The Blue Planet Aquarium, near Ellesmere Port, is one of the largest aquariums in the north-west of England. It features two floors of aquatic wildlife, a gift shop and cafe area. It's a little on the expensive side, but it does offer great value for a family day out (and Blue Peter badge winners get in free).
There's plenty to see, too. The attractions include turtles, caiman crocodiles and eels, as well as the piranhas, electric eels and sharks. The main attraction, though, is the shark tank, which can be viewed through a four-metre high window and two separate underwater tunnels. The window can be seen from a seated area across two floors, and has a small stage in front of it, where the staff give presentations and talks. These appealed to our 10- and 8-year-old, but only held our three-year-old's attention for about five minutes. The presenters are extremely enthusiastic about the fish they present, explaining each individual shark by name and personality, and sharing details about each of the species of fish. There are regular talks throughout the day, and the presentation at the shark tank, with two divers in the tank at feeding time, is a definite highlight. The presentations start at 11:00 with the Pelican Feed, and the diver presentations are at 11:30, 12:30, 1:30 and so on until 3:30, with other talks on the hour and at quarter past the hour.
The two underwater tunnels through the shark tank have a moving conveyor belt along one side of the path, so it's possible to stand still and glide through the tank. There are around six sharks (including some over two metres long), plus a number of stingrays, and there is always something to see as you go through the tunnels. Having the water really well stocked like this really kept all our children interested and occupied, instead of impatiently waiting for the next highlight. A definite bonus - and it's easy to go through the first and second tunnel (the conveyor belt is continuous), then cross the viewing area and rejoin the conveyor belt again, at the first tunnel, in a loop. We certainly did!
There is a wide range of wildlife to see - apart from the normal aquatic life. We enjoyed the spider exhibit in particular. The crabs, lobster (bright blue) and the turtles were very eye-catching, and throughout the whole visit we were pleased by the number of fish in each tank. It was great to see large numbers of brightly coloured fish swimming, drifting, and showing off, and our younger children found it fascinating.
I can certainly recommend this to children of all ages, from this who will like the brightly coloured tropical fish, to those who will enjoy seek g the huge sharks, through to those who are too cool for all that but will enjoy seeing the piranhas and the electric eels.
Blue Planet Aquarium Website
The aquarium is well-stocked and spacious, so even when it's busy there is still plenty to see and plenty of opportunity to find a quiet corner. It's well equipped for families, with baby change facilities and good toilet facilities. There are also lockers available for stowing bags and coats while you enjoy the wildlife.
There's plenty to see, too. The attractions include turtles, caiman crocodiles and eels, as well as the piranhas, electric eels and sharks. The main attraction, though, is the shark tank, which can be viewed through a four-metre high window and two separate underwater tunnels. The window can be seen from a seated area across two floors, and has a small stage in front of it, where the staff give presentations and talks. These appealed to our 10- and 8-year-old, but only held our three-year-old's attention for about five minutes. The presenters are extremely enthusiastic about the fish they present, explaining each individual shark by name and personality, and sharing details about each of the species of fish. There are regular talks throughout the day, and the presentation at the shark tank, with two divers in the tank at feeding time, is a definite highlight. The presentations start at 11:00 with the Pelican Feed, and the diver presentations are at 11:30, 12:30, 1:30 and so on until 3:30, with other talks on the hour and at quarter past the hour.
The cafe area is one of the weaker parts of the experience; the food is nothing special, and is a little on the expensive side. It gets busy at mealtimes, as you would expect, and when we visited the staff were struggling to cope with demand, and we had a long wait in the queue. I'd suggest visiting Cheshire Oaks, which is about a quarter of a mile away and is home to a Sainbury's (with a cafe), McDonalds, Pizza Express and others too.
There is a wide range of wildlife to see - apart from the normal aquatic life. We enjoyed the spider exhibit in particular. The crabs, lobster (bright blue) and the turtles were very eye-catching, and throughout the whole visit we were pleased by the number of fish in each tank. It was great to see large numbers of brightly coloured fish swimming, drifting, and showing off, and our younger children found it fascinating.
The gift shop has a wide range of souvenirs and merchandise, at typical gift shop prices. One of the hidden highlights of the aquarium is an outdoor playground, tucked in behind the far corner of the gift shop. In dry, pleasant weather, this is a definite bonus, and despite the number of fish we'd seen, all of our children described it as the best part of the visit!
I can certainly recommend this to children of all ages, from this who will like the brightly coloured tropical fish, to those who will enjoy seek g the huge sharks, through to those who are too cool for all that but will enjoy seeing the piranhas and the electric eels.
Blue Planet Aquarium Website
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