The Jarvii For the super long Fourth of July weekend I decided to take the kids to Baltimore to distract them from the fact that their dad was in Stockholm for the weekend. We live about an hours drive from Baltimore, but we spent the night there so we could have a leisurely time enjoying the Inner Harbor. Plus S has done well not peeing in the bed (we decided to potty train her 2 weeks ago) that I felt it was safe to sleep in a hotel. Haha. But if you wanted to make it a day trip from DC it is totally doable.
Many probably only know Baltimore from The Wire (one of my favorite TV series) and many don’t quite give it a chance because Washington, DC is its more famous neighbor. But I’m going to go out on a limb here and tell you that the Inner Harbor is more family friendly, especially for little ones, than DC. (And you know that’s hard for me to admit since I am a DC native.) You have the National Aquarium, Port Discovery Children’s Museum, and the Maryland Science Center all within walking distance of each other and guaranteed to entertain children of all ages.
On Day 1 we woke up early, quickly ate breakfast, and made our drive up to Baltimore to the National Aquarium. You can buy your tickets beforehand, which saves time waiting in line when you get there. The catch is that it’s timed entry, so you have to know what time you’ll make it there, which is nearly impossible if you have children. Thankfully my kids were so excited about the aquarium that we were maybe 5 minutes late for our entry (which isn’t a big deal). Tickets to the aquarium are $39.95 for people 12-64, children 3-11 are $24.95 (children under 3 are free!), and seniors (65+) are $34.95. In hindsight we probably could have done the aquarium on day 2, but it worked out in the end.
The aquarium is broken up into 3 sections: Australia: Wild Extremes is one section, Blue Wonders is another, and Dolphin Discoveries and Jellies Invasion are further back. We spent about 4 hours here and were only able to do Blue Wonders and the dolphin and jellies sections. The aquarium’s FAQ says to plan about 3.5 hours at the museum, but clearly with the crowd (it was really crowded when we visited) and two small kids you have to extend that allotment.
The Blue Wonders section is really well set up. You make your way through exhibits as you go up 5 levels via escalators and walking escalators. Level 3 has the Living Seashore exhibit with touch pools. My kids weren’t so interested in touching stingrays or jellies, but enjoyed watching us and others experience this. Again it was so crowded at the aquarium that you’ll have a small wait to get a turn. My kids also found Dory (blue tang) and Nemo (clownfish), but they are on different levels (much to my kids’ dismay). Another highlight were the puffins on Level 4; there was one puffin swimming and diving causing all the kids to squeal with excitement. Once you get to Level 5, you make your way down a ramp and see different fish you would find in the Atlantic Coral Reef. And then the last 2ish levels you’ll see sharks! It was a plain tank with nothing in it except sharks swimming around the ramps–it awed my kids, but made me nervous.
Another highlight was the dolphin show. These are free and they have several throughout the day. It’s not like Sea World if that is what you are expecting. Each show is different and highlights something educational about dolphins. We ended up attending one before lunch time, which taught us about husbandry–how they take care of the dolphins like giving them bottles of fresh water (who knew?!). After lunch we attended another show that explained why dolphins jump out of the water, everything from hunting to scratching an itch. Seats fill up fast, so try to arrive there a few minutes early if you want a seat either out or in the splash zone. S liked the dolphins, up until they got her wet.
Top tip: when you go upstairs to the information desk, pick up a map of the aquarium and ask them what times are the dolphin shows because they are worth going to every one.
We finally ended our time there at the Jellies Invasion exhibit, which the kids enjoyed. I think there favorite jellies were the ones that were different colors (reds, blues, greens). They stared at them and were very curious about how they swam.
We then ended our day with some ice cream and riding a dragon paddle boat (they saw these out the window of the aquarium and really wanted a go). We would have gone to another museum, except they all mostly close at 5pm.
Some things to keep in mind about the National Aquarium:
- It opens at 9am, but gets crowded around 10am. Earlier is always better.
- You technically can’t bring food inside the aquarium, although we brought in snacks and I saw other families with snacks and lunch sitting at the cafe tables.
- There are small cafes throughout the museum if you do get hungry and would rather eat there.
- You can get your hand stamped to reenter the aquarium later in the day. This is perfect if you prefer to eat at any of the nearby restaurants or take your little one back to the hotel for a nap.
- NO STROLLERS! For bigger little kids, be sure to keep the pace as leisurely as possible if they are walking and get tired easily. For the littlest kids, baby wear!!!
- Be prepared to spend your entire day here with little kids.
Overall it was a great adventure. The kids loved their first day in Baltimore and could not stop talking about the aquarium. There were so many things to see and do all throughout the Inner Harbor that it was hard for us to get them to go to the hotel. If you do visit Baltimore, the National Aquarium is a must do!
