After wandering around Church Street for the afternoon, my fiance and I strolled towards the water and saw the aquarium. It didn't take much of a debate before we decided to go in - we love learning about animals, and watching aquatic life sounded like fun. When we entered the aquarium, though, it became clear that this place was more suited for children than adults. The exhibits, though very informative and focused on the changing face of Lake Champlain, included many child-size hands-on demonstrations. Certainly great if you've got little ones in tow, but we soon grew tired of bending over to try things for ourselves. There aren't as many types of fish on display here as there are at other aquariums I've visited. The focus is mainly on the local environment and the inhabitants of its local waters - not only fish, but also plant life and even tribes of people who have lived along the shores. I learned a good deal, but was a little disappointed, if only because it wasn't quite what I expected.
At the end of our visit, we found the "Grossology" exhibit, which is on display at the aquarium until September 4th. At this point, we succumbed to the child-like atmosphere and played a giant operation game (yes, like you remember from when you were a kid, with the red nose that lights up when your tools hit the sides), guessed the smells trapped in bottles, and played a quiz game that taught us about gross bodily functions.
Capping off the day this way made it a little more fun. All in all, I'd recommend the aquarium wholeheartedly to those with children, but not so much to those without.