Sandoway Discovery Center

 

The kids didn't have school on Thursday, I don't know why, but since Sterling has been using his extra week to work on his capstone but doesn't *actually* have to be at the library, we declared it a family holiday. I have a list of about 25 things to explore in our area. Preferably in the next three weeks before family visits (HAHA) so we can show them around--but due to the Hurricane about 90% of my list was closed. So we headed to the Sandoway Discovery Center at the perfect time to watch them feed the sharks.

A nurse shark.

 There were three nurse sharks in the pool of the oldest standing house in Delray Beach (1927...everything else has been destroyed by hurricanes throughout the years). They are pretty cool. The weirdest thing was the noise they make while eating. They suck in their food instead of biting into it. Honestly--go youtube it, because I took video but am too lazy to load it, haha.

There was also a pool with three manta rays and you could touch them. But the water was quite deep so Ruth couldn't reach that far unless they came close and then she got nervous--as did all the rest, haha.

The puffer fish that lives with the sharks.

Doesn't Will look so cute peering into that microscope?

 So the whole house was pretty neat. They had a big turtle area out front with four or five of them. Inside they had a little gift shop in the entrance and then some frogs and snakes and a little scary alligator and then of course the sharks and fish and manta rays in the back. There was the microscope room with a few more snakes and fish. Then a room with a little aquarium full of nemo fish that our kids loved and all sorts of others. Upstairs they had a little preschool room with books and coloring. And then they had a nocturnal room with an owl and opposum. The last room upstairs had one of the largest shell collections in the world. It was pretty amazing actually--there were so many cool shells!

This is an 800 pound sea turtle someone pulled onto their yacht. CRAZY!

We spent about two and a half hours there and it was the quaintest, cutest little house museum. We loved it. The kids loved watching them feed the sharks. 

We planned on going swimming the rest of the afternoon but of course it rained, so we headed out to the playmobil store and spent FOUR HOURS playing there. All in all, a really wonderful day and it was fun to drive around and see more of the little nooks and crannies of Delray. I really love Delray so much!