Ripley’s Aquarium
With Rory MIA for the rest of the morning, it was time for the ladies to get to work! Our little Aviana lives in a magical world of rainbow-sprinkled unicorns, so naturally our next stop on the itinerary was Ripley’s Aquarium, well-known for their live Mermaid Show. Adalyn opted to hang back with Grammie and Grampie, so Avi and I set off to the aquarium. (Our first solo Mommy and daughter date, too!) As we approached the entrance I could see the ticket line growing longer and longer, so I whipped out my phone, purchased our tix online (buy your tickets ahead here), and we walked straight in!
From stingrays, to sharks, jellyfish and turtles – we saw it all! Although numerous touch tanks were available, Avi wasn’t too keen on getting THAT close! We did however, jump on the opportunity to sift through sand and discover unique gemstones (at a cost, of course). As for the the Mermaid Show that I had been hyping up for a solid 36-hours…well, that didn’t happen. Sadly, moments before embarking to the aquarium, I discovered that the Mermaid Show is only offered on Saturday and Sundays. Despite the crowds (and lack of mermaids), we were still able to explore the massive space, get up close and personal with thousands of underwater species, and create special mommy and daughter memories that will last a lifetime.