Our first stop of the beach trip was at the NC Aquarium on Manteo. My plan worked well--the kids had napped in the van and we arrived at the aquarium around 2:30. We couldn't check into our hotel until 4pm and the sun was still too hot for us fair-skinned northerners to brave the beach anyway, so we explored the aquarium.
The kids loved the touch tanks, where you could feel manta rays, sea urchins, crabs, and more.
The Jelly Fish room was really psychedelic, too!
We all had a lot of fun viewing the sharks and fish in the large tank.
A mirror along one wall next to the tank led to this cool effect, captured by expert cameraman, Zac.
The floor had an interactive projector where the kids could make splashes by stomping the floor.
Lion fish!
Alligators or crocodiles?
And that was the last we ever saw of Alice.
After the aquarium, we headed to our hotel.
