#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛
Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged photo, but Lola just has ZERO boundaries and Clifford is exceptionally patient. 😂
I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s so good for you), so when I saw that a local patisserie has a smoked salmon croissant available (weekends only), I added it to my list of things to seek out. I popped into @chocolatinenj early on Mother’s Day and was rewarded with this deliciousness. Layers of soft flaky croissant dough, tender smoked salmon, light whipped cream, thinly sliced red and green onion slivers and dotted with capers… it was every bit as amazing as you’d imagine it would be. If you’re local, don’t sleep on this one. 😋
Weekend photos in review, the belated edition. 1/ Weekend photos in review, the belated edition.

1/ hit up a few yard sales and snagged this beautiful pasta dish from Italy with my favorite color for a buck, 2/ and one of these printer trays came home with me too, 3/ pre Mother’s Day celebrations with 30 local moms, 4/ finished the weekend supervising furniture assembly
Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd bir Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd birthday. Unfortunately she’s not here to celebrate because she died suddenly at age 49. I think of her often … every Mother’s Day because we spent most of them together since her husband worked weekends … when I discover a new food adventure (we once did a day long donut crawl) … when I’m sharing a special time with my kids knowing that her then-11 year old is growing up without her. Before she passed, I always appreciated every day, but since then, even more so. You never know what the next day can bring, so relish in the sunshine, surprise rainstorms, making wishes over railroad tracks and all the wonderful randomness life can throw your way. Don’t waste a single second, say yes, live on the outskirts of your comfort zone, laugh often, tell people you love them, give eight second hugs, and squeeze every ounce of joy you can out of life. Do it for the people who can’t. ✨
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Press
  • Writing
  • Contact

Sweetnicks

Food and Life

Visit: Adventure Aquarium {Camden, New Jersey}

December 27, 2012 · Narrative

Untitled
With the kids off from school this week, I used the last bit of my vacation time to plan a few different activities. Today, as a surprise to them, we set off to visit Adventure Aquarium, otherwise known as New Jersey’s State Aquarium. Given the kids’ unabashed love for all things animal, and the fact that we had never been before, I knew they’d be happy with the choice.

Untitled

The only drawback to visiting this particular aquarium is that it’s about two hours away. These are those special moments when I sorely miss having another driver in the car with me.

And I don’t mean the backseat kind.

The Aquarium is very easy to find, and super close to CocoKey. I had originally wanted to add the aquarium to our weekend when we were down that way back in October, but since we also went to the Philadelphia Zoo, there was a limit to how much I could feasibly squeeze into an overnight.

There is a dedicated parking lot for this aquarium, and it’s $10 (cash and credit cards accepted as payment when you exit). There are some other lots nearby, but I’m not sure if they are designated for other uses. And, to be quite honest, Camden is not necessarily a town where you want to be wandering around unnecessarily.

Untitled

You can buy tickets online, and I would suggest it. It saves you waiting in line (outside) to buy your tickets. By having them in hand, you can head straight inside, get your tickets scanned, and get started right away.

The aquarium is divided into four different zones (A, B, C, and D), which, in theory, is good. Especially if you start with Zone A. We somehow started with Zone D, which conveniently leads you to the gift shop, restaurant, and exit once you’re finished with it, so we had to do a bit of backtracking.

Because we have sort of been making the rounds of aquariums and zoos this year, we tend to look for what sets this one apart from the others we have seen.

The Adventure Aquarium had two hippopotamuses, which was really cool. They were surrounded by tons of little fish pecking at them, and one of the other aquarium guests said that the fish were cleaning the hippos by eating off the outer layer of skin and dirt.

Untitled

Ick.

But equally fascinating to watch.

Untitled

But mostly ick.

This aquarium also had an awesome shark tunnel that you could walk through … the sharks swam over you and all around.

Untitled

Which prompted a few questions from Madeline on if the glass was strong enough to prevent the sharks from eating it.

She fears very little, but has a ton of respect for what sharks are capable of.

This aquarium also had this very fun shark cage simulator. You walk into this little room and the attendant draws a curtain to close it off. There is a huge screen that shows a shark coming at you, and as it bangs towards the screen, the floor shakes, simulating you moving on the water.

Untitled

We haven’t seen anything like that anywhere else and although it was just a few minutes in duration, it was a highlight.

Untitled

Untitled
I’m going to get this photo blown up – I think it might be my new favorite of the kids.

The aquarium also had this scale that you could step on and it would tell you your weight, and how it corresponds to the weight of sea animals. The kids were both in the same range as a juvenile shark ray.

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled
I love moon jellyfish. Especially when there is a little hand pressed up against the glass.

Untitled

Untitled
I thought it was a baby penguin at first. But no, it’s a baby that’s 26 years old!

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

Untitled

The decor in the aquarium is pretty fun – there is an area that is very beachy (as shown pictured above), that was complete with the sounds of the waves, and there is another area that was decorated to look like a ship wreck.

As I mentioned, there is a food court with plenty of seating, so if you need a quick snack or light lunch, you’re all set. The aquarium is currently decorated for the holidays, and there were plenty of photo opps throughout, and even a random staffer here and there offering to take pictures. That being said, they definitely had less available staffers to assist guests than the Norwalk or Jenkinson’s aquariums did, and two that we asked questions of didn’t have the answers (and they were simple “where is Zone B” questions). There were a bunch of staffers in the beginning lobby area, but having more spread out to assist throughout the aquarium would have been helpful.

In addition to the penguin that you could get up close and personal with, you could also pet the string rays (and we saw our first ever leopoard-spotted one there), make reservations to go diving with the sharks, and watch a show in their theater with Scuba Santa. The bathrooms were large and well maintained, and there are elevators throughout the building to help those with small children or who have a harder time getting around. The gift shop had a reasonable assortment of souvenirs, although Nick mentioned that he thought they were overpriced. And when a ten-year-old notices, that should tell you something. I usually give the kids a $10 budget at a gift shop, and they definitely had a hard time with that one here. Most of the stuffed animals were in the $17-25 range, which I think is a tad excessive. The postcards, on the other hand, which is my favorite souvenir next to pressed pennies, were a bargain at 3 for a dollar. (And yes, we found two pressed penny machines at the aquarium, so I was a happy camper!)

All in all, a pretty grand day, and a good place to visit while on break.

Hungry for more aquariums?
You can check out our review on the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk, Connecticut right here, and Jenkinson’s Aquarium here (just an fyi, Jenkinson’s is still currently closed while they continue to repair and restore from Hurricane Sandy damage).
If you’re looking for something else in the area to keep the kids busy during the holiday break, check out Liberty Science Center’s 12 Days of Science – there’s truly something for everyone.

Adventure Aquarium
1 Riverside Drive
Camden, NJ 08103
856.365.3300

You can follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

*Apologies for the pictures being a tad smaller than usual. Playing around with a new app that I love, and figured out the sizing after I downloaded all these.

Pin It

Print Friendly, PDF & EmailPRINT

Posted In: Narrative · Tagged: 12 Days of Science, Adventure Aquarium, Jenkinson's Aquarium, Liberty Science Center, Norwalk Maritime Aquarium

Comments

  1. Joanne says

    December 27, 2012 at 7:19 am

    I would never have thought Camden had anything worth visiting, but you’ve proven me wrong!
    Joanne recently posted..Recipe: Broccolini with Tofu, Sesame and Coriander

    Reply
  2. patsy says

    December 27, 2012 at 9:48 am

    We visited that aquarium a couple of years ago when my nephew was visiting! Great place, and we found that if you started in the right spot (zone A) it worked better… we did the same thing as you, I think, and started at the end!
    patsy recently posted..Are You Ready for 2013?

    Reply
  3. paula says

    December 27, 2012 at 10:08 am

    I had a friend who worked with the seals at that aquarium, many, many years ago so we went to the aquarium to see her (I only lived across the river in Philly at the time). I got to pet a seal! I don’t remember much else about that visit except that I really wanted a lobster beanie baby from the gift shop, although at that time no one had heard of ‘beanie babies’ – the craze took off after that.
    paula recently posted..This blog is not dead. It’s just in a coma.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

CommentLuv badgeShow more posts

Storytelling…
Through photos.
Words. And recipes.

Archives

Categories

Instagram

#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛

Pinterest

#flowertherapy might be right up there with #water #flowertherapy might be right up there with #watertherapy.  Love passing the time in secret wildflower patches. As you do. 🌸
I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon I remarked how pretty that tiny sliver of the moon was on the way home tonight, and my friend pulled over right away so I could grab a photo. That’s when someone really knows you! It was just too beautiful to resist. 🌙
Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ C Weekend photos in review, old school style. ✨ 
Context: 1/ picture perfect weekend, 2/ threw together a quick meal w udon noodles, steak and broccoli, so good, 3/ the sun reflections on this painting struck me today, looked like a cross 4/ it takes all afternoon but nothing like Sunday Gravy, 5/ six months old, 6/ when he wants some serious zzzz’s, he covers his eye with his ears, the cutest, 7/ breakfast pastries at @coniglios
I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New I have plenty of reusable shopping bags since New Jersey banned the plastic ones last year. But when I spied this beauty for a buck, how could I resist? It just is so darn happy, which makes me happy. The little things aren’t so little. 💛
Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged Cheers to the weekend! This may look like a staged photo, but Lola just has ZERO boundaries and Clifford is exceptionally patient. 😂
I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s I’ve been on a smoked salmon kick lately (it’s so good for you), so when I saw that a local patisserie has a smoked salmon croissant available (weekends only), I added it to my list of things to seek out. I popped into @chocolatinenj early on Mother’s Day and was rewarded with this deliciousness. Layers of soft flaky croissant dough, tender smoked salmon, light whipped cream, thinly sliced red and green onion slivers and dotted with capers… it was every bit as amazing as you’d imagine it would be. If you’re local, don’t sleep on this one. 😋
Weekend photos in review, the belated edition. 1/ Weekend photos in review, the belated edition.

1/ hit up a few yard sales and snagged this beautiful pasta dish from Italy with my favorite color for a buck, 2/ and one of these printer trays came home with me too, 3/ pre Mother’s Day celebrations with 30 local moms, 4/ finished the weekend supervising furniture assembly
Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd bir Today would have been my friend Cathy’s 53rd birthday. Unfortunately she’s not here to celebrate because she died suddenly at age 49. I think of her often … every Mother’s Day because we spent most of them together since her husband worked weekends … when I discover a new food adventure (we once did a day long donut crawl) … when I’m sharing a special time with my kids knowing that her then-11 year old is growing up without her. Before she passed, I always appreciated every day, but since then, even more so. You never know what the next day can bring, so relish in the sunshine, surprise rainstorms, making wishes over railroad tracks and all the wonderful randomness life can throw your way. Don’t waste a single second, say yes, live on the outskirts of your comfort zone, laugh often, tell people you love them, give eight second hugs, and squeeze every ounce of joy you can out of life. Do it for the people who can’t. ✨

Copyright © 2023 Sweetnicks · Theme by Vicki Harrison Design