Glen Echo Park Aquarium

I’m always on the hunt for new things to do with the kids and was eager to check out the Glen Echo Aquarium.
Admission is $ 6 per person. Children 2 and under are free.
The Glen Echo Aquarium is a Chesapeake Bay discovery center geared towards younger children (toddler — early elementary). The majority of the experience takes place in a medium sized room with several fish tanks. Each tank is filled with local fish, crabs, eels, and more.
It has several interactive elements that keep the young ones engaged as they learn about what lives in the water local to them. To name just a few, there was an aquarium felt board, a submarine model to go inside, and a «fishing» game.
The highlight of our visit was the touch tank. Sarah really made our visit special. She introduced us to several creatures including a horseshoe crab (which apparently is more closely related to a scorpion than a crab — who knew?!). She was great with kids of all ages and knew how to keep a crowd of kids interested! She presented the information in a way that kept both the kids and us grown ups entertained. This is not an easy task. Sarah even fed the horseshoe crab some squid while we were there! So cool to see them eat! I really hope the other employees are as interactive and informative as Sarah. We would have not had such a great time if it wasn’t for her!
You get the best bang for your buck by coming here on a decent day where you can spend some time outside. There is a large sandbox with toys, a «pirate ship», and a few small ponds to walk around in the front of the aquarium.
Luckily, it was nice enough out that we were able to stop by the Glen Echo playground afterwards. This was the perfect ending to an afternoon of fish fun! There are several picnic tables by the playground if you decide to pack lunch.
We probably spent about 2 hours here (including the good amount of time we spent in the sandbox out front). The kids had a really great time and even learned a few things!
I look forward to seeing what else this place has to offer in future months! Since it’s a small space, it’s easy to feel that you have seen everything in one visit. Hopefully they keep the displays and interactive tables fresh so we can become regulars!