The Sea Life Centre, Birmingham

On Sunday we made what has become our annual trip to the National Sea Life Centre in Birmingham. My little boy Joe absolutely loves the place and insists that our Summer’s always include a trip so he can see his favourites – the Penguins, the sharks and the rays, and this year, we also took my three year old niece too. Suffice to say we had a brilliant time – the Sea Life Centre never disappoints in our eyes.

The Penguins are always a great favourite, their enclosure really do resemble the land of ice and snow that is Antarctica, and there antics of all choosing to swim at exactly the same time always delights the watching children.

Once the penguins had been checked out, we moved on to the main body of the centre, where you can enjoy a range of fish, rays, seahorses, incredibly beautiful jellyfish and all manner of aquatic life. This year the centre has partnered with the ‘Finding Dory’ film, so the trip around the centre is also interactive as children search the tanks for different letters in order to solve a riddle. There are also lots of photo ops in special Dory tanks, as well as the usual stamp machines that Joe totally loves to find.

The 4d cinema is still great fun, with the Octonauts film showing, complete with sounds, scents and splashes from the rain forest. It may not suit all younger viewers, but Renee was fine with it and was not concerned at all. The film lasts around 15 minutes, but you can leave at any time if your child is not enjoying the experience.

For my family, the best part of a trip to the Sea Life Centre is the glass tunnel, where sharks, rays and giant turtles swim all around you. Touching the glass is a must, even for my hubby who has a huge shark phobia. The tunnel is a truly magical experience which seems to get better every year – it never fails to make Joe gasp that he is so close to the marine wildlife.

The Sea Life Centre is a great family day out and one which I would totally recommend visiting this Summer.

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