Once we were inside, we were met with a cavalcade of options. There were several entrances to different rooms that looked like they carried on forever. I’ve noticed that most aquariums have a slight resemblance to hedge mazes, only you’re usually being chased by sticky kids with french fries rather than Jack Torrance. These narrow straights were chalked full of humongous tanks containing ocean life from all around the world! Some outdoor tanks showcased dolphins and seals, and some specialty exhibits such as the “Frogs Forever?” were simply hopping with life (literally!). Needless to say, we chose to view “Frogs Forever?” first. The exhibit had frogs of all sizes that ranged from extremely interesting to just plain weird. This particular exhibit had a great message too. It lamented about the destruction of frog habitats around the world due to deforestation and other human interaction. Will frogs be around forever? Perhaps not.

One of the main selling points of the Stanley Park Aquarium for us was their environmental consciousness. No animals were captured irresponsibly or forced into captivity—in fact, the animals that reside inside are only taken if found unable to survive to the wild. This aquarium is more of a rescue mission than a money maker, and I think that is awesome. Plus, in Canada there are so many efforts to reduce our carbon footprint. Every exhibit in the Aquarium offered a message about recycling, avoiding overuse of plastics, and helping out where you can. Anywhere that has a separate trash bin for not only recyclables but compostable materials is a-OK in our book.

From a customer's perspective, Stanley Park Aquarium is also great because it is really easy to navigate around. We spent the rest of our day walking aimlessly and never hit a point where we didn’t know where to go next! We saw everything from gorgeous jellyfish to adorable penguins.

After seemingly hours of wandering, we found ourselves in a long line for the Great Escapes: Life in 4D experience. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but whatever it was they delivered! We found ourselves in the shoes of a small shrew, falling down a hill with a pebble frog, all in slow motion with gorgeous close-ups and vibrant colors. 4D is not for the faint of heart though. Elise and I were jumping out of our seats left and right, trying to escape lunging snakes on the screen paired with actual ropes hitting out feet on the ground—and don’t even ask about when we “dodged” a splashing puddle, only to have real water sprayed on our faces. It’s just something you have to experience for yourself! (But be wary—when the scorpion pops up on the screen, you might be in for a dangerously painful surprise…)