National Sea Life Centre: 20 year anniversary
We are huge fans of the National Sea Life Centre and we are blogger ambassadors for them in 2016. We tend to head up to Birmingham for a day out at the Sea Life Centre once every couple of months, and we spent a lovely day there a couple of weeks ago.
20 years of the National Sea Life Centre
This year marks 20 years of the National Sea Life Centre, and this Tuesday (5th July) will be their 20th anniversary. The first 100 people to visit that day will be charged the original entry price of just £5.95. They will also receive a limited edition badge. And if you happen to have been born on the same day the National Sea Life Centre opened its doors – 5th July 1996 – you can go in for free on Tuesday!
As well as celebrating on the day of the anniversary, the National Sea Life Centre have opened new attractions this year to mark the special occasion. The new Clownfish Kingdom has interactive tanks to let you get close to the cute little residents. This was a real highlight of our visit for Libby and Lia. I think anything interactive is great for getting children really interested in their environment.
The new ocean tunnel
The other new attraction is the 360 degree Ocean Tunnel. As well as seeing the marine life all around you, the floor of the tunnel is now see-through. This means that you can stand inside the tunnel and watch sharks swim underneath your feet. It’s pretty amazing and Lia stood like this for ages!
The other new feature at the National Sea Life Centre this year is the fact that they have launched a Behind the Scenes Tour, priced at just £3.50 per person. We haven’t managed to take the tour yet, but it’s definitely on our agenda for a future visit. This time, we really enjoyed watching the penguins being fed, and I’d love to learn a bit more how everything works behind the scenes.
Libby’s highlight of her trip to the National Sea Life Centre is always the 4D film. I find this a bit odd, as she can’t actually see in 3D, but she enjoys the film nonetheless. Lia loves seeing creatures close up, such as the jellyfish and the starfish. She’s never quite brave enough to stick her hand into the rock pool area yet though, she leaves that one to Libby and I.
This visit was the first time Libby has been old enough to want to get her dive log book stamped as we went around. Lia decided to complete one too, although I don’t think she quite took in the marine life facts that she was learning en route. Once they had completed their books, they both received a medal, which was a lovely way to end our visit.
