Everyone LOVES MarineLand!

Sing it with me now... you all know the words...

There's a place I know in Ontario
Where the sealions kiss, so the story goes
It's amazing shows and Friendship Cove
Everyone LOVES Marine Land!

This is a shot of me giving the little girl in the commercial a run for her money (as seen below).  She's got cute pigtails, though, so I'll give her that

One of the first songs I learned when I was a baby wasn't Raffi or Twinkle Twinkle, it was that damned MarineLand song that you cannot get out of your head.

So, since I turned 2 and realized that the song was associated with a place where you can actually visit, I have insisted my parents take me there.

And I finally got my wish! 

Last weekend we packed up our bags and headed back to Niagara Falls for a 3-day visit.  First stop: MarineLand.

Mom loved it, mostly because it was full of rides.

Dad wasn't all that impressed.  Mostly because it was full of rides.

Witness one of the very few rides that Dad went on with me.

In addition to the rides, MarineLand was full of whales and sea creatures (as advertised).  However, upon visiting, we realized that it was also jam-packed with other interesting species... those of the WT variety whose preference for clothing includes the "wife beater" shirt (also sub in the sleeveless metallica concert shirt from 1985)

So, Dad entertained himself all day by humming his own rendition of the MarineLand song, only his version was entitled "GhettoLand"  and the word 'sketchy' was woven into the lyrics several times

Animals lack wheels, which puts them at a disadvantage for capturing my attention.

However, I did pause for a whole 3 minutes that day to observe the sea life

And even I had to concede that this guy was pretty cool.

I wasn't interested in the bears, until I found out that I could feed them

For $3, you can buy an ice cream cone full of corn pops.  You then take the corn pop and lob it up in the air and the bears are experts at catching them in their mouths, no paws.  This is what I imagine a Saturday afternoon at my future fraternity house will be like

Enough with the animals already, back to the rides!

First time on the swings - SO AWESOME.

Similar to the Strawberry Festival, mom was excited that she finally has someone to go on all of the rides with her.  However, if I didn't meet the height requirement I was quickly abandoned and had to hang with Dad 

After a taste of the famed Teacups at Disney, I couldn't wait to ride the Kandu Twister!

Upon the conclusion of this ride, I openly declared to all that THIS was my favourite attraction at MarineLand.

And before we bid a fond farewell to MarineLand, we took in their big show

For the finale, they brought out Buttercup the walrus. 

Buttercup has two tricks.  1. she can wave at the audience (as seen above) and 2. she is the master of the booty shake...  in fact, she performed a booty shake that even rivalled my Team Peachy Madonna dance

"wow, that is one LARGE walrus"

I loved my time at MarineLand.

And I might have had a friend join me for a sleepover at the hotel that evening :)