I'm 22 from the UK and am a full time sudent on a teacher training course
I'm 22 from the UK and am a full time sudent on a teacher training course
Member since:28.09.2007
Reviews:44
Members who trust:4
I love visiting anywhere with sea life so a trip to the National Sea Life Centre in Birmingham for my birthday seemed a great idea.
The first Sea Life Centre opened in 1979 in Scotland and the centres have come a long way since then with different shaped aquariums and technololgy making your experience even better.
The Birmingham centre opened in 1996 and is situated in the canal district in the city centre right next to the National Indoor Arena. Its very easy to get to by car or train.
~~What is there to see~~ Upon arriving inside the centre you are inside the reception area where you get your tickets. Right behind you is the start of your experience where the first thing you see is a huge cyclinder aquarium reaching up to the ceiling full of all kinds of tropical fish. As you work your way around the centre you see different themed areas full of the types of fish you'd
typically find there such as the Carribean and Australia. You are allowed to take photos in most areas though some you cant, these are signed and tell you not to use cameras or recording equipment.
They have areas dedicated to sea horses, turtles and otters where you can see all different types from all over the world. The Birmingham centre is doing a lot of research and campaigns to help protect these animals which are endangered. As you go down to the turtle sanctuary in a lift there is a big poster on the wall inside the lift showing all the different types of turtle in the world and how endangered they are. Seeing this list and seeing almost every kind is endangered really hits home how much we need to save these beautiful animals. This section was a personal favourite and i think i'd have quite happily stayed watching the turtles all day.
They have a huge tunnel area you walk through which passes through the middle of a massive aquarium full of small sharks, tropical fish and the biggest turtle i've ever seen. It was a fascinating part of the centre and they have a commentary playing telling you all about the fish you can see. The turtle in this part weighs a massive 30 stone!
You can also enjoy seeing the stingrays in an enclosure. I also love the way they move in the water and blend in with their surroundings. You can see several types in here.
Have fun through their mirror maze, just make sure children don't run or like me they're likely to end up walking straight into a mirror! This is a fun part of the centre where you find your way around the maze and see several smaller aqauriums dotted around, if you can find your way to them around the mirrors.
The aquariums in the cente vary in size and design. Some of them are designed so you can stand and look through a window straight into the water and others where you stand and look down into them from above.
Within the Birmigham centre you can see: Jellyfish Octopuses Otters Sting Rays Sea Horses Sharks Turtles and 100's of different types of tropical fish
Theres also a cafe area and shop on site. I didn't go into the cafe but i'm guessing they have the usual tourist attraction prices. As they stamp your hand upon entry so you can return throughout the day it may be worth venturing outside to get something to eat from the various places along the canals where you're bound to find something cheaper. The shop offer a variety of sea themed souveniors from cuddly toys, stationary, clothing, toys and puzzles all at reasonable prices.
They offer entertainment through school holidays, while i was there they were doing badge and mask making for the children.
All areas are accessible for wheelchair users
They offer talks throughout the day at various aquariums and feeding sessions, you are given a map and details of these as you enter the centre.
~~Verdict of the trip~~ I loved the trip but did feel we got around a bit too quickly, we were in and out in an hour. I do feel this was down to it being a bank holiday as the place was packed and we did have to skip some parts as we couldn't get close enough to some of the aquariums to see anything. Overall it's worth a visit though best to go when it's not a public holiday.
I also feel that if fish aren't really that interesting to you then you may get a little bored as aside from the turtles, ottersm sea horses and jelly fish the majority is all different types of fish. If however like me you keep fish or just love looking at them then you'll be very happy here. There were many types i've never seen before and i loved the way they displayed all the aquariums with a lot of thought going into where the fish come from to recreate their natural surroundings.
~~Prices and contact details~~ Prices: Adult - £15.50 Child - (3-14) £10.50 Student (ID required) £14.50 Concessions (60+) £14.50 Family - (2 adults & 2 children) £45
It is worth looking out for special offers particuarly around school holidays when you sometimes get vouchers with your shopping at supermarkets. I had a 1 person free entry for my day out thanks to a voucher from Sainsbury's. This can make your day a lot cheaper especially if there's a few going.
Make sure you book in advance to skip the queue particuarly if you plan to visit on a bank holiday like i did as it was very busy and the queue was very long.
Opening times from 10am daily til 4pm (mon-fri) and 5pm (weekends and holidays)
There are other Sea Life Centres based around the UK and Europe in the following locations Loch Lomond Scarborough Blackpool Bray (in Ireland) Great Yarmouth Brighton Weymouth New for 2008, Sea Life Centre at Chessington World of Adventures Theme Park
Helsinki, Finland Paris, France Gardaland theme park in Italy Benalmedena, Spain Blakenberge, Begium Scheveningen, Netherlands Konstanz, Germany Munich, Germany Speyer, Germany Konigswinter, Germany Oberhausen, Germany Hannover, Germany Berlin, Germany Cuxhaven, Germany Timmendorfer, Germany
Some of these centres offer other creatures to see that Birmingham don't have such as penguins, you can find out which centres have which kind of animals on the website.
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Apologies for the below not being on my list, i took the locations off the official sea life site so looks like they've missed them off their own lists
carcraig 31.08.2008 22:54
I haven't visited the one in Birmingham but I have been to Blackpool, I was at the one in North Queensferry (not on your list!) last month, and I was really lucky and saw a seal actually being born at the one in Oban (not on your list either!) They are brilliant to visit, Caroline xx
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Advantages: accessible to anyone - pushchairs, wheelchairs etc Disadvantages: can feel a bit closed in in certain areas, some parts a bit on the dark side so a bit scary for little ones
Aug 31st, 2008
very helpful by (100%):
