The Wisconsin Dells has gotten very touristy. There wasn’t any place we wanted to go. The KOA Holiday where were we staying just finished putting in a nice pickleball court. (Although – only one court.) Tonight it would “open”! We ended up playing with some 4.5-5.0 players that a KOA pickleball player/worker had invited for tonight. I enjoyed the games, but the next day we had rain all day, so we just focused on getting laundry done and using the really nice shower facilities.
FYI – Wisconsin Public Service Announcement: This area really enforces speed limits (although we always drive just at or under the limit on the highways, especially with an out-of-state license plate), but we noticed they had TWO patrol cars each time when a vehicle was pulled over. We wondered–wow, is this a dangerous area and they work in teams for more protection? No, it is for the second state patrol car to then pull over any vehicle that does not either move over one lane, or slow down if they can’t move over as they pass. Slowing down 75mph speed limit to 60mph isn’t enough. It means down to 40mph!
The PLAN was to stay at the Cabela’s in St Paul, Minnesota, but when I called them prior to our arrival, they said it was not permitted due to their city ordinances. They suggested the Cracker Barrel in Lakeview. Since we were planning on going to the Mall of America tomorrow, the Cracker Barrel in Lakeview would actually be closer, so that’s where we went. Great night. We had so much space and we were completely level – just pulling in! AWESOME!
MALL OF AMERICA
We arrived early to ensure easy parking. The area we hung over was not for parking, so it worked perfectly for us! The Level 1 North Entrance was very convenient to this lot.
Wow – Yes, this place is huge! The large “attractions” are based in one large area – “the center”. The attractions weren’t open yet when we arrived, but that gave us a chance to walk around – and see what all was here, and get pictures without a bunch of strangers in them.
Cool LEGO area:
These LEGO displays were all big, but this guy was huge!
CREATIVE WALL CLIMBING CHOICES at “Climb Zone”
Attractions we were interested in: “Fly Over America”, “Museum of Illusions” and “SeaLife”. Each one was about $30 for each adult. We didn’t need to spend $200 here. (We aren’t at Disneyland for the day. LOL) So which do we do? Hmmm…
While we like the “fly-over” type attractions, we have done them at Disneyland and DisneyWorld multiple times. The Museum of Illusions intrigued me, but there is one in Seattle that would prefer to do when we visit Washington next summer. Hopefully, Abby, Maddox and Richard will be able to join us.
We decided to see the SeaLife Aquarium with the added on shark virtual experience. The virtual piece was just OK. You can get more exciting video just watching “Shark Week”. BUT the aquarium was really cool!
Yep–it’s what you think. One of the first things we saw. LOL
What makes this aquarium unique are the tanks that continue flow over a 300 ft-long tunnel walkway! LOVED the immersive environment -without getting wet. 🙂
The Mbu pufferfish has a powerful bite that can crush their prey. Their eyes move independently so they can always be on the lookout for their next meal or being someone else’s meal.
Rays: A stingray’s mouth, nostrils and gill slits are on the underside of its disc-shaped body, its eyes and spiracles are on the top. Spiracles transfer water in and out of the gills so the stingray doesn’t breathe sand in when they’re hiding!
Some stingrays move their whole body in a wavy motion that propels them forward. Other species flap their fins like a bird wings and “fly” through the water.
Baby Rays: Female stingrays give birth once a year. Two to six pups are born at a time and come out with their fins wrapped around them looking like a burrito! The pup is fully developed and can fend for itself!
Green Tree Monitor – These are arboreal (tree) lizards. Their sharp claws and prehensile (grasping) tails make them great climbers and allow them to maneuver through the treetops. These monitors reach about 5 feet, with tails TWICE the length of their bodies!
Females lay their eggs inside termite mounds. The mounds protect the eggs from predators, and baby monitors then have a tasty termite snack waiting when they hatch!
The arapaima is the largest freshwater fish in the aquarium. It can get up to 440 pounds! They are found in the slow moving rivers of the Amazon River basin in Brazil, Peru and Guyana.
These fish (Midas Cichlid) were cool. The male has the large bump on its forehead. It is used to attract the females.
Sharks, Stingrays, Sawfish and Guitarfish
Did you know that even though sharks are classified as fish, they don’t have bones? Their skeletons are made from rubbery cartilage just like our nose and ears.
Sand sharks are the only sharks that gulp in air at the surface. This air in their stomach makes them buoyant to be able to stay motionless and watch for prey.
Unlike other shark species, whitecap reef sharks don’t need to constantly swim to survive! Whitecaps can pump water over their gill and lie still – their favorite napping spots are in caves.
Nurse sharks have brown bodies, roundish faces, and barbells – appendages below their nostrils. Barbells help nurse sharks sense bottom-dwelling prey.
Bowmouth guitarfish, also known as a shark ray, can adapt their color to camouflage themselves within their environment. In sandy areas they tend to be lighter, and in rocky areas they are darker.
Sea Turtles
Not only are clownfish so colorful and cute, but ever since Finding Nemo came out and then Finding Dory, we have watched both movies so many times with Isaac and Mona, that I always think of them when I see any. So I must take a picture. Dory is a tang–regal blue, but there are so many different tangs that are all beautiful!
Rockfish
Such cool maze-like design on this guy. Depending on the lighting – you can see a green glow stripe along the top of the fish.
Seahorses – There are nearly 50 species of seahorse. The smaller can be just the size of a fingernail, while the largest can grow to 30 times that.
Some people believe that seahorses have special healing properties. Every year millions are killed for use in traditional medicines. SeaLife has the biggest seahorse breeding network in the world. They breed more than 13 different species. SeaLife Minnesota breeds more than 200 seahorses annually.
The male seahorse has more to do to be a dad. The female transfers the eggs to a pouch on his abdomen. HE carries them till birth!
Jellyfish with different lighting. Pretty cool.
Sea Urchins and Starfish tank –
There are many Bat Stars in the above picture. The bat star is a sea star with webbing between its short, triangular arms. The bat star plays a vital role in its ecosystems by cleaning algae and decaying animal tissue from the ocean floor.
The larger prominent sea star is the Ochre Star. The ocher star has longer tubular legs. The ochre star grips the shell of its prey with its tube feet and slowly pulls it open. Its typical diet consists of mussels, clams, snails, barnacles and sea urchins.
Barry and I both thoroughly enjoyed the SeaLife Aquarium!
We moved on down the road with the plan to stay at Cabela’s in Maple Grove, MN. When I called…again NO, not permitted to spend the night in the parking lot. Ok…called the Walmart Supercenter (also in Maple Grove). No go! Maple Grove is not RV friendly. We ended up driving to Fuller Rest Area. Worked out GREAT!
Love seeing and reading about this amazing life adventure. What a beautiful world we live in.
Bee Pickleball
It meant a lot to me that you were interested in following my blog! I don’t do anything to “promote” it. I originally was asked by a friend to start one. I enjoy creating this “digital memory album” for us to revisit our travels and experiences while being able to share it with any friends and family who are interested. I know I write maybe more than what people may read, but it keeps the destination richer for me. Thank you for your comment! (See you on the courts again in Menifee!)