Virginia Aquarium’s Membership Madness, full of perks and discounts happening this month

InterviewByYiorgo

We in the Hampton Roads area are so fortunate to have the Virginia Aquarium andMarineScienceCenter,thejewelofthe sealocatedhereinVirginiaBeach,Virginia. There is so much to see and do there that theonlywaytoexperienceitallistobecome amember,comeasoftenasyoulikeandtake itallin,onedayatatime

Thereisthe70,000USgallonChesapeake Light Tower Aquarium that replicates the underwater environment of about 15 miles off the coast of Virginia and is the home to the green sea turtle, loggerhead and many fish One can also find the Norfolk Canyon Aquarium, that replicates the underwater environmentofasthenamesays,theNorfolk Canyon,thatisabout70milesoffthecoastof Virginiaandhometothesandbar,nurseand sandtigersharkaswellasmanyfish.

Thesearejustasmallfractionofthetreasure that is the Virginia Aquarium As for me I along with my eight year old grandson Johnny, we love the Virginia Aquarium and are there most of the week, every week. There is just so much to see and do Allofthestaffattheaquariumaretopnotch, veryknowledgeable,verylovingandgiving, and because they see Johnny there almost everyday,helpingout,“volunteering”atthe photos inthegiftshop atthevirtualreality andmore,theyhave“adopted”himasoneof theirown.Johnny’sconfidence,willingness tohelpouteverywhereandleadershipskills havebeennurturedbythecaringstaffthere. For so many reasons, I can not recommend theaquariumandthestaffhighlyenough.

Formuchmoreinfo,becomingamember, tickets and more, go to https://www.virginiaaquarium.com/

Theaquariumshouldbeoneveryone’sgo todestinationandthemonthofMarchisthe perfect time to become a member or renew amembership Heretotellus allaboutwhy people should join is Madeline Bishop, Membership Coordinator at the Virginia AquariumandMarineScienceCenter

Yiorgo:WhatisMemberMadnessatthe Aquarium and why should visitors join or renew their membership? What are some oftheperks?

Madeline Bishop: It is a special time of the year when we at the Virginia Aquarium provideanextratwomonthsfreeforanyone who renews or purchases a new membership Other perks for joining in March are: that you can bring in an extra friend in for free, get an additional 10% off at the Aquarium store, get an extra $10 of the admission at the Adventure Park and photogenic is running15%offtheirpackages.

And to clarify, our existing members can also bring in an extra friend for free and we offer a 10% military discount on membershipforthosewhoserveourcountry

Y:Forsomeonecominginforthefirsttime and the only thing they know is that it is an aquarium and it has to do with sea life, can youdescribewhat theywill seeandexperienceoncetheyarethere?

MB: First I recommend that they get their ticket online and our staff will gladly help Upon arriving at the Aquarium, the first thing they will see, located outside, are theseals.Theyareamazingcreatures,playful and full of life Their names are Hector, Rudder, Monty and Javier I love them so much I try to make a point and hang out with them. It’s funny seeing them growing up together interacting with guests and I likethepeoplewatchingaspectofit Youcan really see the impact they have on people watchingthem.

Once inside the main lobby, we have admissionsinthecenter,toonesidearethe VirtualPodswithavarietyofvirtualundersea adventures. Looking down the hallway from there we see the changing exhibit which is now Steampunk We have a cafeteria and next to it are classrooms and the naturetrail.Ontheothersideisthegiftshop and across from admissions they enter and get the full experience of our wonderful aquariumexperience

Y:Thereissomuchforvisitors/members toseeanddo Whataresomeoftheexhibits at the aquarium that you want to highlight here?Doyouhaveanypersonalfavorites?

MB: As a member my favorite is sitting in front of the sea turtle exhibit, and seeing Greenie the green sea turtle Just sitting there is such a majestic experience I also enjoy taking a stroll on the nature trail, hanging out with the seals outside or even goingoutonaboattrip Wehaveachanging exhibit every few and right now it’s Steampunk,whichIenjoyverymuch.Thesensory friendlymorningsarealsooneofmyparticularfavoriteevents

Y:Canyouexpandonthat?

MB:Sensoryfriendlymorningsarefreeto members It’s every second Saturday from 7:30AM-9:00AM.Wedonotdoanyloading and we adjust the lighting during that time. It really is a great experience to be able to enjoythatmorequiet,peacefultime.

Y:MygrandsonJohnny andIloveeverythingattheaquariumandlatelywearereally enjoying the stingray exhibit that recently openedup MB: Yes indeed. They are so much fun Theybringoutyourinnerchild.Youareable to interact and touch them and the stingrays can and do splash people. Now that’s an interactive experience They are funny towatchandtheyallhavepersonalitiesthat sometimescomewithasplash.

For those not as fortunate as Johnny to comehereandseeourexhibits,wealsohave our outreach programs that are part of our educational programs We do outreach as well as virtual, so for those that can’t come in to experience the aquarium, we bring it toyou.

Y: Can you tell us about the Adventure Park?

MB: It is a separate entity from us but it isonourgroundsandwearepartnerswith them. They have a great program for five years and older to go out on their courses and it goes all the way up to experienced adults It is basically an obstacle course with trees, climbing and ziplining. They are open year round but hours and dates change seasonally Youalsohavebehindthescenestours Can youtellusaboutthem?

MB:Forthosethatwanttogetevencloser views,thenthebehindthescenetoursisthe waytogo Rightnowweofferfourdifferent ones. You must be eight years old and over 48 inches tall because we are going behind the scenes, on some catwalks so we want to be very safe We have the Komodo Dragons Tour,theSharkTour,wehavetheseaturtles andwehavetheHowthingsWorktours

There is an extra fee to participate and members get a discount. You do have to register show up at a designated time and thereisalimitofhowmanycanattend You donotneedtobeamembertodothesetours. It is well worth the price for the opportunity to see behind the scenes, up close and personal.

Y:Canyoutellusabouttheboatrides?

MB: Our whale watching boat trips have justconcludedfortheseasonbutthedolphin discovery boat trips will start this Saturday March 18th. We have two different boats that go out dolphin watching: the Atlantic Explorer that goes out first and the AtlanticScoutthatstartsApril29th TheAtlantic Scout only runs through the summer It is justfordolphinsanditismoreofanimmersiveexperienceandmustbesixandolderto enjoythatandbeabletomaneuverstairsto get up But you are lower to the water, you gettoyourlocationquickerthantheAtlantic Explorersothereissomethingforeveryone toenjoy.

Y:WhatistheStrandingResponseTeam?

MB: Thank God for our Stranding Response Team. As the name states, they respond to any marine mammals that peoplefindstranded.Wehaveahotlineand respondtoallcoastalVirginia.Justrecently, we actually had three whales that were beachedandwewereabletosavethem.

Yiorgo is an arts, entertainment and sports writer A stage, TV and movie actor, he is also a sports entertainer, educator, motivational speaker, writer, storyteller and columnist