National Aquarium

Wednesday 9-30-09

Still at Inner Harbor East Marina.

Went to the National Aquarium today.  Took in the entire circuit--the aquarium, the dolphin show and the 4D Immersion Theater.

The dolphin show was pretty typical.

The aquarium had shark and stingray exhibits, jellyfish, Atlantic reef etc.

They also had some tropical rain forest exhibits.  It was an enjoyable tour until the hunderts of school buses showed up with hunderts of screaming elementary school children whose screams were only exceeded by the few adult chaperons accompanying them.

But the most unique experience was the 4D theater.  We had been to 3D theaters before, but never an "Immersion" theater. You really experience the happenings of the movie.  Thunder shakes your seat.  When the dolphin splashes or the whale breeches..................you get wet.  When the rats run loose on the floor, you feel them scurrying around through your feet.  When the snake strikes, you feel it hit your body.  (That one just about made me jump out of my seat.)  The underwater bubbles looked so real that I took off my 3D glasses to check..................they were real bubbles.  An interesting time.

Later, we ate at the Hard Rock Cafe.  Lots of memorabilia.  Like a mini trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Baltimore's Inner Harbor has several ships (in addition to the Constellation we toured yesterday.)  This Coast Guard ship was at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.