https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 22 Apr 2026 23:22:48 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baltimore-mamas-national-aquarium#post-2881547 Sat, 20 Apr 2019 17:31:50 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2881547@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PinkElephant: glad your visit was really fun! thanks for all the tips and what to expect. My LO will be an early 3 when we go so yep a lot picking him up to see things. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baltimore-mamas-national-aquarium#post-2881508 Sat, 20 Apr 2019 06:08:27 +0000 PinkElephant 2881508@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Also, if anyone finds this and is trying to compare to the Adventure Aquarium, I liked the National Aquarium better, I think. There’s just a bit more to see, IMO. The ability to walk through the shark tanks in tunnels and over them on netted balance beams at Adventure Aquarium is cool, but kind of gimmicky and not enough of a sell unless you have huge dark fans, IMO. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baltimore-mamas-national-aquarium#post-2881507 Sat, 20 Apr 2019 06:05:01 +0000 PinkElephant 2881507@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Ms.Mermaid: @Pollywog: @threeplusme: Thanks so much for your tips - they made our trip a snap! 🙂kids had fun and even hubby (who hates crowds and therefore is reluctant to do zoos/museums) admitted he liked it.</p> <p>@lady baltimore: we went and had a good time! Thanks for asking! We had 12:15 tickets, and 2.5-3 hours was enough to feel like we saw everything! It was definitely busy, but no worse than any other popular attraction. Certain exhibits were more crowded (touch tanks, jellyfish right after a dolphin show let out), but my kids weren’t bothered, and I decided not to be either 🙂. We spent a long time up close and personal with the puffins with almost zero crowd, and hit a feeding time in the walk-down part of the reef without crowds as well. I think if we’d been trying to read all the signs we would have been frustrated, but I promised my oldest to get a few library books so she could do “research” at home, and read them some facts from the app.</p> <p>To be fair regarding prices, I guess it’s that way for everything - we were NYCZoos members when we lived in Brooklyn because we lived right by the Prospect Park Zoo. But without that membership, Bronx Zoo fees are crazy high! It’s just sad because being a big city with all income levels, I think of how many local people probably can’t afford to enjoy it! Hopefully those kids get to go o subsidized school field trips!</p> <p>@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: When you go, download the app! It has maps, activity times, facts about all the animals...it’s super user friendly abseil even give helpful tips based on your location if you allow push notifications! I’m forgetting how old your child is w/o looking under your name and losing this post, but if he’s under 4-5, plan on carrying him a bunch because a number of exhibits are a little high, then having him walk through the floor to ceiling glass exhibits- my littlest was so tickled to be far to face with puffins, turtles, and fish bigger than her. She also loved the jellyfish (and learned to say jellyfish!) but had to be lifted up for most of that exhibit. Regarding timing, we went right at lunchtime - we headed straight to the dolphin show, but if we hadn’t, we might have hit a few more exhibits with less crowds. I looked at available tickets online, and feel like there was a bit of a lull in entrances from 12:15-1 while people had lunch and a lot of the morning admissions were leaving: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baltimore-mamas-national-aquarium#post-2881492 Fri, 19 Apr 2019 21:40:00 +0000 lady baltimore 2881492@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PinkElephant: How did it go? We are members at the National Aquarium, and every time we go, I am aghast at the per-visit ticket prices. Hope your family had a good time! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baltimore-mamas-national-aquarium#post-2881375 Thu, 18 Apr 2019 21:55:31 +0000 PinkElephant 2881375@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: Thanks! I'll report back with any tips! :)</p> <p>@Pollywog: Thanks! We had to book tickets a bit later than we'd hoped, so may pop into Port Discovery first. Sorry to hear your DS was scared - I was just saying to DH "Let's not worry, the kids don't care if it's crowded!" - so much for that theory!</p> <p>@threeplusme: Just popping back to thank you for saying this! I never would have even thought to check that, and I'm planning very differently w/o the stroller. She's small - 31" and 24 lbs, so as long as she's cooperative, it won't be awful to wear/carry her a portion of the time - I stopped wearing her a few months ago to force her to walk more, but she still loves for me to carry her. Fingers crossed! We'll probably do as @Ms.Mermaid: suggests and use the stroller to get to the Aquarium, then check it with our raincoats/Ergo if they have a hiking carrier available when we get there! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baltimore-mamas-national-aquarium#post-2881299 Thu, 18 Apr 2019 09:27:53 +0000 Mrs. Lemon-Lime 2881299@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Helpful post. We are going in a couple months. I planned to make it the first activity when we arrive at the Inner Harbor mid-day, but now will wait til 4pm.</p> <p>Have fun on your trip @pinkelephant: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baltimore-mamas-national-aquarium#post-2881291 Thu, 18 Apr 2019 08:59:20 +0000 Ms.Mermaid 2881291@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PinkElephant: Definitely call, they are very accommodating of kids with special needs (or at least, I see special needs kids in strollers and wheelchairs regularly). They do provide hiking carriers and other carriers free of charge, but depending on your 2.5 year old's size, it may still be uncomfortable. There is an elevator to all the exhibits so you don't have to take the moving walkways with a stroller. It's located to the left near the bubble tanks when you come into the main exhibit. </p> <p>Pro-tip to anyone thinking about visiting: still bring your stroller even though they don't allow them. They will let you put all of your stuff in the stroller and then check it free of charge and you don't have to pay for a locker that way. We always shove all our coats, etc. into the stroller and then check it. </p> <p>Another thing that I really like about the aquarium is their commitment to environmentalism; they don't sell disposable water bottles (they sell filled reusable ones) and they have bottle fillers at the drinking fountains, so bring your own reusable water bottle if you have one! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baltimore-mamas-national-aquarium#post-2881290 Thu, 18 Apr 2019 08:58:45 +0000 Pollywog 2881290@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I took my then 2.5 year old last year. He was overwhelmed and done after 45 minutes. It was scary and packed, even early.</p> <p>We got the same enjoyment from the Amazonia exhibit at the (free) Smithsonian zoo only an hour away. My kids love Port Discovery, right across the street. It's closed right now, but it has a free exhibit some days. I'd do that instead.</p> <p>ETA: port discovery is open tomorrow <a href="https://www.portdiscovery.org/featured" rel="nofollow">https://www.portdiscovery.org/featured</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baltimore-mamas-national-aquarium#post-2881285 Thu, 18 Apr 2019 08:41:45 +0000 PinkElephant 2881285@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@threeplusme: Wow! That's something I'd definitely call in advance about. My 2.5 year old had definitely can't walk the whole aquarium (she had a gross motor delay so has really only been walking for about 6 months), and would never agree to be worn for several hours.</p> <p>@Ms.Mermaid: @hitchhiker: @Anagram: Thanks! Yeah, I was totally counting on people being out doing spring/Easter-y things and not going to an indoor venue, but with thunderstorms forecast....who knows. We were thinking to aim for early (and not sure if it was a good idea to get kids up at 5 AM, drive, then take them for a full day activity)...but maybe we'll play it be ear and send someone over to check out the crowds around 4 or so. My SIL lives super close by, so that won't be a problem. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baltimore-mamas-national-aquarium#post-2881269 Thu, 18 Apr 2019 07:56:19 +0000 threeplusme 2881269@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Not sure if this is still the case but when we went a few years ago they didnt allow strollers. Luckily i had my ergo with me but it was a bit tough to wear my 1 year old while wrangling my then 3 year old twins. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baltimore-mamas-national-aquarium#post-2881262 Thu, 18 Apr 2019 07:11:58 +0000 Anagram 2881262@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PinkElephant: We've taken our kids and they had fun. I'd say it's slightly bigger than Camden Aquarium. My oldest daughter was obsessed with this shark exhibit that is in a dark hallway that you walk down. It's been a couple of years, so I don't remember what it was called.</p> <p>We were there right at opening, and it didn't get super crowded till about noon. We stuck it out till about 1pm, then left for naps. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baltimore-mamas-national-aquarium#post-2881255 Thu, 18 Apr 2019 05:45:44 +0000 hitchhiker 2881255@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I also live in Baltimore and have an aquarium membership--we go all the time. Agree that first entry or after 4 is your best bet. If it gets crowded at the lower level exhibits, we often move quickly through them to get up where the crowds are lighter. But we already stop to touch the jellies, even if it's crowded! </p> <p>Have fun! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baltimore-mamas-national-aquarium#post-2881248 Thu, 18 Apr 2019 01:51:36 +0000 Ms.Mermaid 2881248@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I live in Baltimore and we are members at the Aquarium. If you go in when it opens the crowds are minimal *usually*. It’s hard to say about Good Friday because I think all the schools are closed and it will possibly be really crowded but mostly after at least 10am. (But like, the day before Christmas Eve it was empty.) The crowds are often light around 4ish if you go in for last entry as well. It is really expensive and I haven’t been to Camden but I think they are pretty similar? The new blacktip reef exhibit is pretty cool and you can usually get an empty spot to the left/back of the exhibit and watch everything without feeling rushed. They don’t do a dolphin show anymore but they still do a dolphin Q&amp;A and training session which is cool. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/baltimore-mamas-national-aquarium#post-2881240 Wed, 17 Apr 2019 22:12:43 +0000 PinkElephant 2881240@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Can anyone (either someone local to Baltimore, or someone who has visited recently) give any input on visiting the National Aquarium?</p> <p>I grew up outside of Baltimore and have lots of great memories of visiting the aquarium at the Inner Harbor. My sister-in-law recently moved to Baltimore, and we're going to visit her for the Easter weekend. I originally thought I wanted to take my kids (ages 7, 5, and 2.5) to the aquarium on Friday. But I'm kind of put off by the prices (for those who don't know, $40 for each adult, $25 for each of the big girls - this does not include IMAX movies), and am hearing terrible things about how crowded it is from my in-laws.</p> <p>Now I'm torn on whether or not to take the girls - if we do, we'll probably get up super early this Friday AM to drive to Baltimore and get there for a 9 or 9:30 AM admission time. I feel like the crowds might be lighter due to no school trips on Good Friday, but there might be extra visitors due to the holiday weekend and anticipated bad weather.</p> <p>Any thoughts? Are the crowds really that awful? Did your kids absolutely love it/is it as good as I remember? We went to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden/Philly this fall after hearing local (NY/NJ) friends talk it up, and I wasn't really as wowed by that as I expected to be. My kids liked walking over/through the shark tank, but the rest of the aquarium was kind of "meh", IMO. I kind of don't want to put the $$$/effort into another experience that leaves me feeling "oh, okay", if you know what I mean :) :) </p> <p>Thanks! </p>