My Visit to Captain NEO’s Hauntaquarium

Today I’m going to the Aquarium. I will see animals from lakes, rivers, oceans and tropical forests.

There will be fish, turtles, lizards, birds and invertebrates.

Here are just some of the animals I might see. Aren’t they interesting?

It’s also a not-so-scary Halloween party. There will be other people there. Out of all the people, I should make sure to find Captain NEO. He can be really fun to talk to, and he leads dance parties!

You might also see his friend, Finn. Finn is our mascot. Finn is friendly and fuzzy shark.

Everyone will probably be dressed up in costumes that make them look different.

The Aquarium is inside of the historic Powerhouse building. The smokestacks on top are really cool. Someone in my family will show our tickets at the parking lot. I will stay close to them as we walk past the parked cars to the building.

When I first walk in, there could be a really tall pirate on stilts. I can say hello, dance with them or just walk by.

The Aquarium is on the bottom level of the building. I can take the stairs or the elevator to get down there.

This is the main entrance of the Aquarium. I will wait in line with our group to get our tickets. We’ll also get a map so we know where we are going.

While in the Aquarium, I will try to stay close to the people I know. If I get lost from my group or need help, I should stay calm and ask an Aquarium team member for help. They usually wear blue uniforms, but for this Halloween event, they’ll be in costume too. They will be wearing lanyards with name badges, and they have radios, so I should look for those to know they’re staff.

There will be Halloween decorations all around the Aquarium, such as pumpkins and skeletons. They’re not scary. They are all just pretend.

The first gallery I’ll go through has animals found in Ohio. Even though the top of the exhibit is open, I shouldn’t put my hands in there.

There will be treat stations around the Aquarium, where I can walk up and receive a treat from a volunteer. If I can’t have candy, there will be a sticker, trading card or something else I can have.

The Aquarium can be dark and crowded at different areas, but if I keep moving I’ll get to a brighter spot. Seeing the animals is fun!

In the Coastal Boardwalk Gallery, I am able to touch some animals, but I don’t have to if I don’t feel like it.

Stingray barbs are trimmed so they cannot sting. I should use 2 fingers and only go to my wrist in the water. I can gently touch their backs and wings, to see how they feel. But I don’t have to touch if I don’t want to. I can ask my adult to help me touch gently.

The invertebrates are very small and fragile animals. I will use 2 fingers and touch extra gentle. I won’t pick up or grab any creatures, but I can touch sea stars and urchins here.

Sometimes, the SCUBA divers are in the water. They’ll wave and give high-fives, and they’ll be dressed up in costumes too! I don’t need to worry about them. They are trained and they dive in the water many times every single day.

In the Shark gallery, there is a Seatube I can walk through to feel like I’m under water. It can be neat to see sharks swimming overhead. But I don’t have to walk through if I don’t want to.

The exit of the Aquarium is through the gift shop. Some people buy things in the store, but we don’t have to.

When I’m all done looking at the animals, the 2nd floor has a lot more activities I can do.

I can take the stairs or the elevator to get there.

In the Imagiquarium room on the second floor to the right, I can play and there are more animals to touch. I can also skip this room if it’s

too crowded.

If I ever need a break, I can go to the back of the Nautica Café and relax with some quiet time.

To get there, I walk into the Café and take a left.

In the Riverview room, there will be more fun activities to do. It’s all the way down the hallway to the left on the 2nd floor.

There will be a face painter.

There will be a magician.

I can make slime . . .

. . . or I can dance if I want to.

Knowing what to expect when I visit Hauntaquarium will help me stay calm so I can have a great time.

Goodbye for now. I had a fun seeing all the animals at Hauntaquarium. I better not eat all my treats in one night!