We're crazy about the Octonauts, and we're pretty crazy about SEA LIFE Kansas City as well. Ever since our first trip there for Lincoln's third birthday, it's been one of my favorite Kansas City destinations to go with the kids. When I heard that SEA LIFE would be opening a brand-new exhibit called The Octonauts Zone this spring, there was no doubt about it - we had to see it.
Lincoln and Addie were so excited and wanted to wear their Octonauts costumes for the big event. Those costumes have gotten so much use, since we used them for Halloween and Lincoln's Octonauts birthday party this year!
We got to SEA LIFE bright and early the morning the exhibit opened. I thought the kids would be thrilled to participate in the Octonauts parade, but they were actually a little bit intimidated by Captain Barnacles, Kwazii, and Peso in real life (similar to the time they met them last summer at SEA LIFE Kansas City). They watched the parade from afar, and waved as everyone walked by.
This was as close as Lincoln would get to any of the characters - but he was so excited to hear the Octonauts theme playing as they all marched up to cut the ribbon in the grand opening ceremony!
Once we went inside, the kids wanted to rush straight on to see The Octonauts Zone. We skipped past all the other exhibits for the moment and headed straight there.
The kids were thrilled to find all of their favorite characters decorating the walls and on the tv screens throughout the exhibit. By far, the biggest hit were all of the ways to interact with the Octonauts! Lincoln must have pushed the Octo-Alert button a hundred times while we were there.
Apologies for the photo overload, but they were having a blast and I wanted to capture all of it!
The very lifelike Gup A and Gup B models, complete with Barnacles and Kwazii inside were really cool. The photos don't pick up the effect as well as I wish they could - basically, their faces are animated and illuminated onto their bodies. So it appears that they are interactive even without being fully moving characters. The kids were fascinated.
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| Lincoln and the Octo-Alert! |
The interactive digital map and Peso's medic bag were really popular, too. They loved finding out details about sea creatures and playing games!
Lincoln was a big fan of the creature tank that was inside Kwazii's treasure chest!
After we had our fill of The Octonauts Zone, we took the time to explore the rest of the aquarium, too - and as usual, had a grand time. I know we'll be back to see the Octonauts again. If you're an Octonauts fan, don't miss the chance to see this great exhibit right here in Kansas City!
Disclosure: I received passes to visit SEA LIFE Kansas City. No other compensation was received and all views expressed are my own. For more information, you can read my Disclosure Policy.
