Another Awesome Find

Y'all know me and free are close personal friends but I am also quite fond of CHEAP as well. Surprisingly, or maybe not so surprisingly, there is a plethora of free and reasonably priced activities available in the Washington Metropolitan area and I try to take advantage of them as much as possible to keep them jokers of mine occupied.

And this past weekend, I found a cheap excursion for the boys and I to enjoy. It was the annual Dollar Days weekend at the National Aquarium in Baltimore and we made our way out there on Sunday afternoon. We haven't actually been to the aquarium in a couple of years so it was a long overdue trip but the Dollar Days weekend is actually the only time of year I can afford for all of us to go as the admission prices are a bit too steep for my large brood.

We began our trip with a visit to the Immersion Theater for a presentation of the Polar Express 4-D experience. This was a unique viewing of clips from the motion picture version of the book by Chris Van Allsburg. The film is shown in 3-D with additional "sensory affects." There were lights and vibrating seats. There were scents from the movie like hot chocolate and the scent of pine from a Christmas tree. There were puffs of air, simulated snow, bubbles and mists of water. Overall, it was a unique experience that I am glad I spent the extra money to enjoy. The boys seemed to like it too, although Nic had the kung fu grip on my arm the majority of the 20 minute run.

We then were able to do a quick run through the majority of the aquarium including the Australia and Rain Forest exhibits. We were not able to get a glimpse of the dolphins or the jelly fish exhibits because they were closed as it was later in the day. But we were able to see many different specimens and it was amazing to see Nic's reaction to many of the fish, especially because many of the exhibits were at floor level so he could really experience them.

I have misplaced my digital camera so unfortunately I don't have any pictures from our trip but I was able to take a good picture of the boys inside the jaws of a shark (I think) with Davon's cell phone and will upload it when I get a chance to download it off of his phone. Overall, it was a great way to spend an afternoon. To quote the MasterCard commercials (and my last status update on my Facebook page) . . . admission to the aquarium for me and my four boys = $20 (which included the 4-D experience) . . . cost to park in downtown Baltimore = $13 . . . look of wonder on my boys' faces (Nic especially) = PRICELESS!!!

If you're interested, the National Aquarium has other special events throughout the year that are at lower than regular admission price called the Cultural Series. According to the website:

Through March, join the Aquarium on the first Friday evening of the month for a series of events dedicated to exploring, experiencing and enjoying cultures from around the globe. These activities that are appropriate for all ages take place from 5 to 9 pm (with the last tickets sold at 8pm) and admission is $8. The upcoming events include January 1 for Asian-Pacific Heritage and February 5 for African-American Heritage.

For information about this and the National Aquarium in general, point your browser to www.aqua.org