Newquay Aquarium: Our Best Day Out

On Saturday we visited Newquay Aquarium as part of MoneySupermarkets Family Days Out and we had SUCH a great time!

The Blue Reef aquarium is really easy to find as its just opposite the beach (which is the most beautiful view to me) and stands out with all it's colourful, welcoming flags at its entrance.

We handed over our tickets and entered the Aquarium with 2 very excited little toddlers! As its Midges birthday next week we thought this would be a lovely pre treat for her and actually for Little Man who is 2 in February. We were really lucky because just as we arrived, there was a talk being given to some younger children about crabs and lobsters. We were lucky enough to see the crab up close and personal and we even touched the lobster (very soft, it fidgets a lot when touched but actually I found him very cute and have vowed to never eat one!)



It was amazing to see this creature up close. The guide answered any questions we had and was brilliant with my two little ones, encouraging Midge to feel the lobster and teaching her briefly about the large pincers this mighty crab carries around with him!

We travelled around the lower part of the aquarium constantly stopping to admire the beautiful array of fish. The aquarium has recently introduced a new underwater feature called 'Weird and Wonderful.' Let me tell you, these creatures were definitely weird!
The children really were captivated by all the fish, sting rays, sharks and even the crocodiles...Check this guy out!

The tour guide came around and informed us there would be a turtle feeding shortly which we were excited about. This actually impressed me because so many times I go to attractions and miss out on the really special treats so I was grateful he came and told us as about it.

The turtle feeding didnt disappoint. The children loved sitting by the rails where you could see right into the biggest tank there which holds all the Sting Rays, Sharks, a wide variety of beautiful (and funny looking) fish as well as the huge but wonderful turtle!

The guide gave us a 20 minute speech about the turtle (he was rescued after being hit by a boat and is also completely blind) then he spoke in a child friendly way about how to help the turtles, the environment and other sealife by picking up rubbish on the beach, walking to school and he spoke about what you should do should you find a turtle who looks injured or lost. I thought it was fantastic how he addressed the children and made it fun!

There really is so much to see at the Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay. It's a small aquarium compared to others, but we easily went around twice to get a good look at all the amazing creatures. My personal favourite were the Big Bellied Seahorses (pictured above).

All the staff were friendly and there were many learning points like the ones below where you could learn facts about the sealife at this centre.


Finally, we finished our trip by visiting the gift shop! Such a large selection to choose from for Midge! I left with my postcards and the children had a teddy each. The aquarium has a really reasonably priced cafe which, like the rest of the establishment, is completely child (buggy!) friendly. Bonus!


We all had an amazing day out, on a budget too (be sure to check the booking online options which are always cheaper!) and learnt so much. We can't wait to visit again in the summer!

CupcakeMumma

*I was sent one, free ticket by MoneySupermarket*

2 comments:

  1. Sounds like a lovely day out! The turtle feeding sounded brilliant.

    I've never been to Newquay which is silly as we usually live pretty close by in Devon (We're temporarily staying with family however up North!) - must make an effort to go there in the summer! :)

    Hayley
    http://sparklesandstretchmarks.blogspot.co.uk/
    xxx

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    1. You should definitely go when you get the chance! It's not massive but I think that's ok especially for children who can only take so much stimulation in one day!
      Thanks for commenting x

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