Op here. We bit the bullet and went and dd had a really great time. We spent almost 3 hours there and there was lots to see and do. She especially loved the dolphin feeding/training session. Definitely a splurge but we all enjoyed it.

Anonymous wrote:Thinking of taking dd tomorrow (almost 5) with my parents. For the 5 of us tickets are $170. Is it worth it? Just seems kind of outrageously expensive.

We would buy the family membership and go 2-3 times a year. It was a great investment. If your DD also likes trains, I would recommend the Train Museum in Baltimore too.

I grew up in Baltimore and always thought it was overrated. But there aren't too many places around here you can see sharks and that is my son's favorite part. They do have discounts during the winter on Fridays after 5pm.

We have a family membership. Our little kids are 3.5 and 6. My step kids live in Baltimore. When they are with us for the weekends we often end up in Balt for activities for them. The aquarium is our kill time place.

Does your kid like fish tanks in other contexts? Try a few nature centers or Amazonia at the zoo first.

Maryland Zoo!!

We spontaneously went last weekend with our almost 4 year old. We all had a great time, after getting over the sticker shock. It was a bucket list item, though, so I figure we were going to pay for it eventually. Great place. Wasn't too crowded on a rainy Saturday. Food is pretty reasonably priced, unlike at a few of the DC museums. I recommend it if the adults are into it. Kids are easy.

Depends on the child. Our twins were fascinated with animals and we took them for the first time when they were 13 months. They loved it. We bought a membership and have been back three more times (and going again tomorrow at age 2.5). It's been delightful watching them learn to walk and talk and get excited about seeing their favorite animals and learning the names of animals they like: Turtles! Shocks (sharks)! Otpus (octopus)! and they love the dolphin shows especially when the dolphins splash the audience. We're going because when we asked them what they wanted to do this weekend they said "See fish!" so we're going back.

Your mileage may vary, but for us the only downsize is that they are too short for even the observation step, so we have to lift them for every tank. But, so worth the membership for us.

Membership is tax deductible. Definitely worth it.

We went on a school holiday and it was so mobbed that I didn't find it terribly enjoyable. If you plan to go this weekend, you might want to think of another option.