Weekend Getaway- Part 1

"Sea Life Aquarium Kansas City on behalf of US Family Guide provided tickets for this review.  My review is an honest opinion based on my own experience and has not been reviewed or edited by Sea Life Aquarium Kansas City."

Two weekends ago, our little family of three decided to pack up and head three hours south to Kansas City for a quick weekend getaway! The plan was to visit two local attractions, Sea Life Aquarium and Lego Land!

However, we could not make a trip to Kansas City without making a pit stop to the brand spanking new IKEA store in Merriam, Kansas!  We didn't have any intention to buy anything, but we did want to check out the kids’ bedroom furniture as possible ideas for Rowen’s “big girl room”! 

We found quite a few items we like and plan to go back in a couple of months (kid free) to make our purchases! YAY!

After about an hour of walking, we stopped at the cafeteria (which is impressive in itself) for a quick bite to eat and then headed back to check into our hotel. 

That afternoon (after nap time) we made our way to the Seal Life Aquarium in Crowne Center!  Late afternoon (4:00ish) was the perfect time to go because the crowds were small and we were able to leisurely walk through at our own pace. 

I wasn't sure what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised when I walked in!  The aquarium is SO colorful with the interior designed to look like the inside of an old ship!  The thing I loved the most about it was that all of the tanks were right at Rowen’s height allowing for her to easily see everything the aquarium had to offer! 

We went a week before Halloween so it was an added bonus to see the tanks and walkways full of Halloween décor – Rowen loved seeing all of the pumpkins!

The aquarium also offers a tunnel and touch pool, which was neat!  

Rowen wasn't up for sticking her hands into the water at the touch pool, but Ryan and I sure were!  We got to touch a variety of creatures and staff was on hand to answer any questions we had!

We spent a good hour touring everything and then ended our visit at the gift shop where we let Rowen pick out one toy.  It came down to a plush mermaid doll or Finding Nemo bath figurines.  The Nemo toy won and she hasn’t stopped talking about fish since we left! 

All in all we had a great day!  I only wish Des Moines had an aquarium, it’s a great way to entertain and educate young kids and would provide an awesome rainy day or snowy day activity!  If we get the chance to come back to Sea Life Kansas City, we will definitely go again!

Stay tuned tomorrow for part two of our weekend getaway...our trip to LEGO LAND!