Who knew there is an honest-to-goodness aquarium right here in Richmond? My friend Dawn did, that’s who!  Thanks for the tip, Dawn! It’s true - it exists! It is located at Three Lakes Park off 95 N and Chamberlayne Avenue out in western Henrico County. And did I forget to mention that admission is FREE? Well, it sure is! I can attest to its surefire existence since we were there today to experience it for ourselves. Since it was so ridiculously hot yet again and Sam still has ferocious allergies to the uber-pollen level this year, I figured it was an inside activity that seemed pretty outdoorsy. So we set off on our aquatic adventure…

I’ll be upfront with you—it is not a large facility. It actually is pretty small, but with 50,000 gallons it does the job nicely with an adjoining nature center and lake on one side. Sam was mesmerized by the big tank but then blew through the rest of it in milliseconds as only an almost four-year-old can do.  There were lots of walking trails beckoning all around the lakes but because of the pollen we headed to the playground which was really pretty neat. There were plenty of slides, ramps, swings, and that foamy rubber fake mulch which is in a word—awesome—and in another word—expensive. It’s a great set-up with climbing ropes that look like Spidey’s web and some REAL climbing walls. Sam was all over it (literally), and if it hadn’t been in the 90s, I would have been also. In the words of Arnold, “We’llbe baaaaaaack!”

LibbY