It's fun having friends at the Aquarium. Our buddy Scott invited me a few weeks ago to a behind the scenes tour of the new Living Seashore exhibit that opened last week. This test was to get the animals ready for the masses. I was like a kid in an aquarium. And the coolest part, this new exhibit has a TOUCH TANK. There are two tanks; one on the left has skates, rays, horseshoe crabs, snails and more. The one on the right has jellies!
You can barely make out the ghostlike jelly.
When I was in college I took a Museum Studies in the Arts program for a semester away from Ripon at American University. We spent the whole four months visiting countless exhibits, meeting curators, exhibit designers and conservators. I never look at an exhibit the same after that incredible "semester". It felt more like fun than work. So when I walked into this new exhibit I was immediately taken with a very familiar beach scene up on the wall to review. Of course. Brilliant, National Aquarium and very interactive.
I loved being there before everything was finished.
The lighting above reflects the movement of waves.
And then we got to go and touch the animals. That is snail poop in the foreground! :)
The skates were kinda flirty!
The trays were there to help show them off.
Scott was an old pro at touching the jellies.
I was a bit scared. I mean, jellyfish sting. So it seemed a bit odd but man was it cool. They do not sting by the way. Can you imagine?
After touching the jellies you had to wash your hands. Rule.
Then I signed up to be a Shore Hero.
And before we knew it it was time for the touch tanks to be put away.
On the way out I got to meet Anna Simmons, one of the Exhibit Developers. Great job Anna and team.
To learn more about the exhibit, become a member and get tickets click here.
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