Making a splash!

Sometimes Addie and I go to Petco to see fish. You may think that’s kind of  a pathetic day-trip, but the tanks are well cared for and it’s free. Recently, however, just 20 minutes of fish watching has not been enough. Addie wants to see more, and touch the tanks. It’s adorable to see her love for sea life growing before my eyes, but the employees of our local pet shop are not thrilled at the perspective of slimy baby hands on the front of their tanks.

This is what brought me to the Biomes page on Facebook. After liking the page and following all their posts for weeks, I asked a few of my girls if they wanted to take a trip with me to check it out! On a cold day earlier this week, we bundled our babies up and headed to the North Kingstown gem!

A location with easy access, Biomes is situated on the busy Post Road. There was plenty of parking and it’s all close to the door- perfect for this rainy day! We went in and were greeted at the desk, located to the left. Once introduced, we began our 2 1/2 hours to the right of the building- with Darwin, the tortoise. He is in a low, wooden tank- perfect for kids to pet his shell or just peer over the edge to see him. He’s pretty cool- for us old people, too 🙂

We moved on to some awesome tanks, including sea horses… which are my favorite!

The venue is small, and one-level, and the scenery is simple and casual. There are no fancy signs or digital displays- just beautiful sea life and lots of it! As we walked through to each tank, Addie began to get hungry.  As she was sitting looking at a tank, she pulled her bottle from my hands and laid back into me. I let her lay down and drink… no one seemed to mind. It can be so hard to hold a growing, curious baby- I was so glad that no one gave us heat for this… plus, she was really cute! The scenery around her actually helped her finish faster than usual!

When she was done, we headed over to one of the many hands-on tanks. Addie loved reaching in the water and got to touch (briefly) a shark! Above,  she is attempting to get her hands on a horseshoe crab. There was even a tank of baby horseshoe crabs- so cute!

There were a lot of larger tanks for the kids to look into, and they are perfect for smaller and taller kids- makes the trip worth it for families of all ages and size.

I was shocked when I looked down at my watch and realized that we had been there for 2 hours! When we walked in the place seemed so small, but there is truly so much to see, it’s easy to get lost (mentally) in all the tanks and even in watching the wonderment of your children as they observe a whole other world.

Before we went to leave, my ladies and I noticed a white picket fence area full of toys (mostly ocean-theme) for kids to play with! Excitedly, we walked towards the space, filled with options for younger and older kids. I scooped up Addie and went to change her diaper before we got down to play. I have to mention this, because it’s not common for me to find… The facilities were CLEAN- not just acceptable, but clean. The changing table is new and they have disposable liners to put down underneath your wiggly one while you freshen his or her bum. And then, we got down to play! Our babes seemed more interested in playing and drooling on tanks, so we didn’t go to story/craft time, but I suggest you check out THIS page to learn more about them- both of which are held in this same play space!

Biomes is an AWESOME place for us to all meet up and have a fun afternoon out of the cold and rain. The babies loved it AND their admission was free (kids and adults over 3 are $9). There is a family membership for just $100 a year, which I think would be awesome to have (gift idea for those of you that shop for Christmas in July!). Their hours are Sunday 10am to 5pm and Monday-Friday noon to 5pm. It’s a perfect place for parents to meet up and let the kids enjoy learning in a hands-on environment and an open space (can’t get lost here!). I cannot wait (or can I?) to have one of Addie’s birthdays here– they offer them on weekends!

When we parted ways, my ladies all said their goodbyes and our little ones did, too. As we turned to leave (close to closing), we saw one of the fish being fed (it was being fed other, smaller fish). It was awesome! I cannot suggest this place more for all your afternoon blues- when you need to get out, but don’t want to do the “usual”, or on rainy days. I could have spent more time here, but the 2 1/2 hours we had were perfect!

*I was given free passes in exchange for a blog review. All opinions are my own and are not influenced by outside sources.