Locals and visitors can journey through an underwater world from the fresh waters of Lake Tahoe to the San Francisco Harbor at dusk to the ancient Lost City of Atlantis now that the Sea Life Aquarium at Legoland California Resort in Carlsbad is open.
The two-story aquarium, which requires a separate admission ticket, opened Aug. 11. It is the only Sea Life in the United States and also is the first aquarium in the U.S. to incorporate Lego models; there are 72 throughout the attraction.
Sea Life is one of several new attractions at the theme park. The Land of Adventure, Miniland Las Vegas and Pirate Shores all recently debuted, adding to Legoland's ability to draw in vacationers who will visit the park more than one day.
The 36,000-square-foot aquarium complex, which is part of a $20 million expansion, is the biggest attraction added to the park since it opened in 1999. Merlin Entertainment Group, the British-based company that bought Legoland in 2005, is known for its Sea Life Aquariums in Europe.
The Carlsbad aquarium is the 29th Sea Life Center to open in the world. It will employ about 100 people, including a team of 10 with backgrounds in marine biology, as well as restaurant and gift shop staff. The centers operate in 12 countries on two continents.
“What really sets this aquarium apart from any other is the fact that it's entirely geared toward children ages 2 to 12 and has more Lego elements throughout than any other aquarium in the world,” said John Jakobsen, president and general manager of Legoland California.
Sea Life immerses guests in an interactive and educational aquarium experience while increasing awareness of the importance of safeguarding the ocean and its inhabitants. As visitors explore, they discover 36 displays holding more than 250,000 gallons of water.
A 35-foot-long acrylic ocean tunnel allows guests to walk through and experience the Lost City of Atlantis display without ever getting wet. The 200,000 gallon ocean display features a 10-foot-tall statue of the sea god Poseidon, an 11-foot-long Lego submarine and several different animated and interactive Lego characters.
“I can't wait to see the Lost City of Atlantis,” exclaimed 6-year-old Isabel Friedl of San Diego as she entered Sea Life holding her mom's hand on opening day. “I can't believe they have sharks swimming around Lego divers.”
The aquarium has 14 themed rooms. In the Discovery Zone, guests can interact with experts, touch tide pool animals and take an inside look at marine life from special pop-up viewing stations.
In the Shoaling Ring, schools of fish swim 360 degrees around visitors. The Ray Lagoon has several species of rays that appear to fly through the water in Mayan temple ruins.
“You won't be able to see anything like this anywhere else in the United States. From front to end, Sea Life is focused solely on children and will inspire them to get excited about a world they have never seen before,” said Chris Spaulding, senior curator of the aquarium.
Sea Life is host to more than 200 species of creatures, including sharks, rays, eels, garibaldi, jellyfish, seahorses, an octopus and several different types of freshwater fish. All of the freshwater fish living in the aquarium can be found in California lakes and streams, and the cold water marine animals are all native to the California coastline.
Sea Life is committed to only exhibiting marine animals suitable for the aquarium environment.
During the opening ceremony of Sea Life, Jakobsen spoke about the importance of the aquarium's Save Our Seas, or S.O.S., campaign, which educates children about the problems facing the world's oceans and empowers them to do something to solve them.
“As well as helping millions of people discover the marvels of the marine world, the S.O.S. message plays an important role in helping safeguard our seas and their inhabitants for the future, with the focus changing annually to adapt to issues at hand,” Jakobsen said.
For more information, visit www.sealifeus.com.
The two-story aquarium, which requires a separate admission ticket, opened Aug. 11. It is the only Sea Life in the United States and also is the first aquarium in the U.S. to incorporate Lego models; there are 72 throughout the attraction.
Sea Life is one of several new attractions at the theme park. The Land of Adventure, Miniland Las Vegas and Pirate Shores all recently debuted, adding to Legoland's ability to draw in vacationers who will visit the park more than one day.
The 36,000-square-foot aquarium complex, which is part of a $20 million expansion, is the biggest attraction added to the park since it opened in 1999. Merlin Entertainment Group, the British-based company that bought Legoland in 2005, is known for its Sea Life Aquariums in Europe.
The Carlsbad aquarium is the 29th Sea Life Center to open in the world. It will employ about 100 people, including a team of 10 with backgrounds in marine biology, as well as restaurant and gift shop staff. The centers operate in 12 countries on two continents.
“What really sets this aquarium apart from any other is the fact that it's entirely geared toward children ages 2 to 12 and has more Lego elements throughout than any other aquarium in the world,” said John Jakobsen, president and general manager of Legoland California.
Sea Life immerses guests in an interactive and educational aquarium experience while increasing awareness of the importance of safeguarding the ocean and its inhabitants. As visitors explore, they discover 36 displays holding more than 250,000 gallons of water.
A 35-foot-long acrylic ocean tunnel allows guests to walk through and experience the Lost City of Atlantis display without ever getting wet. The 200,000 gallon ocean display features a 10-foot-tall statue of the sea god Poseidon, an 11-foot-long Lego submarine and several different animated and interactive Lego characters.
“I can't wait to see the Lost City of Atlantis,” exclaimed 6-year-old Isabel Friedl of San Diego as she entered Sea Life holding her mom's hand on opening day. “I can't believe they have sharks swimming around Lego divers.”
The aquarium has 14 themed rooms. In the Discovery Zone, guests can interact with experts, touch tide pool animals and take an inside look at marine life from special pop-up viewing stations.
In the Shoaling Ring, schools of fish swim 360 degrees around visitors. The Ray Lagoon has several species of rays that appear to fly through the water in Mayan temple ruins.
“You won't be able to see anything like this anywhere else in the United States. From front to end, Sea Life is focused solely on children and will inspire them to get excited about a world they have never seen before,” said Chris Spaulding, senior curator of the aquarium.
Sea Life is host to more than 200 species of creatures, including sharks, rays, eels, garibaldi, jellyfish, seahorses, an octopus and several different types of freshwater fish. All of the freshwater fish living in the aquarium can be found in California lakes and streams, and the cold water marine animals are all native to the California coastline.
Sea Life is committed to only exhibiting marine animals suitable for the aquarium environment.
During the opening ceremony of Sea Life, Jakobsen spoke about the importance of the aquarium's Save Our Seas, or S.O.S., campaign, which educates children about the problems facing the world's oceans and empowers them to do something to solve them.
“As well as helping millions of people discover the marvels of the marine world, the S.O.S. message plays an important role in helping safeguard our seas and their inhabitants for the future, with the focus changing annually to adapt to issues at hand,” Jakobsen said.
For more information, visit www.sealifeus.com.