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Our summer is not complete without a visit to our local aquarium in Long Beach. Home to 11,000 animals, we can spend hours at the Aquarium of the Pacific just pausing at each exhibit reading, learning, and observing. We all have our favorites, and I think mine is the underwater viewing tunnel, leafy sea dragons, and jellyfish. My boys love shark and all the beautiful colorful fish. We were just there this week, and although they have construction going on, the exhibits are unaffected and open for business. New exhibits include frogs and amphibians, archerfish, and interactive exhibits about California’s coastline. As one of our favorite attractions, we are sending one lucky LET’S PLAY OC! reader to the aquarium with four tickets! Enter below for a chance to win!
New Exhibits
“FROGS: Dazzling and Disappearing”
Located inside the Tropical Pacific gallery, the “FROGS: Dazzling and Disappearing” exhibit features about two dozen species of frogs and their amphibian relatives in thematic displays. Learn about the aquatic and terrestrial lives of amphibians – why they are vanishing, and what can be done to help. New displays, educational graphics, interactive exhibits, and a special lecture series will highlight the beauty of and threats to these remarkable animals. Amphibians are disappearing faster than other endangered animals. On top of threats posed by habitat destruction, invasive species, climate change, and drought, a fungal disease has caused the catastrophic decline of at least 200 amphibian species. In some places they are disappearing faster than they are being discovered. The exhibition will trace the history of amphibians, their life cycles, the different environments they live in, the diversity of species, and their surprisingly uncertain future. FROGS will be open from May 26, 2017, through March 31, 2018, and will be located inside the Tropical Pacific gallery.
Archerfish
Travel to tropical brackish and fresh waters in Asia and Australia to meet fish that “shoot”—banded archerfish. No bow and arrow is needed to hunt for food, because Archerfish shoot water out of their mouths with a powerful blast to hunt insects near the surface of the water. Find out more about this fascinating adaptation as they explore the new archerfish focus exhibit on the outdoor Harbor Terrace (slated to be a permanent exhibit). The mangrove habitat of the archerfish is among the most threatened habitats in the world by human development and climate change. The habitat of banded archerfish includes mangrove forest estuaries, and they can be found up rivers and streams. Mangrove forests also provide important protection from storms and waves that reach populated coastlines. You can make a difference by supporting sustainable development and actions that reduce carbon footprints.
“Our Water Future” Exhibit
Formerly “Our Watersheds: Pathway to the Pacific” exhibit, the area has been renovated and transformed into the new “Our Water Future” exhibit with interactive exhibits, digital displays, and a monarch butterfly garden. Understand where our water comes from and what conservation issues we face with our water supply now and in the future. Find out what we can do to conserve water and which actions are most effective. The exhibit redesign is funded by a grant from the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy (RMC).
Pacific Visions
The Aquarium of the Pacific is under renovation, and they have posted renderings of what it will look like upon completion. It is going to be amazing! The Pacific Visions wing expansion, designed by San Francisco-based architecture and design firm EHDD, will include a state-of-the-art interactive theater, a larger changing exhibit gallery with live animals, and an art gallery. When the Pacific Visions expansion is complete, the Aquarium will have the capacity to serve 2 million visitors annually. Pacific Visions construction is taking place on the Aquarium’s existing front lawn and will not impact the current guest experience.
Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802 (562) 590-3100 www.aquariumofpacific.org General admission: $29.95 adult (12+), $17.95$26.95 $26.95 senior (62+), $17.95 child (3-11), and free for children under age 3 and Aquarium members. Aquarium visitors get $8 parking with validation.
One LET’S PLAY OC! reader will win this prize. Please enter below for a chance to win!
US Residents Only. No purchase necessary to enter. All readers have an equal chance to win, however, you must enter to win. A winner will be randomly selected via RaffleCopter and notified via email. I will attempt to contact the winner for 3 days. If the winner cannot be reached by email, a new winner will be selected the same way. There are several different ways to earn entries. One prize per household. The winner will receive, free of charge, the prize mentioned above. This prize has no cash value and is not available for exchanges. Prizes are not transferable or refundable and must be accepted as awarded. The winner is responsible for any and all other costs and expenses not listed above. Not liable for unclaimed prizes or fulfillment.
