Our Weekend in Minnesota - Part Three

 I couldn't let our time at Mall of America slip by without talking about Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium which happens to be Minnesota's largest aquarium. The aquarium is located on the first floor, on the opposite end of the mall from Nickelodeon Universe, and you take an escalator ride down to the aquarium. This attraction offers a 1.3 million gallon aquarium, yes you read that correctly, and has some of the most incredible underwater species! But before you get to the water, you must chance it through the rainforest and other types of land and water creatures!

This two and a half story rainforest was really cool. It was muggy, foggy, and had all the sounds you expect with a rainforest. The waterfall creates great backdrop for photos and is so realistic in design. Small pools of fish were among tanks of poisonous frogs, hissing cockroaches, and tarantulas. Sorry, this mama didn't spend any time looking for that vicious spider! Just thinking about it gives me the willies! There were even piranhas! 

 Sturgeon Lake offers insight to the fish that you would see in freshwater areas. Soft shelled turtles, sturgeon, and Alligator Gar, which I don't believe we ever really saw. Check out the whiskers on the catfish like species! 

Next up, Shark Cove, the 300 foot underwater tunnel. This exhibit is as long as a football field! And yes, this is all inside the Mall of America! I still find that hard to sink in. This was McKinley's absolute favorite space as it housed several different species of sharks, the sea creature he loves most. And so fitting with shark week starting the weekend we got home. There are Sandtiger Sharks, a Green Sawfish, Nurse Sharks, Blacktip Sharks, and a Guitar Shark. Also among the shark family were sea turtles and various fish with interesting features. 

Coral Caves, the place that houses everyone's favorite celebrity fish, the Clown Fish. Can you name the famous movie? Along with the Clown Fish, you will find colorful corals, sea stars, sea horses, and more! 

Ray Lagoon is a 15,000 gallon beach exhibit that houses sting rays and more sharks along side a giant shipwreck. Walk around this massive exhibit to see all the action up close. Rays will swim by, at times splashing the surface, and you can also feed them! A nearby feeding station allows you to purchase fish food that you can scatter around the tank. A super cool way to get interactive with these graceful creatures. 

Lastly, take part in their touch pool. This is your way to get your hands on, or at least a two finger touch, of what these species truly feel like. Is a sea star really as rough as it looks? What does a sea anemone feel like? Is it soft like a flower? But beware, the water is really cold! 

As you can see, our time in Mall of American, and subsequently Bloomington, was amazing! Memories were made, family time was plentiful, and the experience was like nothing we will ever have again! If you missed any of the other MOA posts, you can check them out here and here. Thank you to the City of Bloomington for hosting us! We loved every minute we spent with you! 

XO,

Andrea

P.S. This is a sponsored post, but all photos and opinions expressed are my own.