A Day at the Aquarium (+ Giving Back Through My Credit Card)

Last week, we decided we need to do something fun together as a family. Things had been feeling pretty down around here, between a major family loss and the wintertime blues, and we were due for a good time. Robbie was off the road for the week and I was able to squeeze in enough work while he was home to take Friday off, so we asked Essley to pick something she'd really love to do for the day and (as long it was within reason, of course) we'd do it. Without a second thought, she began jumping up and down yelling "Aquarium! Aquarium!" We hadn't been in a couple of years and knew that would be something Emmett could enjoy as well, so that Friday we packed up a day bag and headed to the Shedd Aquarium here in Chicago.

It ended up being such a great day and exactly what we needed. We happened to go on a day that had special deals happening for residents (score!), so we went for the all experience pass which included all of the regular exhibits, a short 4D movie, and the aquatic show (which, instead of being a traditional dolphin show, introduced the audience to some of the animals the aquarium has rescued and provided a video presentation about conservation and rescue). Essley was super stoked about stumbling up a clownfish and then a blue tang fish (Nemo and Dory), but seemed the most excited about the Beluga whales and the seahorses. Emmett was all about the penguins. I loved the otters and the seahorses. And Robbie and I were both fascinated by the shark eggs and the tiny baby sharks that were visible inside of them. (Seriously, it was mind blowing.) By the end of the day we were all happily exhausted, which in my opinion is the sign of a truly great experience.

In addition to the fact that a day at the aquarium is a great way for the kids (and us adults too!) to participate in a fun activity, it's also an incredible way to learn more about marine life, the environment, and the importance of conservation - and to take advantage of opportunities to give back. Whenever we visit a place like the aquarium, a zoo or wildlife refuge, or a museum, we always give some sort of donation, and we also use our Working Assets Visa card to purchase our tickets as another way to donate. I chose to get a Working Assets credit card because with each purchase, they give a portion of the charge to organizations that support peace, equality, human rights, animals, and the environment. And cardholders get to vote on the organizations to which they want donations to go. So at the end of the year, I can think back to our aquarium trip, for example, and choose Ocean Conservancy as one recipient. It's really important to us to teach our kids the significance of supporting organizations that help the greater good, and using this card is one way to do that. It's a credit card perk that I genuinely feel good about, and the perfect card for me for this reason.

And speaking of credit card perks and finding the right card for your lifestyle, I recently learned about CreditCards.com's CardMatch tool, which in less than a minute can match you with the perfect card for you. Whether you're interested in maximizing your perks and rewards, lowering your interest rates, or something more specific (like finding a card that makes charity donations like mine), CardMatch can help find the best match for you (and does so without impacting your credit score in any way). I'm a fan of CreditCards.com in general because being responsible with credit is another important lesson we are already trying to teach our children - and instead of pushing cards on consumers, CreditCards.com helps us make smart choices by empowering us to use the right cards in the right way.

Who else has visited an aquarium lately? Do you have a favorite credit card to use for family adventures?

Thank you for supporting the brands that help make Bubby and Bean possible. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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