This summer the boys and I were invited to Sea Life Manchester and the Legoland Discovery Centre Manchester for the day. We had visited Sea Life Blackpool before but never the one in Manchester and so we were very excited about our visit. For anyone who has never heard of, or visited, one of the Sea Life centres across the UK they are basically large aquariums that give you the opportunity to get up close and personal to many sea creatures that you wouldn’t normally get the chance to in the UK. They also work really hard on projects to promote the lives of sea creatures and to clean up the environment so they can stay in their natural habitats as much as possible.
When arriving at Sea Life Manchester the first thing I noticed was that it looked really small however don’t let this put you off visiting as it is very deceptive and is much larger then you think with lots of different zones. We loved seeing all the different species especially the jelly fish, turtles and sting rays.
Sea Life Manchester have worked really hard to make the whole experience as interactive and engaging as possible for the whole family, which is quite a task when you think that all their creatures need to remain in water and the visitors on dry land. Some of the ways they have achieved this are by introducing
Show and tell sessions
Interactive computer games
Walk through tunnels where the sharks, fish and turtles swim overhead
Q and A boards
Stamp collecting at various points
Hands on experiences where you can stroke the star fish
As well as all these educational and fun activities there is also an indoor soft play area which is a great place to take a break, especially as it is situated right next to the toilette’s.
If you visit before the 4th September 2019 you will also be able to enjoy the additional activities of the Mermaids and Pirates. This involves you picking a team and then going on a treasure hunt throughout Sea Life Manchester looking for items that have sunk to the bottom of some of the tanks. Once spotted you need to identify each item and write it on your sheet and then hand it in on your way out to receive a mermaid or pirate badge. This is a great way to make sure the kids look at all the tanks and really appreciate what is on offer in each one instead of rushing past the smaller ones to get to the bigger ones.
During this event you will also have the opportunity to meet a mermaid or pirate and get your picture taken with them if you like, to keep as an extra memento.
Overall we had a wonderful time. We stayed for about 1.5 hours, I don’t feel it is a full day activity but as it’s next door to LegoLand you could buy the dual discount ticket and make a day of it. I think one of the best things about Sea Life Manchester is that it really is suitable for all ages, from young children to grandparents and everyone in between.
Why not make a day of it and visit some of these other great places in Manchester too.
(We were gifted a family ticket in exchange for a review, all opinions are my own).