California - SeaWorld

We had the pleasure of spending one of our vacation days at SeaWorld. I hadn't been there since 5th grade and Phil had never been there, so we were pretty excited, especially to see the boys' reactions. There was so much to see and do, we were all entertained for the entire 8 hours.

The boys' (including Phil) favorite exhibit was the Wild Arctic exhibit, where we saw beluga whales, polar bears, an enormous walrus and a real helicopter. The twins talked mostly about the helicopter for the rest of the trip. Our friends, Travis and Bonnie and two of their kids, joined us for the day at SeaWorld. Their son and the boys are watching the walrus swim by in this picture.

The park recently added a Sesame Street Bay of Play section. We rode on the kiddie rides and played in the splash park for a while with the boys there. It was a great place to take a break.

The penguin exhibit was also interesting to see. Outside they had an area with penguins from southern Argentina. We were able to sit and watch the penguins swim around right beneath us.

We watched two Commerson's Dolphins swim around in this tank while we waited for the Atlantis ride to open.

Bonnie and Travis took the boys to the Tide Pools while Phil and I rode the Rapids ride. The kids were able to dip their hands in the water and touch the star fish. Cool!

We watched the bat rays and even touched their slimy bodies as they swam past us.
Bonus: another family picture! I love it when we get these.

Overall, SeaWorld was a hit for the whole family. We also saw the Dolphin and Shamu shows. Next time I go, I will see BOTH Shamu shows. I was so captivated I couldn't even reach down and grab my camera. Loved it, loved it, loved it. This was a great day.