The Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey has been one of those attractions I’ve been bringing my three boys to since the youngest was a toddler. I can still remember visiting when my little one would stare at the fish from his stroller and my older two would gaze through the glass. We’ve been there so many times my boys could tell you where every exhibit is.
We absolutely love the Adventure Aquarium but I think every mom or parent of teens can relate to that stage where teens don’t want to go anywhere with their parents, especially if they think they’ve done everything there is to do at an attraction. So how do you stay engaged with your teens and find things to do in New Jersey with your teen?
You look for the unique experiences. You look for activities they were too young to do before, but now that they’re older, they can. That’s where the Adventure Aquarium comes into play. It’s always been on my bucket list to have an Adventure Aquarium behind-the-scenes experience. This summer, we were invited by the Aquarium to visit and participate in these unique activities. Our experiences and admission to the Aquarium were provided in return for coverage on our social media channels. The experience was so incredible I felt the need to share more details here.
While I would have loved to take all of my teens, their work schedules prevented all of them from joining me, but I did get to bring my 16-year-old son. Doing these behind-the-scenes experiences is a memory we will never forget. It truly was a special mother-son outing.
Adventure Aquarium has all kinds of experiences and touch tanks available so guests of all ages can get up close with the animals, but when your children are old enough for these behind-the-scenes experiences I highly recommend them.
Adventure Aquarium’s Behind-the-Scenes Experiences
The Adventure Aquarium offers 5-7 behind-the-scenes experiences. There are 5 offered year-round and then some that are added during special times of year, like shark encounters during Shark Summer. While the minimum age requirement for some experiences is 5 years old, as a mom of a teen, I feel like these activities are best experienced when our kids are teens and can appreciate the specialness and uniqueness of the activity.
I would also add that some of the experiences require being able to navigate stairs, ladders, and slopes entering and exiting the exhibit areas. There is also a level of maturity needed to follow directions and participate in the activity safely as you are up close with the animals.
These Adventure Aquarium behind-the-scenes experiences do require advance reservations and do not include admission to the Aquarium, admission must be purchased separately. Pricing starts at $29.99 a person. Group sizes are kept really small, so programs do fill up quickly. Minors must have an adult with them.
Some experiences are offered multiple times a day and some are offered once a day. Below are the details as of July 21, 2024. We encourage you to visit the Adventure Aquarium website for the most up-to-date information.
One of the best parts, in addition to the experience itself, is that an Aquarium photographer joins the experience to capture pictures of guests during the activity. It’s a fabulous way to make sure you(mom) are actually in the picture with your teen.
Hippo Encounter
Help feed Adventure Aquarium’s Nile hippos, Genny and Button, get your hippo questions answered, find out their connection to Disneyworld, and check out where the hippos go when the Aquarium closes. This was one of two experiences we did. More details below.
- The minimum age to participate is 8 years old.
- These behind-the-scenes experiences with hippos are offered daily 15 minutes before closing.
- Pricing is $74.99 per person.
Penguin Pop-In Encounter
No waddling required but you can if you want to. The Penguin Pop-In Encounter allows for an up-close and personal opportunity with the African penguins. Get 20 minutes among the Aquarium’s endangered colony and exclusive time with a penguin expert.
- The minimum age to participate is 5 years old.
- These behind-the-scenes experiences with penguins are offered Thursdays through Sundays, 3 times a day.
- Each session is 20 minutes and limited to 8 people.
- Pricing is $34.99 per person.
Sea Turtle Encounter
Help care for, train, and tong-feed the massive loggerhead and green sea turtles from a dock floating on top of Adventure Aquarium’s 760,000-gallon Ocean Realm exhibit. This was the other behind-the-scenes experience we did. More details below.
- The minimum age to participate is 8 years old.
- These behind-the-scenes experiences with sea turtles are offered daily, once a day.
- Pricing is $89.99 per person.
Wild Things Encounter
Go behind the scenes for an up-close encounter with the Aquarium’s unique animal ambassadors. During this 30-minute encounter, you will meet four fascinating ambassador animals, which include mammals, birds, and reptiles.
- The minimum age to participate is 5 years old.
- These behind-the-scenes experiences are offered Thursdays through Sundays, 2 times a day.
- Each session is 30 minutes.
- Pricing is $29.99 per person.
Behind-the-Scenes Encounter
Join a guided, in-depth tour that highlights all that goes into running an aquarium and providing exceptional care to animals.
- There is no minimum age to participate in this behind-the-scenes experience.
- These behind-the-scenes experiences are offered once a day.
- Each session is 45 minutes.
- Pricing is $29.99 per person.
Visit the Adventure Aquarium website to learn about the Shark Realm Tour and Shark & Ray In-Water Encounter offered during Shark Summer.
Behind the Scenes with the Adventure Aquarium Sea Turtles
When given the chance to have behind-the-scenes experiences at Adventure Aquarium the experience with the sea turtles was at the top of my list. Watching the Aquarium’s sea turtles glide through the Ocean Realm exhibit is always so peaceful and mesmerizing I couldn’t pass the chance to see them up close. The experience was better than I could have ever imagined. My teen son and I found it quite incredible, so much so that he even shared this experience with his friends.
The behind-the-scenes experience with the turtles begins in a classroom. It’s held in the early afternoon and it’s how we started our visit to Adventure Aquarium. The experience is limited to 4 people at a time. The four of us listened intensely to Lana. She introduced us to each of the Aquarium’s 3 turtles: 2 green turtles (Stitches and Old Green) and one female loggerhead, Bob and told us a little about each one.
From there, we moved on to meeting the sea turtles up close. Stitches, Old Green, and Bob live in the Adventure Aquarium’s 760,000-gallon Ocean Realm tank. Guests feed the sea turtles from a floating dock. Before we accessed the dock, we were able to store our valuables on nearby shelving, though I did keep my phone with me to take pictures. We also donned life jackets before descending the ladder to the floating dock. These aren’t your typical life jackets. They’re thinner so you’re able to move around easier than in a typical life jacket.
As incredible as this experience is, it does require a sense of balance, following directions, and being prepared. Wearing fashionable sandals or Crocs is going to make it challenging to safely go down the ladder and perhaps maintain your footing on the floating dock. While the dock, doesn’t rock heavily back and forth it does have motion to it. Being older and sometimes clumsy, I moved along the dock slowly and carefully so as not to lose my balance. It’s not a large dock and it’s above the Ocean Realm where there are sharks and a multitude of animals below. This is not something I could have done with my children in their younger days, I would have been much too nervous for their safety. If you have any concerns hold off on this experience until they are teens. That being said, this is a must-do experience to have with your teens.
On the dock, Lana placed down a target that lets the sea turtles know it’s feeding time. Each turtle has a designated tray of foods mostly vegetables and some shrimp. Just like some kids, turtles don’t always like to eat their veggies so we lured them in by feeding them shrimp before the veggies. My son and I positioned ourselves on one area of the dock while the couple with us were on the other side of the dock.
Using special tongs attached to a wristband we would wave a piece of food in the water and wait for a turtle to be tempted to come by for a bite. They nibbled on the food and then they’d take off to swim around the tank before coming back for food.
As our time behind the scenes with the sea turtles went on, we graduated to giving the turtles ‘spa’ treatments. As they approached the floating dock for more food or attention, we’d give their shells a gentle scrub with a brush to help keep their shells strong and healthy. My son would feed the turtles as I scrubbed or vice versa. We were side by side sharing every moment of the experience together.
If the experience feeding turtles wasn’t incredible enough, the whole manner of how Adventure Aquarium runs the behind-the-scenes experience adds to the specialness. We shared the experience with two other people, but we never felt we really had to share anything. There wasn’t time wasted waiting our turn as my son and I were feeding turtles at the same time that the other two guests were. There was more than enough food for the turtles and we were allowed to keep feeding until we felt finished or the food was gone. We never felt rushed. We never felt like our time was being cut short.
The Aquarium also has a photographer escort the groups to capture pictures from slightly overhead. It’s such a nice perk, because after having an experience like this you definitely want a picture of yourselves with the turtles. I love how it looks like one of the turtles swam up just to be in our mother-son picture. I cannot say enough about this experience, it will stay with me as one of my favorite mother-son outings.
Behind the Scenes to Feed the Hippos at Adventure Aquarium
The hippo experience at the Aquarium begins right before closing and it’s how we ended our day at Adventure Aquarium. If you would have told me that one day my son and I would be feeding hippopotamuses, I would not have believed you. Even when I chose this experience for us, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I just knew it wasn’t a typical aquarium experience and I wanted to try something different and memorable with my 16 year old.
My son and I had a bit of anxiety. Would we be in the hippos exhibit? How exactly does one feed a hippo? I knew the Aquarium wouldn’t put guests in a dangerous situation, but still, I didn’t quite know what to expect.
Like the Sea Turtle encounter, our group was limited to 4 people. Our experience started in a classroom where we learned about the hippos, Genny and Button, their beginnings at the Adventure Aquarium, the artwork the hippos create, and what to expect when we go to feed them.
The behind-the-scenes experiences with the hippos begin right before closing because the hippos are brought off the exhibit floor for the night. Guests are never in the hippos’ exhibit space, nor are staff when the hippos are on exhibit. Hippos are very territorial so whether it’s the exhibit or their holding spaces Adventure Aquarium staff are never in the same space.
After our hippo class, we were able to come into the area where the hippos are when they aren’t on the exhibit floor. Guests and staff are required to wear masks because hippos are very susceptible to COVID-19. From the outside of the steel bars, we watched Genny and Button come in for the night. The hippos come off the exhibit floor, at their own pace, through this garage-like door, into their holding space where they spend their nights. They meander through a passage of steel bars into two separate but adjoining spaces. The bars are wide enough for staff to reach through to check on them, but close enough that guests or staff are able to remain safe.
After learning more about Genny and Button, we were able to pick a hippo to feed. My teen son and I shared one bucket of lettuce and the other guests shared the other bucket of lettuce. We took turns feeding ‘our’ hippo and laughing about our attempts. We could have switched hippos but we never really did.
So how do you feed a hippo? You crunch a large piece of lettuce into a ball and then you throw it towards the hippo’s very wide open mouth hoping she will catch it. There’s plenty of lettuce so if you’re not good at throwing like me, you’ll have plenty of chances to try. My son was much better at his throws than me. No food goes to waste so anything that misses, the hippos will grab up from the floor.
Between attempts at feeding, my taking photos, the photographer’s photos, and lots of laughing, we were able to learn more about Genny and Button, their personalities, their diets, and more. And just like with the sea turtles, our experience never felt rushed. We had all of our questions answered and with time to spare we just watched Genny and Button’s caretakers take care of them and feed them additional food.
We even got to take home some of Button’s artwork as a souvenir of our behind-the-scenes experience. All guests get to as part of their experience. If you or your teens are curious about hippos, we’d definitely recommend this Adventure Aquarium encounter.
Benefits of Behind-the-Scenes Experiences for Teens
I could probably go on and on about the educational benefits of these kind of behind-the-scenes experiences at Adventure Aquarium, after all my teenager does love animals. At one point, I think he was even interested in a career of working with animals. The education that the staff provides about the animals in their care is extensive and fascinating. You’ll learn about the habitats of the animals, their diets, their personalities, their backstories, and the risks to animals like them out in the world. You will be able to ask any kind of questions you have. But that wasn’t what sparked my desire to have these experiences with my son.
I wanted to provide my son and me with an experience so unique that it would stand out as a core memory for years to come. My 16 year-old son is a great kid, but I get that teens aren’t always excited to spend time with their parents. If I was going to get him excited to do something with fun, I knew it needed to be something extra fun and this was it.
Tips for Parents Planning for Adventure Aquarium Behind-the-Scenes Experiences
As I mentioned earlier, yes these behind-the-scenes experiences are open to younger kids, I believe they are best experienced with teens. Depending on the experience you choose, you’re potentially dealing with large, potentially dangerous, animals, you’re feeding animals above a tank full of sharks, you’re standing on a floating surface. You want your child to be mature enough to understand the risks of the situation while also able to really appreciate how unique the experience is.
I think if my child were on the younger side or I wasn’t sure if he/she was ready for an encounter with sea turtles, penguins, or hippos, I’d start with the Wild Things Encounter or the Behind-the-Scenes Encounter. Both provide an opportunity to learn about the animals at Adventure Aquarium and have some upclose experiences with smaller animals.
Again, group size is limited for these behind-the-scenes experiences at Adventure Aquarium. If you’re interested consider a few different dates that will work for your family and book early.
You will also need to consider your family size. If you’re a family of 5, you may need to break into 2 groups to have experiences. One of the cool things about Adventure Aquarium is all the touch tanks and play areas they offer. If a younger child isn’t able to join the experience, have them explore one of the other areas of the Aquarium with an adult to pass the time while their sibling is with another adult on the behind-the-scenes experience.
And while you can participate in these experiences with more than one child at a time, there’s something to be said for just making it a parent-child date or grandparent-child activity. When you’re not trying to keep track of more than one kid it allows for being fully in the moment. It allows you to immerse yourself in a fun activity while also bonding with your teen. You don’t get many chances for that when you have multiple kids.
Make sure to read the fine print. Nearly all encounters require closed-toe shoes. I’d recommend wearing sneakers or hiking shoes, shoes that will help you maintain your balance and prevent slipping on potentially slippery surfaces.
Also make note of what your program fee includes. Admission is not included and must be paid separately, but some program fees include parking. Some don’t.
Final Thoughts
With 2 sons now off to college, I am aware of how quickly their time at home passes. Even with my boys on summer break, summers are busy with summer jobs, their friends, and girlfriends. Before we know it September will come back around and school will be in session. I can’t slow time down but I can have moments with my boys where time seems to stand still.
If you’re like me, if you want to slow down time or have these incredible experiences with your teens, check your calendars and planners and book one of these Adventure Aquarium Behind-the-Scenes Experiences.