Day 5 (Thursday) - Aquarium Time & A Night With The Symphony

Days at the beach can take their toll so a good pace is definitely key to surviving.  I also started to get the feeling we were in too much of a mind frame to head home.  So what better way to break it up than with a visit to the Virginia Beach Aquarium and Research Center!  We called up our Uber and we were off down Pacific, across the bridge and we were right there.

At first, I felt a little underwhelmed but then we quickly realized that the aquarium showcases both sea life off of Viriginia's coast and the intercoastal life.  Spread across 25 acres with a massive rope course, I quickly changed my opinion on it all.  Otters, seals, snakes, crabs, and a few other great displays all made this a unique experience.  No, we didn't do the rope course  but I have no doubt in my mind it was challenging.  We grabbed a lunch that hit the spot and toured a bit more.  Once we did we headed back for some more beach time.

Jake and I hit the waves and swam out to the sandbar where we felt like we could touch the Pirate Ship that tours back and forth.  Then came the really cool thing.  A navy helo approached and flared above us creating 4 massive waves!  Really fun.

We packed up and readied ourselves for dinner.  Jill had her heart set on Hibachi since we left PA and it is a vacation tradition that we all enjoy.  So we found a place called "Shogun" and it was quite nice and really big.  Our chef was definitely one of the funnier ones as he prepared Jill's 'microwave' dinner!  We had NO takeouts which I beleive is a rare event if not a first!

We had another funny Uber experience and headed back just in time for the beginning of the Virginia Symphony to begin.  A beautiful sound that included selections we were all familiar with to include Star Wars, Kiss Me Kate,  and select Tchaikovsky pieces.

After the performance we headed back down the Atlantic strip in search of the Creamwhiched place where we experienced a really unique desert.  Jake had an Oreo doughnut with Cookies and Cream ice cream, Jill had a scoop of Mint Chocolate and Chocolate between belgium waffles, and I had a Glazed Donut with Vanilla.  It was a good thing we had to walk back!

Jill and I took off our shoes and walked the beach in search of sea life while Jen and Jake walked the boardwalk.  Jill and I spotted a tiny crab.  Once Jake heard, he wanted to head back out.  So we grabbed flashlights and nets and headed to the surf.

While there we found jellies, fish, and some tiny crabs.  As midnight approached we walked to the rocking chairs where Jen and Jillian were playing heads up.  A fun round of the game to wind down the day.