A Holly Jolly Christmas

“Christmas works like glue, it keeps us all sticking together.” ― Rosie Thomas, Iris & Ruby

Scenes from my family Christmas in Oklahoma. A tradition that changes all the time and forever stays the same.

Legends of the Fall

Three Reasons to Visit the Aquarium Solo

Sometime in October, I had a free day off work and a chance to visit the Chicago Shedd Aquarium solo. At first, I honestly had no desire to do this. I won’t lie when I say that I was embarrassed to go alone. What would I do there? Would I even have fun? Well guys, I went and I liked it. I didn’t love it. If I’m being honest, it would’ve been more fun to have a friend there, but it was different experience than having someone else there.

I’m sure everyone’s solo experiences are different, but I wanted to share a little post on why you should go solo. Here are my top 3 reasons:

1. You can take your time. For the most part when visiting any type of museum or aquarium, you hurry along with your partner or group looking at each thing as long as someone’s attention span lasts. But when travelling alone, you can take your time and see the things that interest you. You can sit on a bench and soak up the swimming sharks or the playful penguins. You can take the time and read the info or coast by and just look at the things that interest you.

2. You can wear headphones. This might seem like an odd thing, but I waltzed about the aquarium alternating between peaceful guitar music and my audio book. I sat for almost an hour listening to my book and watching the belugas swim from one side of the tank to the other. Sure the sounds of kids screaming would’ve been great, but it made me feel like I had the entire place to myself. You could even listen to a podcast!

3. You’ll learn more. Truthfully, because you’re alone two things will happen that will cause you to take away more from your visit than usual. The first, employees will talk to you. This might seem annoying but just remember that this is their passion. They’re some of most knowledgeable people in the city on their animals. Ask them about the animal your looking at, you may learn something that new that you never knew. The second, you will go through the exhibits quickly and then you’ll go back through them because you want to get your money’s worth. On a second look, your brain will start wandering and asking yourself questions about what you’re looking at and you’ll find yourself googling for more information before you even know what hit you.

So what about you? Do you travel solo? If so, what tips do you have for visiting museums, zoos, aquariums, etc. solo?