Tag: Sea World

Swimming with Stingrays at Sea World

 Last year I had the privilege of being selected as a Sea World San Antonio Wildside Blogger and it was a wonderful experience. That’s why I’m thrilled that I was chosen once again to participate as a Wildside blogger in 2013. Our kickoff even for the season was this weekend and my family had a blast!

The Wildside Spring Fling was held at Aquatica, the new waterpark at Sea World in San Antonio. My husband questioned the idea of going to a waterpark in March, but it turned out to be a warm and sunny day. Only in Texas!

We decided to drive out to the park and back the same day, so we left before dawn. It was drizzling and very chilly when we arrived around 9:30am but there were no lines. As soon as the gates opened we made a beeline for a warm gift shop where I found a rack of fleece sweatshirts on clearance and promptly bought one for each kid and me. They were cute! Here are the boys in their new sweatshirts posing with Ozzie and Harriet the parrots.

We were the first of the group of Wildsiders to arrive at our private little beach area, but my friend Mason Rodriquez from Sea World was there waiting for us with towels and beach chairs. The boys immediately took to digging in the sand while other families arrived. 

It was super fun to see Priscilla again, who I met at Bloggy Boot Camp in Austin a couple years ago. Our oldest two boys hit it off really well! I love watching my kids make new friends. 
The highlight of the day by far was our chance to do the Stingray Interaction at Aquatica as a family! Alex was pretty nervous about it, but we encouraged him to pet the rays from outside the tank and then watch the first group as they waded into the pool and fed the animals. So he decided to face his fears and get in the pool with the stingrays! 
Nathan was thrilled about the opportunity and waded right in, grabbing the fish and eagerly feeding it to the velvety creatures. Stingrays mouths are underneath them so you have to hold the fish in a fist with the head sticking up and place your fist down underneath where they swim. Then they come along and suck the food out of your hand exactly like a vacuum cleaner! Once in awhile they would come and suck on my feet. 

The stingray interaction was an awesome way to create a really cool family memory. We’ll be talking about it together for years to come, I’m certain! They even provided us with a couple of family photos…the whole thing made putting on a swimsuit in March worth it. 
One great part about coming to Aquatica in March when the morning was chilly but the sun came out and warmed up the afternoon? Way less people to deal with. There were no crowds and we used the opportunity to finally ride Stingray Falls, the signature attraction at Aquatica that often has a very long line. Even Alex rode with us, despite his nervousness! I am not usually one for big, fast rides but being in a raft as a family and zooming down the water slide into the little cove beneath the stingray pond was super fun. The photographer even got a photo of Chico, the big spotted eagle ray, swimming over top of us! 

Of course as soon as we reached the end, Alex asked to do the ride again! I knew he would love it. Maybe next time! We left the park just before dinner, stopped for a bite to eat, and drove on home to Katy. Both boys were so tuckered out they crashed instantly, so we had a peaceful drive as the setting sun behind us cast a golden glow along the countryside, including loads of Texas bluebonnets in full bloom along I-10! 
Sea World is open for the season every day now and Aquatica is open every weekend until June when it opens daily for the summer. They have some super exciting events and opportunities this spring, including a pretty sweet Just For Kids concert series in April, featuring Laurie Berkner, Imagination Movers and others. We’ll be heading back there for sure in June, if not before, and we can’t wait! 
Disclosure: As I mentioned, I have been chosen as a 2013 SeaWorld Wildside blogger. My family was provided with complimentary passes to the parks as well as other perks. I was not asked to write about my experiences but I will always share what I love with complete honesty and integrity. 

10 Reasons I’m Looking Forward to AdventureCon 2012

This weekend I am positively THRILLED to be headed to San Antonio to attend Sea World’s AdventureCon 2012 blogger conference. It’s kind of a “conference-lite” for bloggers and their whole families. I think you can still join us if you’re interested in a weekend of family fun in the sun with likeminded media types. Conference tickets are only $65 and that includes admission to the parks and food and lots of perks that save you money verses just buying each member of your family a regular admission pass.

Here are a few highlights I’m especially looking foward to. 
1. Seeing my blogging friends again! It’s been too long since I last got to hang out with Rachel and her family in Corpus. I haven’t seen Colleen since Mom 2.0 two years ago. I saw Dwan at Mom2 last year and I still don’t think I’ve met Lea Ann in person yet even though we worked on the same Chevy campaign for a LONG time together. Then of course there are my Houston homegirls including Jennifer, Crystal and Sara who I couldn’t possibly see often enough. 
2. Introducing my boys to their very first roller coasters. Sea World has Great White and Steel Eel and my husband is pumped about having someone to ride with him now since I can’t stand coasters. Not my idea of fun. Nathan is super excited but I’m not sure if Alex is quite ready for a full sized coaster. I’ll ride the smaller Shamu Express with him.

3. Hanging with the animals! To me the best part of Sea World is the animal exhibits, especially my favorite animals, the penguins. The orcas in the Shamu show are pretty awesome too. It seems like there are great shows to look forward to all day and night long.

4. Checking out Aquatica, Sea World’s new water park that just opened last month. There are water slides galore, sand beaches and a big wave pool to play in. I especially wanna do the one where you go through a tunnel with stingrays swimming above you.

5. Staying at the Courtyard Marriott with my family. My kids love the hotel experience which we’ve only had with them a couple times years ago. This time (knock on wood) they are old enough we shouldn’t have to worry about them keeping us up all night. I’m grateful for the super reasonable hotel rate the conference provided us. Even our tight budget could handle it.

6. Learning more about storytelling for my blog from speaker Jeff Herrington. Becoming a better storyteller is near the tippy top of my list of life goals.

7. Improving my video production skills with a session lead by award winning producers Robert Currie and Salwa Khan. I’m very interested in this, especially before I start traveling to Haiti where I want to create some compelling film.

8. Leading a photography session with a photowalk around Sea World! Photography ignites my soul and nothing gets me more excited than passing on what I’ve learned to others. I can’t wait to see some of the images that result from our time together on Saturday!

9. Learning more about Sea World’s awesome conservation efforts. As an environmental engineer in the field of water protection you can imagine how much I care about preserving God’s creation. I know Sea World is a lot more than a theme park and I’m anxious to hear more.

10. Joining the other awesome Sea World Wildside Bloggers and getting to know them. I’m grateful to have been invited to be a “Wildsider” this year and to have the opportunity to really get to know more about Sea World and Aquatica.