Related Resources • Vacation Aquarium Care • Find an Aquatic Attraction • A Special Kids Display Tank • Waikiki Aquarium Tour

From Other Guides • Make a Trip to a Public Aquarium • Pittsburgh Aquarium • Shedd Aquarium Photo Gallery • You Otter Go... to the New England Aquarium

Elsewhere on the Web • Underwater Adventures - Bloomington, MN • Mirage Hotel Aquarium - Las Vegas, NV

At aquatic attractions you can relax and get away from the hectic world of everyday life, and particularly at spots like public aquariums, they are educational as well. For those of us that are aquarists, we know about the many therapeutic benefits provided us by owning an aquarium. Whether you have an aquarium or not, why not take advantage of a public aquarium as your means of therapy? That's what we do when we stay at the Pacific Beach Hotel, located in Waikiki on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, and are mesmerized by their 280,000 gallon indoor oceanarium.

When planning a family vacation, trips to places such as these can create a lifetime memory, especially for children. I remember at the age of 8, while living in Florida the family took a road trip and stopped at Weeki Wachee Springs. Have you ever seen mermaids? I have, and in the some 30 plus years since I experienced seeing mermaids at this famous aquatic attraction, they are still vivid in my mind today! Being in business for over 50 years, Weeki Wachee Springs is a famous landmark in Florida, and has grown into quite a wonderful family water park since I was there.

How about family attractions like Disneyland. At the age of 10, when moving from Florida to Washington State, driving across country we stopped there when we got to California. Believe me, the long journey was a constant question of, are we there yet?, but once arriving at our fun-filled destination, all was forgotten. Three of the best memories I have from my visit were the underwater submarine ride, the Jungle Cruise, a riverboat adventure where gigantic hippos came right out of the water at me, and the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse. Yeah, I know, the last one is not quite aquatic related, but I do remember it did have one heck of a plumbing system for moving freshwater to any spot in the treehouse, which was pretty cool. Who knows, some kids look at something like this, the wheels start turning in their minds, and Voila, you have a future engineer on your hands. It's all about imagination, having fun and learning, all at the same time! I know that some of these amusing sights may not be at Disneyland in California today, but I sure enjoyed them when I was a kid. Did you know that besides all the wonderful things to see and do at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, they have three exciting water parks to play at?

So, now that you are considering making a stop at a public aquarium or other aquatic attraction during your travels, what can you do to insure it will be a pleasant experience?