exploring we will go- a trip to the oregon coast aquarium

A while back we made the promise to each other to always make time to seek adventure as a family (you can read about it here). Exploring new places and going outside is a big part of our daily lives and once in a while I like to share a little peek into our adventures.

Now that summer (and all the crowds) are gone and my work schedule is a little more flexible, we have a bunch of little adventures on our to do list. Something we have been planning for the last few months is a trip to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Lucy has all kinds of little obsessions and interests that seem to come and go and one of her latest is all things from the sea- jellyfish, starfish, sea anemones and her favorite... sharks. She talks nonstop about sharks, has a tiny shark toy that she takes everywhere, we watch videos on sharks and spend a lot of time researching and learning about them. The Oregon Coast Aquarium seemed like a perfect day trip for the entire family (we all love the ocean) and a perfect place for Lucy to see some of her favorite sea creatures up close and personal!

The Oregon Coast Aquarium is located in Newport, Oregon which is about 3 hours away from us. It sits along Yaquina Bay next to the Yaquina Bay Bridge and adjacent to the Hatfield Marine Science Center.

The facility is a non profit aquatic and marine science facility that sits on 23 acres and has both indoor and outdoor exhibits.

My favorite part and the real reason we wanted to visit the aquarium is the Passages of the Deep exhibit- a 1.32 million gallon tank that is home to 5,000 marine animals with giant tanks and tunnels that give visitors 360 degree view of rockfish, halibut, ling cod, rays and many species of sharks. I've seen a lot of cool things but these underwater tunnels are one of the coolest experiences I've had- it was AMAZING

But for Lucy, not so much! All that hype and excitement she had to see a real shark, all came crashing down when those sharks swam over her head. After a few tears and lots of coaxing, we finally convinced her to come into the tunnel and with more coaxing she finally opened her eyes. Andy captured the entire episode (like tons of photos) on camera and I have a feeling we will have fun looking at the photos when Lucy gets older!

While Andy and I could have watched the sharks all day, at Lucy's request we moved on to see all the "cute" creatures!

Needless to say, the trip (while it had a few unexpected challenges) was a huge hit and totally worth the 3 hour drive! We will definitely be going back.