You travel in summer to hit the beach. This June, take a break from sandcastles and build plans around another kind of water adventure: National Aquarium Month.
Many Kimpton Hotels are located a short distance from some of the U.S.’s top aquariums, and June is the perfect time to check them out. Some of our hotels even have package deals in honor of National Aquarium Month. Read on for the rundown on them, and the nationwide scoop on where to stay, play and see a shark or two.
Seattle
The renowned Seattle Aquarium is known for its compelling re-creations of Puget Sound waterscapes, and Hotel Monaco Seattle makes it easy and affordable to experience them. With the hotel’s “You Otter Try the Monaco” package, you get two discounted Aquarium tickets, Otter Pops (flavored ice pops), valet parking and a plush otter. A portion of the proceeds goes back to the Aquarium’s Otter Conservation Program.
Additionally, a live 24-hour ‘otter cam’ showcasing the otters at the Aquarium will be on view in the hotel’s living room lobby. Plus, Aquarium employees will drop by Wine Hour throughout the summer to talk about the latest goings-on. The package is available June 1-December 31. To reserve it, go to www.monaco-seattle.com and use rate code OTTER.
Baltimore
If Hotel Monaco Baltimore was any closer to National Aquarium on the Inner Harbor, they’d need to supply each guest with a wetsuit. Joking aside, the Aquarium is a five-story oasis that houses around 16,000 water-loving mammals from around the world. Exhibits include a 335,000-gallon Atlantic coral reef, a shark zone, a South American-style rainforest and one of the world’s largest poison dart frog collections.
Hotel Monaco Baltimore offers a National Aquarium package including two tickets to the aquarium, a deluxe guestroom for two adults (kids stay free), complimentary Continental breakfast for up to four guests at B&O American Brasserie and a 10% discount at B&O American Brasserie for lunch or dinner. To reserve the package, go to: www.monaco-baltimore.com or call 888-752-2636 and use rate code AQUA.
Chicago
Sharks dart, fish zip and jellyfish bobble at Shedd Aquarium, located in downtown Chicago near Kimpton’s Hotel Allegro, Hotel Monaco and Hotel Burnham. From now through October, excitement at the aquatic paradise goes to new depths with the exhibit, Stingray Touch. Step up to an outdoor tank filled with yellow nose stingrays and “pet” their backs; they’ve had their barbs carefully removed, for your safety. Don’t miss the Aquatic Show, featuring flipping dolphins and “dancing” beluga whales.
La Jolla
In southern California, you get a double dose of water fun. Hotel La Jolla is six blocks from La Jolla Shores and its miles of gorgeous beaches. It’s also just one mile from Birch Aquarium at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography. Sitting on a bluff above the Pacific Ocean, it harbors more than 60 habitats of fishes and invertebrates from the cold waters of the Pacific Northwest to the tropical waters of Mexico and beyond. The seahorse exhibit is a big highlight; you can observe more than a dozen species — from pipefish to seadragons — and even visit babies in a seahorse nursery.
Book Hotel La Jolla’s “Something Fishy” package and get two tickets to the aquarium and deluxe accommodations. Plus, with every package booking, the hotel donates 5% of the room rate to the Aquarium’s Adopt a Fish program. To reserve the package, go to: www.hotellajolla.com or call 800-941-1149 and use the rate code BIRCH.
Denver
The Mile High City’s Downtown Aquarium is equally known for its ocean animal exhibits as it is for its family-friendly restaurant. More than a million gallons of water hold around 500 species of animals from around the world. Don’t miss the Coral Lagoon, a pretty grouping of colorful barrier reefs; and the Mystic Mermaids show, featuring choreographed underwater dancing by faux mermaids (sshh … the kids will think they’re real). Book your room at Hotel Monaco Denver by calling 303-296-1717 or go to www.monaco-denver.com.
We hope you can make it out to these world-class aquariums this June. You’ll be glad you took the plunge!
