By Holly Gould
Loveland Living Planet Aquarium invites you to join them for a night full of fun under the sea at Halloween on the High Seas in Draper, UT. This brand-new Halloween Event is a magical addition to any family’s fall activity lineup. The evening is full of fun characters, interactive quests, and activities to please kids of all ages.
My husband and I were looking for a fall adventure. We took a departure from our regular date nights of movies, theater, and game nights and had the opportunity to attend this new family-friendly underwater adventure. Our home dwelling (high school) children are much too mature for anything deemed kid-worthy, so we picked up my niece, nephew, and his friend and took off on the great drive north to the aquarium. Not knowing exactly what to expect, we were delighted with the evening’s experience.
Greeted by fantastically fun characters in beautifully detailed costumes, we start the night with a stroll down the Seaside Carnival where we are directed by a cheerfully friendly carnival barker who directs us towards games of strength and skill. The whole group enjoys the self-guided carnival games and took advantage of the plentiful photo opportunities along the way. Sprinkled in the mix are a few craft vendors and snack booths (Try the gelato – you won’t be disappointed!).
A fun augmented reality quest is available through The Living Planet app that pleases our tech savvy crew and provides an interactive storytelling experience throughout every area in the park. Our kids had so much fun searching for the next characters as they explored.
The visual highlight of the evening was the pirate ship. Making use of super cool, yet simple lighting combined with fog machines creates a spooky mood while not being overly scary. As we exit the boat tunnel, we are met with a fierce, yet friendly pirate crew who interacts in such a fun way with the kids, sending them on a quest to watch for lost treasure on the night’s journey.
Dance party central takes place at Klub Kelp, which is located on the epic ECCO Stage, centrally located at the park. The underwater feel is brought to life with music, bubbles, lights, and enthusiastic sea characters who encourage both young, and young at heart visitors to flip their fins and dance the night away. While we did not wear costumes on our visit, I would highly recommend it, as a costume parade takes place every hour (on the half-hour). It is so much fun for all of the little ghosts, monsters, and princesses.
So many characters and performers make appearances through the evening. They are talented and fun to interact with. Catch a glimpse of the High-Lo bicycle rider, stop in at the fortune teller’s booth, snap a photo with beautiful mermaids, and observe the highly skilled aerial silk acrobats. Head back to the center stage at the top of each hour for a character dance performance that is not to be missed.
There are a couple of “mommy notes” to consider.
- Have your kids wear costumes. The dance party and costume parade are more fun dressed up. There will also be trick or Treating on the last two weekends of the event.
- There is an optional Scare Zone. They recommend ages 11 and up, but we felt like the scaring was very mild and would be fine for younger kids as well.
- There are food trucks and snack carts available with food to purchase. They offered mostly snack items the night we attended.
Halloween on the High Seas is purely magical. There was so much to do at this very family-oriented Halloween adventure, we had a hard time getting our kids to want to leave. While the event is geared toward younger kids, we had a great time and feel that kids of all ages will have so many options of activities to participate in and be entertained. Gather your whole crew and embark on the journey to the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium in Draper for a fun filled evening that you won’t want to miss.
Loveland Living Planet Aquarium presents Halloween on the High Seas.
Tickets Adults $13.95, Discount Admission Teen 13-17, Senior 65+, Student, or Military $10.95, Children 3-12 $8.95, 2 and Under Free
Loveland Living Planet Aquarium Facebook Page
Halloween on the High Seas Facebook Event
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