I’ve lived in California all my life, and I’ll say it is an uplifting place that will have a person smiling by the end of their time spent there. There are tons of places in California that can have a newcomer excited, just as there are many pleasures to be found by locals who’ve lived their entire lives there.
Most people would look at the larger monuments as a special adventure worthy of their attention; however, my time at the Aquarium of Pacific in Long Beach, California was the most exciting time I’ve ever spent in my life. If you enjoy learning new things, love sea animals, and just want to have an amazing experience with wonderful people, then I would definitely recommend this incredible aquarium as a must-see if you’re in the area. Many locals never even make their way down!
I went on a Saturday afternoon, and the workers were very polite and I was given a manual about the activities and a handbook with facts about each and every animal that lives there in one of the tanks.
Then, as I was walking to each tank and the guide was explaining about the animal inside, other visitors began to engage in a conversation with me about the animal, opening up the learning experience from the pages of a manual, to the excitement of genuine mutual interest and interaction. We began to share the knowledge of what we were learning and how we can discover more. How cool is that?!
Another exciting part of the experience is being able to see divers go on a swim with the animals. You can watch them with whales and even sharks. I was so excited and scared to see the divers with the sharks, as we all know just how ‘friendly’ they seem to outsiders. I was hooked because seeing the animals and humans interact with one another was amazing.
After a couple of hours, I went off to look for then number one thing that everyone person has to do while having a very long day, and that is eating. The food that surrounds the aquarium is delicious. You can get burgers, hot dogs, nachos, pizza, pasta, or something healthy if that’s your style. Just as long as you don’t eat the fish!
Contributed by Tyler Dickerson
