Ripley's Aquarium, Toronto, Ontario

We have wanted to go to Ripley's Aquarium in Toronto since it opened and this month we went as a part of our local homeschool group.

However the price tag for admission was hard to swallow so we never went. The AZA reciprocal programs are wonderful (mainly in States) but coming home to Canada and having to pay full price kills me. Maybe I am too cheap but to me an afternoon at the Aquarium is not worth over $100 when we have been able to visit so many Zoo's and Aquariums for FREE or half price in the States.

Ripley's in Toronto does offer educational rates for school groups and homeschool groups. The cost is $10 per student (Reg $16.98) plus hst and staff /parents are $25.48 plus hst (reg $26.98). With these educational prices if your child has a diagnosis then they have a free worker. At the time we went I had one with an Autism diagnosis so my admittance was free and only my husband had to pay. Now if we went again my husband could also attend for free as my other daughter now has an Autism diagnosis too. This makes the aquarium extremely affordable for families with special needs children.  Regular homeschool families still get over charged in my opinion.

I'd still prefer their pricing to be like Ripley's in the Smokies where all homeschool families can walk up to the door, show proof of homeschooling and get in for $7.14 US plus tax and one adult per 10 kids is free. Extra adults pay the same rates as the students. They also offer affordable classes for Homeschool groups...So Ripley's of Toronto why do you not have a supportive Homeschool policy for us? I've emailed them before but got no response. Enough of that, it makes me upset.

On to our fieldtrip!

 With everything I've said above, Ripley's still is a great aquarium and where they built it in Toronto was an engineering feat! I just wish their pricing was comparable to their US counterparts. I'll let the pictures tell the story.

  

Petting the horseshoe crabs in the touch tanks

This crawl through tunnel was a lot of fun

 The conveyor belt walkway through the shark tank was one of our favourite exhibits.

Oh no they crashed the sub

 

 

 The jelly fish exhibit with the coloured lights that make them change colours was our favourite exhibit.

We did enjoy our day here but even after seeing the Aquarium I would not return for full price. It's nice, but not that nice.

Sanibel Island, Florida: Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum

After visiting Lighthouse Beach and Bowmans Beach we got dried off and headed to the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum. It is located at 3075 Sanibel-Captiva Rd. Admission was $11 for adults and $5 for children. Four and under are free. (If you have a NARM membership this is currently listed as a reciprocal participant. We will be upgrading our membership to include NARM next year and that membership would allow you in for FREE).

I totally dropped the ball on this visit. They offer so many different outings and programs daily with paid admission but we showed up late in the day and had very little time before closing.

They also offer different events on each day of the week. Some free and some at an additional cost. If you go be sure to pre-plan and take a look at their schedule of events. I know I will next time.

We arrived just in the nick of time to see their last  Live Tank Talk for the day.

 It was a very informative hands on talk. Afterwards everyone was allowed to touch the animals in one of the tanks following the two finger rule.

Looks like these guys are planning an adventure

After the tank talk we were off to explore the rest of the museum.

There was a hands on learning area for the kids.

And so many educational displays throughout this jammed packed little museum.

I always wondered how these buttons were made.

A whole bouquet of flowers made from shells.

Not only was there information about the many local shells but there was a ton of info about worldwide shells as well.

I so wish we could have participated in some of the other daily activities. Next time I will pre-plan ahead of time so we can get the most out of our entrance fee. It was a very interesting little museum and I look forward to returning some day down the road. I really want to participate in one of their guided walks.

Have you ever visited Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum?

MOTE Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, Sarasota, Florida

We loved our time at MOTE! Regular admission was $19.75 adults and $14.75 for children ages 4-12 however this was another FREE excursion for us due to the  AZA Reciprocal program ( a savings of $69). See how we got our savings membership HERE.

We arrived just in time for a shark feeding.

Then it was off to the touch tanks.

Next up was the Explorations Gallery.

Then we went to the Florida Bay Habitats Exhibit.

Intrigued by the puffer fish

Then we headed to the Skate touch tank.

Sierra learning about the Ray's stinger.

A stinger on display

Oh NO we almost lost the girls to  great white!

 A few photos from the creatures of the reef exhibit.

Then we crossed the road to the other section that houses the manatees, sea otters and sea turtles. The otters were sleeping and we weren't able to see them but the turtles are always fun to watch.

We watched the manatee for awhile and then saw how we measured up in size to a manatee.

With all this exploring we worked up an appetite and had to head out for lunch but we loved MOTE! We wished the otters were awake to watch them play but heck we can't complain.