RIPLEY'S AQUARIUM CANADA EXPERIENCE

We took a trip to Ripley's Aquarium Canada and it was so worth the visit. At first I thought it would be a pain to get there since there would be a lot of people on the street and I had an umbrella stroller. Also, there's major renovation happening at Union Station so I mentally braced myself for all the commotion. I'm used to driving everywhere so I was overthinking the trip.

Getting there with an umbrella stroller was the easiest thing. It turns out I could by pass the street traffic and get there hassle free. How you ask? I got there via the Skywalk. You enter through Union station and cross over all the way to Ripley's. Also, it's the same access route to Toronto Convention Centre, CN Tower and Roger's Centre.

Getting there was so easy! As soon as we got there we were welcomed by images of familiar sea creatures that led the way to our destination. As soon as we got there I was impressed. The accessibility doors worked. Since I've become a mom my biggest pet peeve is establishments with non functioning accessibility doors. I don't feel bad for myself as much as I do for people in wheelchairs.

We arrived and the staff were so friendly and helpful. I loved that we could also check our stroller for a three dollar fee. Pretty reasonable right? It's roughly thirty seven dollars to get in and free for little ones under two. The best part is that it's an immersive experience. You and your little one are engaged the whole time.

I only had an idea about visiting aquariums from movies. Usually, the aquarium cracks and the sealife comes pouring out. That obviously didn't happen but this is what movies imprinted in my mind, a giant shark hitting the glass and attacking visitors. Look at those Megalodon teeth!

Instead it was surprisingly a relaxing atmosphere. People could go up and look closely at the sea animals. You could touch stingrays but we only discovered this en route to pick up our photos. We got to take photos in front of a green screen. You can purchase these later if you choose. We got a keychain magnet and two photos for about thirty dollars. They'll make a great keepsakes for memories.

It was great that they had a mini play area for kids where they could pretend they were operating boats and submarines. There was also a cool little crawl space designed for kids to go through. Luckily, it was spacious enough for parents to fit so they could accompany their minis.

Considering I went with a toddler, a two year old at that, it was such a peaceful and enjoyable experience. 

I would recommend this place for anyone with toddlers. School age kids would naturally enjoy this as well. The only thing I didn't enjoy was the gift shop prices. The gift shop is conveniently the only way to exit. But what else is new with tourists attractions? Nonetheless it was so worth it.