Just Visiting : SeaWorld San Diego

Summer is almost here and it's getting warm. Soon it'll be time to hit the beach to enjoy the warm sand, the cool waters, and the good company of friends. But there is a new option opening here in San Diego, the Aquatica SeaWorld Waterpark. Which is supposedly located just a few minutes from the SeaWorld Park here. But what's interesting about them?

The water park is opening on June first.Aquatica boasts a number of new atractions including a 1,250-foot long lazy river named Loggerhead Lane. For those looking for a steep thrill, they offer the HooRoo Run, their steepest 80-foot slide. The Walhalla Wave rode offers a different kind of experiance. Rafts similar to those in the lazy river enable 2-3 passengers to enjoy a 78-foot long run of twists, turns, and watery waves. The website lists about 13 attractions that will be at the new water park.

SeaWorld itself here in San Diego offers over 27 different attractions and entertainment options. Madagascar Live! Operation : Vacation brings the familiar characters of the Madagascar series to the stage, Where they party on vacation at the park. Or if you prefer something a bit more traditional there is Journey to Atlantis. This water ride combines the classic flume ride soaking fun, with roller coaster type action and special effects. It offers a 60-foot plunge, and the opportunity to sea some interesting sea creatures. Then there's Shipwreck Rapids, which is a tube type raft ride on a winding river. For those who will know the reference, they make it sound similar to Grizzly Run.

SeaWorld offers a Coaster called Manta

7 Eleven is offering a discount promotion coupon for the park. This coupon can either reduce admission to SeaWorld itself by fifteen dollars and add a free second visit (it lists adult or child admission with this promotion as being $63). Or it can be used to save seven dollars on admission to the new Aquatica Park(admission for adult then being $31, child $23). There is some fine print though, these discounts are only available online. The offer for SeaWorld itself ends 9/1/13, while the discount offer for Aquatica ends 9/30/13. There is also a limit of 6 admissions per park.

Just Visiting : The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens

Plants are interesting things. They make oxygen, can be used in cooking, and have all kinds of uses in our daily lives. We don't really know all of them. Well, some people may know a number of their  uses, but no one knows every secret that a plant might have. This Friday, May 10th, is National Public Gardens Day. So to celebrate this holiday The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens is having a special discounted admission where it is only a dollar to come in and view the beautiful plants and displays inside. The Garden is open from 10 am until 5pm that day, so remember to plan your visit accordingly.

The tri-dome greenhouse was built between the years 1897-1899, and at the time it was one of the largest greenhouses in the United States.  It is one of less than twelve Victorian conservatories in America, and there is only one other tri-dome garden, the New York Botanical Gardens which is in the Bronx. The building itself was based on famous gardens of the time period that were in England.

Since then it has grown, and currently covers 11.4 acres of the Buffalo South Park. It isn't only the three domed greenhouse, but also nine other greenhouses. They also have a 9 hole golf course in the area, which was settled into an area of the park called the meadow in 1915. The garden houses plants not only from the temperate climate it is located in, but also the tropic and sub tropic climates. They hold a variety of events there through the year.

This is a historical site that is recognized nationally.

Buffalo Botanical Gardens
2655 South Park Avenue
Buffalo, New York 14218 

The Garden is Open to the Public :
10:00am - 5:00pm Monday - Sunday
Closed on Thanksgiving Day
Closed on Christmas Day
10am-12pm on Christmas Eve (December 24)
10am-12pm on New Year's Eve (December 31)


The Botanical Gardens are fully handicapped accessible.

Admission to the Garden during it's everyday operations are:
Adults - $7
Seniors (55+) - $6
Students (13+ with ID) -  $6
Children 3 to 12 are $4
Children under 3 are Free

During some special events and shows the prices may be a bit higher.

Just Visiting : The Museum of Photographic Arts

There are a large number of museums in the San Diego Area. Some are newer than others, but some have been holding strong. An example of this is The Museum of Photographic Arts which is celebrating it's 30th year. Starting on May 1st, 2013 through the 7th, they're having a special event where they're only charging $1 for admission. This is a rather small fee, and the event as a whole sounds fascinating and like it would be a lot of fun.

On may first they're offering tours behind the scenes, letting visitors see the storage area and library of the collection between 11 am and 4pm. They're also holding a raffle, where every visitor to the museum that day is entered into a raffle for various photography related prizes. Also, if you're interested in items in the MOPA gift shop a sale will be running that first day with items reaching as much as 83% off their original pricing. (Don't worry though if you can't make it to the event on the first day, it'll have a  10% off rate until the 7th of May).

The Museum of Photographic Arts
1649 El Prado
San Diego, CA 92101

Museum Hours are Tuesday through Sunday 10 am through 5 pm (may change for special events)