The Suncor Energy Fluvarium, St. John’s, Newfoundland
**Disclosure: our family received tickets to the Fluvarium in exchange for this blog post. All opinions are our own.**
Before heading to St. John’s for a family vacation, we asked for advice of where to visit with the kids. The Fluvarium was an overwhelming response.
According to their website, the word Fluvarium is derived from the latin root “fluv” meaning flowing water. Fluvarium therefore literally means “windows on a stream”, and aptly describes the nine large viewing windows that allow our guests a glimpse into a natural, freshwater habitat.
The Suncor Energy Fluvarium is run by the Quidi Vidi/Rennie’s River Development Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to environmental education and freshwater ecology.
Setting up our Visit
Before going to Newfoundland I contacted the museum to let them know we would be coming. The staff was so incredibly helpful in making arrangements for our trip.
First, they advised us when the best time to visit would be. It would be better for us to come during the week to avoid the birthday party crowds on the weekend. And, we should be there for the 4pm feeding time.
Not only did the staff give us great tips for visiting the centre, but they also helped with advice for the rest of our trip! It was a great way to feel welcome!
Our Visit
After our plane touched down in St. John’s, we immediately headed to the Fluvarium. This was a less than 10 minute drive from the airport, and was so easy to find.
We announced ourselves at the front desk and were immediately met by the wonderful staff who welcomed us to the Fluvarium.
Bob gave us a tour of the facility, providing an overview of the different areas of the centre.
He quickly showed us some highlights, knowing that the boys wanted to start exploring and playing!
We then set out on our own.
The Fluvarium
The Fluvarium has three floors. The main floor is used for catering and events, and then you continue down the stairs, going below the river.
The middle floor contains most of the exhibits.
As you go around the circle, you learn about water in the past present and future. What makes up water? How do organisms depend on water? What are humans doing – positively and negatively – to our wetlands?
All of the exhibits are interactive.
For young children, there is a toy and activity area including colouring sheets and puppets.
For elementary-aged kids there are a lot of hands-on learning opportunities.
The boys’ favourite place to explore was the microscope area.
There was an array of items from dragonfly wings to feathers that the kids could put under the camera and have it magnified on a screen on the wall.
We had a great time exploring everything from these objects to cuts on our hands!
Daniel, 9, really loved the Fluvarium and thought it was really fun. “I liked looking at the river and seeing all the fish. I LOVE aquarium life!”
Thomas, 7, agreed. “It’s the first aquarium I’ve been to that has a window into a stream!” Thomas loved all the activities to do, especially playing with the microscope.
“I loved that it wasn’t all about fish, either. It was about bugs and animals, too!”
Feeding Time
We planned our trip so that we could be there for the 4pm feeding time which happened on the bottom floor.
Here there are 9 windows that look out into the river. You can see fish and other organisms in their natural habitats.
Our guide, Tracy, brought several treats for the fish.
She went upstairs and outside to drop in prawns for the trout who were anxiously waiting below!
After feeding the trout, we went around the corner where there were tanks of animals from Newfoundland.
The water for the tanks is gravity fed from outside, so the tanks look like they are set up as stepping stones.
By far, the boys enjoyed watching the eel being fed!
There were other great animals from frogs and toads and several varieties of fish.
This was a definite trip highlight!
Walking Trails
There are several walking trails at the Fluvarium.
We first went on a 5 minute walk beside the building where we could see the stream from above ground.
We saw the fish ladder and the ecosystem around the stream.
There is also a walking trail that goes around the adjacent lake, and another one that leads to downtown. Everything is connected by trail!
We just did a few minutes of the lake trail (because we needed to get back for feeding time). However, while walking, we collected a few specimens, as per the advice of the staff, to look under the microscope! This was great fun!
The Fluvarium is open daily year round. It’s great to go back and see how the ecosystems change with the varying weather conditions!
Adults: $7.00
Students: $5.00
Children under 14: $4.00
Preschoolers under 4: Free
Family Rate (2 adults, 2 children): $20.00
It takes about 1.5 hours to go through the museum.
The Fluvarium really is appropriate for all ages of kids. There is something for everyone to get out of your visit!
All funds go to help support this non-profit organization.
The next time you are in St. John’s, be sure to add the Fluvarium to your MUST SEE list.
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