The family and I are on a small trip to beautiful Vancouver, BC this week (and the locals are grateful we brought our California weather with us). Looking for interesting things to do on a free day, a local (thanks David H.) pointed us towards Stanley Park, and the aquarium there. Now aquaria (yeah, that’s the proper plural for those of us who took 4 years of Latin in high school, mei amici) can be hit or miss, but the Vancouver Aquarium has something special – special enough to keep two jaded geek-tweens happy for a few hours.
From the website:
The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre is a self-supporting, non-profit association dedicated to effecting the conservation of aquatic life through display and interpretation, education, research, and direct action.
Admissions, programs, groups, membership, retail operations, and food services account for 81% of the Aquarium’s operating budget while charitable contributions, donations and restricted grants comprise the remainder.
What does that mean? That there’s a lot of good going on because of the place. The sea lion, dolphin and Beluga whale shows are wholesome without having the marine-park feeling of a circus for water animals. The tropical and arctic areas have wonderful displays and interactive learning stations. Overall, it’s an excellent afternoon out with plenty to explore and see for the whole family.
