Calling all chocolate lovers....

Less than three weeks before Valentine's Day, shop for amazing sweets for your sweetie from some of the region's best chocolatiers as the Maritime Aquarium located on 10 North Water Street in Norwalk CT is taken over on Sun., Jan. 26 by Chocolate World Expo.  This event is perfect for people who are serious about chocolate, not for folks looking to load up on candy commonly available in most grocery aisles.

The Expo, one of the largest consumer-oriented chocolate events in the United States, will feature some 40 vendors who will offer tastings and sales of their products. They'll be set up throughout the Aquarium's galleries.

Vendors at the Expo typically offer small tasting-sized portions of their products that can be tried right away. Think of the chocolate tastings in the way you might think of a wine tasting at a winery: you get a small sample to try and you often get to talk with the person who made the product. If you like what you've tasted, you can purchase that product directly at the show for yourself or as a gifts.

Chocolate lovers will find much more at the expo than traditional chocolates as this event features unique offerings like chocolate-covered bacon and – appropriate for the Aquarium – one vendor’s “chocolate shark bites.”  Vendors will also offer baked goods, specialty foods and even fine soaps and bath products.

All of The Maritime Aquarium exhibits will be open on Jan. 26 – and will stay open two hours longer than normal: from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

Your Chocolate World Expo admission includes Aquarium admission.  IMAX^® movies are available as an additional ticket, as always. 

The special admission price on Jan. 26 is $15 for adults and $10 for kids 3-12.

Aquarium Members Important Notice:
Aquarium Members receive a $2 per person discount (adult and child) on event/Aquarium admission this day. Senior member price is same as adult price. Sorry, but Aquarium members do not receive free admission for this special event. Member guest discounts do not apply.

For more information about the Maritime Aquarium www.maritimeaquarium.org.  For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

December Creature Cruises in Long Island Sound

Bundle up for a fun journey out onto Long Island Sound in hopes of seeing some of the seals that spend the winter just off our shores during The Maritime Aquarium’s new season of Winter Creature Cruises.

These invigorating cruises seek out the harbor seals and gray seals that have been coming down into the Sound each winter. Educators on board the research vessel Oceanic will point out these federally protected marine mammals and talk about their natural histories. They’ll also help identify such winter waterfowl as buffleheads, mergansers and long-tailed ducks.

The 2013-14 Winter Creature Cruise season kicks off the weekend of Dec. 28-29 and will be offered on many Saturdays & Sundays through April 5.  Dates and departure times will vary by the tide schedule.  Initial cruises are: Sat., Dec. 28 at 1 p.m.; Sun., Dec. 29 at 1:30 p.m.; and Sat., Jan. 11 at 1 p.m.  See the full season schedule at www.maritimeaquarium.org.

Tickets for a Winter Creature Cruise are $22.95, or $17.95 for Aquarium members.  Participants must be at least 42 inches tall.  We recommend that you bring binoculars and plenty of warm clothes!

Space on the Oceanic is limited so advance reservations are strongly recommended. Walk-up tickets will be sold, space permitting. The cruises depart from the dock outside the Aquarium’s IMAX movie theater.

For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com.

IT’S SUPER OCTOBER … WITH SUPERMAN ON IMAX® AND LIVE APPEARANCES BY MARVEL SUPERHEROES AT THE MARITIME AQUARIUM AT NORWALK

It’s a Super October at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, which is presenting some of the world’s greatest superheroes … both on the giant IMAX^® movie screen and also live and in person.

Superman is defending truth, justice and the American way on weekends in The Maritime Aquarium via the Hollywood blockbuster “Man of Steel,” which has been digitally remastered into the unsurpassed IMAX format.

And Marvel Comics is sending three of its superheroes to Norwalk on consecutive Saturdays to meet Aquarium visitors and pose for photos:  Thor on Oct. 12; Captain America on Oct. 19; and Spider-Man on Oct. 26.  Times for each are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“Who hasn’t dreamed of being a superhero; of having super powers to battle bad guys and alien creeps to save the day?” asked Chris Loynd, the Aquarium’s marketing director. “Whether you’re young or old, you’ve cheered on Superman, Thor, Captain American and Spider-Man and followed their exploits. They’re truly legends of our culture, and we’re excited to be hosting them here at the Aquarium.”

During the Marvel superheroes’ visits, youngsters can pose for photos and get autographs too.

Each appearance is free with Aquarium admission: $19.95 for adults, $17.95 for youths (13-17) & seniors (65+), and $12.95 for children 3-12. Kids 2 & under are admitted free.

Meanwhile, over in the IMAX Theater, the Superman story is playing out in the Hollywood film “Man of Steel” at 4 & 7:30 p.m. on Fridays & Saturdays and at 4 p.m. on Sundays. Henry Cavill dons the red “S” this time, as a young man who journeys to discover where he came from and what heroic tasks he was sent to Earth to perform. The film’s A-list supporting cast includes Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne, Dianne Lane and Kevin Costner.

“Man of Steel” is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence, action and destruction, and also for some language.

Tickets for “Man of Steel” are $11.50 for adults, $10.50 for youths (13-17) & seniors (65+), and $9.50 for ages 12 & under. 

To combine an Aquarium visit with a 4 p.m. screening of “Man of Steel,” tickets are $31.45 for adults, $28.45 for youths & seniors, and $22.45 for children.

For more information about Maritime Aquarium events, exhibits and IMAX movies, go online to www.maritimeaquarium.orgwww.maritimeaquarium.org or call (203) 852-0700.

For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

EXCITING HANDS-ON ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS ON LONG ISLAND SOUND THIS SUMMER

Go aboard The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk’s research vessel this summer to journey out onto Long Island Sound and discover first-hand “what’s down there?”

The Aquarium’s hands-on Marine Life Study Cruises offers exciting introductions to fish, crabs, skates and other animals brought up right out of the water and onto the research vessel Oceanic for examination.

The study cruises will depart on Saturdays at 1 p.m. through June 29 and will push off at 1 p.m. daily in July and August.

“Before people can be inspired to take actions to preserve and protect Long Island Sound, they first must understand what animals are in the Sound and how complex, diverse and alive this marine environment is,” said Jamie Alonzo, the Aquarium’s director of education. “Our best exhibits within the Aquarium can’t top the immediacy and impact of seeing dozens of animals come up out of the water right in front of your eyes.”

During each 2^1/2-hour Marine Life Study Cruise, animals are brought onboard from different water levels and bottom habitats of the Sound. A video microscope provides a magnified look at wriggly plankton gathered at the sunlit surface. Tiny crabs and worms emerge from a sampling of the anaerobic muddy bottom. A biodredge reveals a hidden world of sponges, snails and mollusks. And everyone inspects the trawl net's bounty: varieties of fish and crabs, skates, lobsters, sea stars, squid and always a few surprises.

Maritime Aquarium educators involve participants in the processes, from sorting through samples to helping to pull in the trawl net and returning animals to the water.

Besides being fun and eye-opening, Marine Life Study Cruises also contribute to local scientific research. Water-chemistry and weather readings are taken. And details about the animals brought onboard are entered into the Aquarium’s Long Island Sound Biodiversity Project, a database of physical and biological features available online to teachers and researchers.

Also during the study cruises, as part of a Horseshoe Crab Census conducted by Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, The Maritime Aquarium tags and records data about all horseshoe crabs collected.

“Boat rides are always great for some family fun, but the animal encounters and learning opportunities make our study cruises even more memorable,” Alonzo said.

Cost of a Marine Life Study Cruise is $20.50 per person ($18.50 for Maritime Aquarium members).  All passengers must be at least 42 inches tall. 

Reservations are strongly recommended; walk-up tickets will be sold space permitting. The Oceanic can accommodate 29 passengers.

Marine Life Study Cruises also are available for weekday charters for schools on field trips, summer camps, Scouts and other groups at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Cruises depart from the dock near the Aquarium's IMAX Theater entrance.

To reserve your spot on a Maritime Aquarium Marine Life Study Cruise or for more details, go to www.maritimeaquarium.orgwww.maritimeaquarium.org or call (203) 852-0700, ext. 2206.