The front entrance of the aquarium. The long line of people - all waiting to get in! Since we had a stroller, we were able to bypass the long line and go through the handicapped/stroller entrance and avoid a long wait in the heat.
The Man and Fish Statue
There were long hallways and walls filled with tons of fish - from the Amazon, Australia, you name it!
There was a large waterfall at the beginning of the entrance to the kid's interactive area and dolphin viewing.
We walked UNDER the water!
And OVER the water!
I was a little nervous walking on top of the sting rays... what if we fell in?
Amaya working on a seashell puzzle.
Getting a hands on experience!
She even had a chance to drive a submarine!
And find a few hiding places!
Here are a few pictures from our favorite exhibits:
We grabbed a nice lunch and were able to enjoy our lunch with a spectacular view!
Our tickets included a 4D short movie version of "Happy Feet". 4D? Yup... it rained on us, we felt the bumps as the ship went over the waves, it snowed, and we felt bubbles! Amaya was a little afraid of the big waves crashing in on us, but Steve thought this was one of the best things of the trip!
Our tickets also included the dolphin show. Obviously, Amaya was pretty excited about seeing some dolphins!
Our pictures didn't turn out very well because we couldn't use a flash, but here a a few snapshots...
Amaya loved watching the show!
Amaya wanted to see the dolphins again, so we went back downstairs to the viewing room.
After several hours, it was nearing Amaya's nap time and Steve was able to get her to fall asleep. Since it was getting close to dinner time, we figured we head downtown to Water Tower Place and do a little shopping and then eat at The Cheesecake Factory. Here's a picture of the John Hancock Tower (the Cheesecake Factory is located in the basement).
Waiting for our table...
Goofing around in the booth...
Our meal was delicious and we even enjoyed some cheesecake. Jenn and Helen shared the Snicker's Cheesecake and Steve, Amaya, and I share the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cheesecake... YUMMY!We were asking Amaya if she was tired yet from a full day of activity (it was almost 9pm), and she said, "Yes!"
"Just kidding!"
Another great day... which activity did we like the best? Hmmm....