My husband, daughter and I, all had the pleasure of visiting Mystic Aquarium, in Mystic, Connecticut, recently.  My daughter is three and has autism.   Her speech is very limited, but she is quite good at indicating things she enjoys, and she LOVED the aquarium.  My husband and I both enjoyed the experience, as well.

From the minute you go through the Aquarium entrance, it is obvious there is much going on.  Mystic is both an indoor and outdoor aquarium, with over 70 exhibits.  The outdoor areas feature sea mammals, penguins, and a marshland exhibit.  Particularly impressive is the Beluga whale exhibit, which is to a visitor’s right, as they enter.  The exhibit houses 3 beluga whales, who can be viewed face-to-cafe, as shown in this picture, or from the top like you would see them in the wild.

A harbor seal and several Stellar sea lions are housed in the Priblof Islands exhibit.  Not only are they available for viewing in a habitat environment outside, but several of them also perform in the aquarium’s Marine Theater live indoor shows. They have  a couple male sea lions which are quite huge, and are excellent performers, as well.

Another popular exhibit features a colony of 29 African penguins.  There you can view the penguins walking around and swimming right at your eye level.  Proceed down a ramp, and you will come to two viewing bubbles indenting into the tank enclosure.  Here you can get the feeling of being in the tank, by poking your head in.  Then, walk through the small gift shop and before the exit, you’ll get the view shown in this picture.  As you can see, the penguins are watching the people, as they look through the bubble windows.

A short boardwalk through the marshland exhibit will bring you to the Birds of the Outback Aviary.  Where for a $3 entry fee, you can go in the giant aviary filled with colorful birds, which you are welcome to feed millet to.  Also outside of the main exhibit floor but near the other entrance, is the ray touch pool.  This large shallow pool, gives guests a hands on experience with small rays.  When you place your hand flat in the pool, the rays will swim across it to get “pet”.  My daughter was thrilled with a particular ray. It really seemed to be seeking her attention, that of course triggered a rash of giggles from her.

Inside the main building of the aquarium, there are several new features.  Throughout the indoor exhibit space you will find Sense-Sational Seas kioks.  At these kioks, you will be able to use your senses to experience things the  way marine creatures do.  There is also, a Shark Encounters pool, where like the ray tank, visitor’s can touch sea life, in this case, docile white-spotted bamboo sharks.

One of the new exhibits, Jellies: The Ocean in Motion, is a visually exciting presentation which utilizes special lighting showcases to exhibit various jelly fish.  The Jellies exhibit seemed to be very popular with visitors.  It was pretty packed in there, but my little girl was drawn to the tank shown above, and squirmed herself right in.  The whole exhibit was full of fascinated little faces peering at jelly fish.

Keep in mind Mystic Aquarium is also on the cutting edge of exploration.  This is reflected by the recently opened the Nautilus Live Theater.  The theater hosts daily shows presented my an onshore team member of Nautilus, Dr. Robert Ballard’s  deep sea expedition.  The expedition is exploring the sea bed, of the Black Sea, Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.

Established exhibits that I remembered from past visits, were still great to see.  The huge Coral Reef tank, Stingray Bay and Shark Lagoon are must see exhibits.  Kids will love the Discovery Lab, a touch and learn exhibit of local marine life.

Mystic Aquarium is an extensive experience, and I have only touched upon a portion of the great things this aquarium has to offer.  I strongly suggest, browsing their website, before your visit, and speaking to someone at the information booth when you arrive, so you don’t miss anything.  If you have school age children, expect to spend a good deal of time exploring the indoor and outdoor exhibits and shows. Even with young children, like mine, a visit here will occupy a couple fun filled hours.

Info:

• Mystic Aquarium is open year round.
• Hours: March-Oct. (9-6)/Nov. (9-5)/Dec.-Feb. (10-5)
• Admission: Adults $28, Seniors $25, Kids (3-17) $20 , age 2 and under & aquarium members free.

If you buy your tickets online, there is currently a promotion, where you get lunch (a slice of cheese pizza and a soda) for just a dollar.  This deal is only available online.

Disclosure:  While I received media tickets, all opinions presented here are entirely my own, and no monetary compensation was given.