Day 3 - Virginia Aquarium

Thursday, June 16, 2016

We were up and off to the Virginia Aquarium this morning arriving soon after it opened knowing there would be lots to see and do and we wanted to fit it all in.  We did but only because we didn't go to the gift shop till the Aquarium closed at 5:00.  Of course, the shop was open longer so as to catch more possible buyers and we ended up being among them since Noelle found a necklace and earrings with dolphins on the that she wanted as a souvenir of our trip.  Naturally we got it for her :-)

On the way to the front door this morning we passed a huge outdoor aquarium that was home to five harbor seals.  A couple of the workers were feeding them so we had to stop and watch.

Once we were in and picking up tickets we discovered it was best to make the decision right then what extras we might like to do so as to get it as a package.  We chose to see a 3D National Geographic movie about whales and the boat trip out into the ocean with the hope of seeing dolphins. Since both of those had times attached to them we had to then arrange our tour of the aquarium around those.  That meant we had time to see just a few things before heading to the movie so we began touring the Bay and Ocean Pavilion with birds, animals and sea life primarily native to this area. Noelle had the opportunity not only to see turtles and tortises by discuss them with one of the docents.

They were all in the same area as a variety of birds.  I seem to have trouble getting shots of them but did manage to get this beauty

We found a variety of fish in the coastal rive area

and spent a fair amount of time outside checking out the nearby coastal wildlife that is right by the aquarium

These oyster reefs have been hand created for providing places for them and other sea life to live. Luckily it was low tide so we could see it well

They also were creating special "houses" for the oysters 

And lots of other life settled in that area as well including many crabs

That of course brings water birds as well so Noelle checked some out using this telescope

This chart gives an idea of some of the things we could see in this area - not caged but in the wild.

All of a sudden we realized it was time for our movie so we backtracked to the theater and enjoyed that 45 minute presentation.  As we were coming out we passed a little snack bar where we got a hot dog and drink and took it out to the boat dock so we could have a bite to eat while waiting to get on it.  I had the opportunity to finally get a picture of one of the planes from the Norfolk Naval Base that is nearby.  We heard these a LOT during the time we were in the Virginia Beach area.

Yes, the skies were very gray. In fact shortly after we got on the boat the rains began to fall so we got a bit damp but luckily it didn't last real long

Then the sun was back out and we were actively watching for dolphins.  Meanwhile we saw a lot of stingrays as we drove right over a huge group of them

But soon all of our attention was on dolphins swimming about in the water. The trick of course was capturing them with the camera before they'd disappear again under water.

We were mostly seeing mothers and babies learning how to care for themselves as this is a "nursery" area along the shore.

On our way back we got some good views of the Beach area

And some of the gorgeous homes and condos that lie along the extended beach area

How is this for a place to live?

As we came in the inlet off the ocean, we could see the aquarium - well the Bay and Ocean Pavilion. There was much more to the place as we were going to find out as our day progressed.

We returned to the Bay and Ocean Pavilion to finish up the rest of the exhibits there including this tunnel under the sea, 

this cobra that was moving up a pile of rocks so we could watch him move and check things out

Here, Noelle is checking out a Tomestomas, a very rare form of crocodile that lives in peat swamps and is hard to find.

Noelle had fun "petting" the sting rays in this special area

These huge loggerhead turtles

are quite attracted to this area.  Up to 10,000 of them make it their home at some point in the year and go up on the beaches to lay their eggs, well over a hundred at a time.

They then return to the ocean and in due time the babies break out of the eggs, crawl up to the surface of the sand and head to the ocean themselves.

Noelle had a chance to see just how big a whale is in comparison to herself

There was much more but we then hurried on to the Marsh Pavilion which was quite a walk away.

 The walk took us through marsh areas,

overlooks, and passed the Adventure Park that is part of this complex.  A place for zip lining and other such activities.

Among other things there was a fun river otter area and a spot to see hermit crabs

But our time was running out so we went back to the main building, got a picture of us done by the museum 

stopped at the gift shop and then headed out to the parking lot to head back to the RV Park and dinner.  There were lots of statues of painted dolphins lining the parking area.  This one was especially neat

After dinner we were off to the beach yet again.  Noelle LOVED spending time there.  Here she is enjoying the sand along the shoreline

Once it was dark and the life guards went off duty we walked back to our car again and headed back to the park.  We enjoyed Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune which we had recorded and were aware of an incoming storm.  After checking the weather that warned of a severe storm with 70 mile an hour winds headed our way, we pulled in all our slides and closed the awning and decided to just go to bed and hope for the best.  So Noelle got to see what it is like to sleep in a confined area.  The worst of the storm never hit us - just rain cooling things down a bit which was nice because this high 90s with humidity in the high 80s is tough to handle.