Here are upcoming events at the Tennessee Aquarium:
Tennessee Aquarium Keeper Kids 2011
Continues through April 8th
10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Age-appropriateness: Ages six and up
Admission fee: Adults $24.95, Children ages 3 to 12 $14.95
Spring break turns into a wild adventure at the Tennessee Aquarium when kids get a chance to get closer to some of the Aquarium’s most amazing animals and discover what it’s like to care for them. Explore behind the scenes, meet penguin experts, feed feisty otters, make enrichment toys for playful parrots or learn what it takes to properly wrangle reptiles. Kids, age six and older, may choose two of the 19 different activities offered throughout the day. Each program lasts approximately 15 to 20- minutes. Keeper Kids activities are free with Aquarium admission and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Phone and/or website: 1-800-262-0695 http://www.tnaqua.org/SpringBreak.aspx
Williams Island Family Adventure Cruises Aboard the River Gorge Explorer
Continues through April 8th
Daily at 12:30 p.m.
Age-appropriateness: all ages
Admission fee: $20/per person (age 3 and up), $18/per person under age 3
Zip downstream aboard the River Gorge Explorer on a new excursion that will add some excitement to your family’s spring break. The Williams Island Family Adventure Cruise takes passengers to “the Gateway to the Gorge.” During each 90-minute adventure, the young and young at heart will discover Native American and Civil War history, and gain insights into the wildlife that call this wooded island home. Time will be spent on each trip observing an osprey nest and heron rookery. Your naturalist guide helps locate other animals and leads an on-board scavenger hunt. These cruises will depart daily through April 8th from the Chattanooga Pier. Special Spring Break pricing will be offered for these cruises: $20/per person (age 3 and up), $18/per person under age 3.
Phone and/or website: 1-800-262-0695 http://www.tnaqua.org/RiverGorgeExplorer.aspx
Easter Weekend Bunny Encounters
April 6, 7, 8
11:30 a.m.-2:45 p.m.
Age-appropriateness: All ages
Free with Aquarium admission: Adults $24.95, Children ages 3 to 12 $14.95
Kids can visit Ranger Rick’s Backyard Safari at the Tennessee Aquarium Easter weekend for a special opportunity to meet, and touch, an American sable rabbit. Aquarium educators will introduce children to this adorable domestic rabbit species. They’ll discover that cute noses, beautiful eyes and soft ears are wonderful adaptations for sensing the natural world. These Easter weekend bunny encounters will be delivered Friday, Saturday and Sunday, April 6–8 in Ranger Rick’s Backyard Safari. Two sable programs will be offered each day at 11:30 a.m. and 2:45 p.m.
Phone and/or website: 1-800-262-0695 www.TennesseeAquarium.org
To The Arctic 3D premieres at the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3D Theater
April 20
Showtimes: Noon, 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.; additional showtimes, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m.
Admission fee: Adults $9.95, Children ages 3 to 12 $8.50
“To The Arctic 3D” takes you on a never before seen journey into the lives of a mother polar bear and her two seven-month old cubs as they navigate the changing Arctic wilderness they call home. Academy Award®-winner Meryl Streep narrates this heart-warming story of love and survival set within the sweeping vistas of immense glaciers and majestic snow-bound peaks. Other Arctic animals featured include caribou, walrus, seals and Arctic bird species.
Phone and/or website: 1-800-262-0695 http://www.tnaqua.org/IMAX.aspx
Tennessee Aquarium’s Party at the Peaks / New exhibit “River Giants” Opens
Saturday, April 28
10 a.m.–11 p.m.
Age-appropriateness: All Ages
Admission fee: Events on the Aquarium Plaza are free.
Celebrate the Tennessee Aquarium’s 20th Anniversary on Saturday, April 28, with the grand opening of the new “River Giants” exhibit. Come face to face with an awesome collection of freshwater fish that can reach almost legendary sizes. There will be music, River Market vendors and fun all day on the Aquarium Plaza.
From 7-9 p.m., the Party at the Peaks really kicks in with dance / party music by OGYA, Chattanooga’s first Night Market and a laser graffiti display on the River Journey building that’s best described as, “Light show meets street art meets Facebook.”
The River Journey After Party with National Geographic Explorer Zeb Hogan begins at 9 p.m. and lasts until 11 p.m. $20 after party ticket includes two drink tickets, music and behind-the-scenes peek of River Giants with staff.
Phone and/or website: 1-800-262-0695 http://www.tnaqua.org/Celebrate20/CelebrateWithUs.aspx