If you are looking for something to do with your family this holiday season, what about a visit to the Vancouver Aquarium? I have a membership so that my family can go there any time. I especially love visiting this time of year thanks to the extra decorations around the aquarium. There is plenty to do while there, I mean as soon as you head in you can wander your way through an Arctic Maze before going through the main doors.
Some of the things you can look forward to seeing while there this holiday season are:
The Polar Express: A multi-sensory 4-D theatre experience
Travel on the Polar Express through mountains and hilltops to snow-covered plains, all while on the beloved holiday train to the North Pole. Prepare to be wowed as this favourite festive film engages your senses through scent, sight, sound and touch.
Holiday Decorations
The Vancouver Aquarium has a unique holiday tree, its shimmering lights are sparked on by the resident electric eel. An iridescent lightshow awaits in the Pacific Canada gallery where a Jelly Swarm of LED-lit origami jellies float from above while their glowing projections dance all around you. Plus you can control which jellies light up.
Scuba Claus is Diving in Canada’s Arctic
As you wander through the festivities that have been inspired by the Arctic and North Pole, keep an eye out for one very special diver. You might recognize him he wears a red suit that is trimmed in white. Scuba Claus is a wonderful surprise, and a delight to visitors – naughty and nice –spreading holiday cheer throughout the galleries. Just keep a firm grip on any Christmas cookies you may bring into the viewing area or Scuba Claus may try to get a hold of one for himself.
Scuba Claus is diving daily until December 24, with all other holiday displays at the Vancouver Aquarium continuing until January 3, 2016. Vancouver Aquarium is open 365 days a year, including statutory holidays. For more information, and dive schedules, please visit vanaqua.org.
Debris Tree
Tofino-based artist Pete Clarkson returns to Vancouver Aquarium to build a holiday marine debris tree. The towering tree is an impressive example of how trash can become treasure. Clarkson collects each item from nearby shorelines to create his art, resulting in a beautiful display that also reminds us to help keep our shorelines free of litter, which continues to harm marine mammals and damage our ocean ecosystems.
You may also find some ice bergs located in the same area that make for a great photo opportunity with your kids.
The Vancouver Aquarium has some great stocking stuffer options, and also gift ideas. One that I highly recommend if you have anyone you know who is an animal lover are the Aquadopt Kits. My husband noticed them recently on one of our visits and we decided to let our oldest daughter pick one to bring home with her. She picked the harbour seal.
The shiny, bobbing heads of harbour seals are often seen in B.C. waters. While their population is now healthy, seals are prey for orcas and some shark species and they must be on the lookout for humans. The Vancouver Aquarium’s Marine Mammal Rescue Centre helps to keep this population stable. Each year, more than 100 seal pups are rescued by and rehabilitated at the Rescue Centre, then released when they are healthy and strong.
An Aquadopt Kit is a unique gift that supports the care of the animals at the Vancouver Aquarium, as well as a wide array of conservation, research and education initiatives to conserve aquatic life.
Aquadopt Kits cost $55 (plus shipping) and include:
8” plush Harbour Seal
Certificate of Adoption
Harbour Seal Fact Booklet
Harbour Seal Collector Card
$40 Charitable Tax Receipt**
The Vancouver Aquarium has very kindly provided a harbour seal Aquadopt kit for one Canadian reader of Discovering Parenthood to win. **The Charitable Tax Receipt will not be included as this is a giveaway. However all Aquadopt Kits that are purchased do come with a $40 tax receipt. Simply enter via Rafflecopter below, good luck everyone!
Looks like a super fun family outing!
It’s gotta be the penguins, they are just so adorable!
My faves are the otters and the seals! When I was working there, I used to go in early so I could watch the seals in the back area before I had to start work.
We love the aquarium! Our favourites are the jelly fish and the turtle and shark tank! The jellies are so amazing to watch! And my son loves the Sharks and turtle!
I can never get enough of the sea otters 🙂 and I love the belugas so much!
The Jelly Fish! Thanks so much for the chance 🙂
We love the sea otters!
I personally go for the sharks but the beluga’s are pretty cool too!
Love going to the aquarium!
We were just there a few weeks ago, while visiting from Victoria and I’d never seen a Beluga in person and they are so beautiful, so I’d say the Beluga!
Funnily enough, my favorite animal at the Aquarium isn’t aquatic. It’s the sloth in the rainforest section. Is that still there?
Penguins, but of course! They are just so loveable1!
I love love love the Aquarium, my little guy loves watching all the animals in the underground viewing areas 🙂
Sea otters! They are just so cute and look like they have so much fun. Love the jellyfish area too.
We love visiting the Vancouver Aquarium! …quite different from the days of my childhood.
I’m always intrigued by the big creepy fish when you enter the Amazon exhibit!
Love the cute otters
I love the sea otter because they are so cute and just love floating on their backs all day.
I adore the sea otters and the belugas. Looks like you guys had so much fun! I can’t wait to take the kids to see Scuba Claus!
We love the beluga whales.
I love the penguins because they are so cute.
My favourite is the sea otters! They are super cute. I love how they hold hands when they sleep.
I love the seals, they are just so fun to watch, and cute too!
Definitely the seals..or the penguins..I’m torn!
I love the Belugas because they are so big and unlike anything we ever see! The dolphins are amazing too!
We like the sea otters, especially when they are holding hands and floating together.
Love the belugas xo
The sea turtle is my fav!!!
Jellyfish, there’s something so unique about them.
Oh cool! I haven’t been there during Christmas time. Love that they decorate!
The penguins! They’ve got a special meaning in our family (an inside joke started by hubby & I years ago that’s carried on) and we took Ari to see them for the first time this year. The Vancouver Aquarium is fantastic. Thanks for sharing such a great post. 🙂
I love watching the otters and the Dolphins.
We have a membership as well and make such good use of it. One of our favourite family activities. And that harbour seal kit would be such an incredible present for a LO!
Oh and my favourite has to be the jelly fish. Especially taking selfies in front of them lol!!
The belugas, are they still there?
The 4D theater experience should be fun and education for the kids.
the jellyfish!
I love going to Aquariums. Wish there were some much closer to where I live. Looks like an amazing time you had. Awesome that Santa was there too and in a much more unconventional way I might add -lol-
We are heading there next year and we can’t wait. I hope our little one will enjoy it as much as we will.
I used to work here when I was going to school. It’s now one of my favourite places to take the kids.