5 Tips for a More Enjoyable Trip to SeaLife

At the end of January, Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills opened a huge SeaLife with several big tanks of water full of 5,000 water creatures, and let me just tell you… it is AWESOME!!!! It is truly great for all ages. If you have kids that you are homeschooling or kids between 5-12, they have a lot of their information digitalized to engage the kids to discover and learn new things. There is also one tank that lets you touch starfish and other creatures.

My husband and I took our kids on a Friday morning and I want to give you some tips on how to make your trip easier and more enjoyable.

1. THIS IS A MUST! Trust me: Get your tickets online in advance.

First, you can save a couple of bucks per ticket if you buy the tickets online (who doesn’t like to save some money). However, don’t do it on the day you plan on going. Most likely there will be no tickets left. If you plan on going on a weekend, try to book it at least 5 days in advance, just to be safe.

Secondly, by booking online you are saving yourself a looooong wait in line there. We all know our kids only have a couple of hours where they are happy, lets not waste them in line. This is how the aquarium works: everyone with a season pass can just walk up to the registry and walk in without any issues. Next in priority are the ones that got their tickets online. Once that line clears of people who purchased their tickets online, the people who just walked up will get their turn, but the line with people who already purchased their tickets online constantly gets refilled. So you might have to wait 30+ minutes. Not fun with little kids!

2. Only bring a stroller if really necessary!

I am sure you have been to the zoo on beautiful days. As soon as you pull into the parking lot it seems to be stroller city….same here. Everyone has a stroller, but unlike the zoos wide paths, it is very narrow in some spots and such a pain to get around. So, do yourself and everyone else a favor, leave your stroller in the car if you can.

3. Do NOT go on the weekends.

We went on a Friday around 10/11 am. It was not even crazy busy, but just enough that at times we had to skip some highlights because there were too many people around. I can only imagine what going on the weekends would look like. If you can, go during the week. Even better, if you have older kids, go during lunch hour or when most little kids take naps (1-3pm). The crowd will be smaller.

4. Bring your camera.

It sounds like an obvious one, but there is so much to take awesome photos off. If you have a nice camera and no little kids and no stroller, bring it. Otherwise your cellphone will be just fine.

5. Bring your own snack.

At the end of the aquariums, they have a little snack area where you can sit and eat your own personal food while your kids have the chance to burn some more energy on a (it’s small but worth it) jungle gym.

On a side note: It is not cheap to go, however, in my eyes well worth the money. If you live close enough and have the time to go often, you should really think about getting the season pass.

Enjoy, it’s a great, fun and colorful place to go during this grey time of year.