I’m taking a break from telling you all about the wonderful places I visited on my New Hampshire vacation in August to let you in on a big secret in Connecticut…

It’s called the Mystic Aquarium Institute For Exploration.

I was looking for something to do outdoors today…

So I pushed a couple of my kids into the Voyager, filled-up with $3.09 gas! And headed out for Mystic in Connecticut. Should we do Mystic Seaport or something else I thought?

My kids convinced me to try Mystic Aquarium, as they said it had outdoor galleries as well as indoor.

Now I’m a big fan of the New England Aquarium in Boston, and so just wasn’t sure what to expect. But I was pleasantly surprised. This is a state of the art, clean, and well-maintained aquarium with plenty to see.

While sea creatures are still the star performers, this aquarium lives up to its promotion as an Underwater Adventure.

You’ll also find a Return to Titanic Exhibit at the moment, including a large-scale model, and a voyage through Dr. Robert Ballard’s journey back to the wreck he first discovered in over 12,000 feet of water in 1985.

They also have a XD 3D Motion Ride – told you this was state of the art place – where you can take the ride of a lifetime. Just get there early in the day otherwise the lines are too long and you won’t make it in before they close the exhibit.

But I have to admit that the Beluga’s and Northern Fur seals (that’s one in the picture above) stole my heart.

The Beluga Whales are in the outdoor Alaskan Coast Exhibit. Beluga’s are more like dolphins than whales, but they’re only found in the Pacific and off the Alaskan coast. So these frolicking whales can’t be seen anywhere else in New England but here.

The Northern Fur Seals are some big daddies and mammas! A fully-grown male can reach 1,500 lbs. The ones in the Pribilof Islands exhibit are not that big… yet! These beauties are found off this chain of Islands in the Bering Seas.

Well, I’m running out of space here to cover the other exhibits, which include the main gallery with tanks full of catfish and eels, and currently a special Hidden Amazon exhibit, and of course a marine theater with sea lion shows, and much more.

To get more information, details, and driving directions visit the Mystic Aquarium web site by clicking here.

Just a few blocks away from the aquarium is Mystic Seaport, and it makes a great compliment for a weekend stay in Mystic, along with a visit to the Olde Mistick Village shops as well. For more information on the seaport click here to check out my special Mystic Seaport web page.

Until my next blog have great trips and travel in New England this fall.

Cliff Calderwood
New England Vacation Guide.com
Expert New England Traveler
Author of The Guide “10 Secrets For Booking on Travel Web Sites”
(This FREE ebook will save you A LOT of money)
Platinum Writer for EzineArticles.com

Related posts:

1. Want To Visit Mystic Seaport?
2. New England Aquarium – Big Fish and Big Film
3. February 2009 Events at the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, Connecticut
4. Blast Past the Winter with a Creature Cruise from Norwalk Aquarium
5. August 2009 at the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, Connecticut