Lifestyle blogger, Anna Liesemeyer of In Honor of Design, recently took her family to experience all the gems of Chattanooga. From Ruby Falls to the Tennessee Aquarium, follow along as she recaps her adventures.
When you have three little ones under 5, it takes some courage to tackle public places. We had such a good experience thus far in Chattanooga, and were beginning to see how family-friendly the city was. We took our chances and headed to the Tennessee Aquarium after lunch because my eager little ones couldn't wait to see some penguins and sting rays.
My husband, Gabe, and I couldn't get over how family friendly this aquarium was. Each of my kids was mesmerized the entire time, and we barely heard a peep out of them which is a rare thing. Utter fascination and awe seemed to steal away their usual chitter chatter.
We kept our visit to 1-2 hours which is about the time span my children have before needing a rest or shift, so I loved that we were able to walk through easily (thanks to the way they have the location set up), and see all of the key exhibits. There were some fun interactive elements as well like touching sting rays, catching butterflies, and going through the view tubes to get a closer look at those giant crabs!
My boys (including my husband) were enamored with the sting rays that you could watch and even touch, and it was tough to even pull them away for the next exhibit, though it was worth it, especially seeing the penguins.
My daughter has talked about being a butterfly all year for next Halloween, so you can imagine her delight when we walked into the butterfly room. She was determined to catch one, and with the help of a friendly young lady, she was able to hold one on her own. Her face says it all. It was one of the highlights of the trip for her.
Every turn and corner had something new and exciting things to explore, and I was so thrilled with how kid friendly the whole aquarium was – easy to navigate and plenty of interactive options to keep everyone on their toes. We are looking forward to the next visit!
