aquarium in Grapevine, I jumped at the chance. My son loves a good aquarium and we had never been to SEA LIFE before.

The aquarium was a huge, huge hit with my almost-three-year-old. Jack stood in the 360-degree-view ocean tunnel for a solid fifteen minutes… quiet. Those of you with three-year-old boys know that still AND quiet are hard to achieve. He was impressed by the sea turtle, stingrays, sharks… the venue was quite well done. There were lots of “hidey-holes,” as my son calls them, meaning little tunnels and windows at toddler level. Bonus? The lighting, ceiling decor, and tanks absolutely captivated my baby. Six-month-old Kyle had more fun than anyone else, truly. Grandma came along with us, and together she and Kyle fully engaged with the aquarium for more than an hour. Another feat that is hard to achieve!  The octopus garden was really fun. It opened Wednesday afternoon to the public and is included with admission fees. They have a few tanks of smaller octupus, and a grand spectacle of Eleanor.

There were a couple downsides to my visit. As soon as the schoolkids came barreling through on a field trip, my son clammed up a bit. (sea what I did there?) Seriously though, the big kids were a touch loud and overwhelming for my little ones. The aquarium has great hours and a post-nap visit after school is out would probably yield better results. The website lists feeding & talk times for demos. We didn’t catch one, but I bet the fish are fun to watch during feeding. Also, the venue is sort of one-directional, where you start at one side and finish at the other. Note to self and potty training kids everywhere: the restrooms are by the octopus garden, in the middle.

My sons’ favorite parts? Kyle & Grandma liked the first room, the Shoaling Ring. Those guys just swim around and around in a mesmerizing circle. We could have all watched them all day. I was a fan of Eleanor and also the cool viewing tunnel. I’ve never been in one that included the floor! Jack’s preference was the Clownfish Caves near the jellyfish. They had a host of “Finding Nemo” fish, including the little cleaning shrimp-like guys. Jack just laughed and laughed to see his film fish in real life. Another bonus? A “touch” area with pools for kids to see marine life up close AND a submarine play area to burn off some steam! Bring socks!

We really enjoyed our visit!! I found it appropriate for many age levels and a high level of educational value. It was also a fabulous venue for Grandma to come along with us, if you are ever looking for some quality time with the grandparents or out of town company. There’s a “kid’s quiz trail” for older kids with a prize at the end. I saw on the website that you can buy discounted tickets online.

And yes, the song “Octopus’s Garden” was on during our visit to the new attraction. I was humming it all day!