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Due to the recent uptick in COVID cases, the aquarium has decided to cancel all January sleep-ins. We have not yet decided what our next steps will be (a virtual sleep-in? An in-person event but pushed into late Winter/early Spring?) but will keep everyone apprised.
We will also begin issuing refunds over the next day or so. Please let us know if you have any questions!
Original event posted below for posterity:
BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE
Pack 270 Winter Sleep-In (January 22nd, 2022)
Maritime Aquarium
10 North Water Street
Norwalk, CT 06854
When: January 22nd – 23rd. Arrive anytime between 5:45 and 6:30. Orientation begins at 6:45PM
Covid-19 Procedures
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic the Aquarium has made some change to our traditional overnight procedures.
Parking
Use the municipal parking garage at the corner Ann and North Water Streets. Do not use the metered lot at the IMAX entrance. The parking fee per car is $8. Please remind all drivers to bring their parking tickets into the aquarium with them. They will need to have it with them to check out in the morning in the lobby at the garage, and also in case they need to access their car in the middle of the night.
Arriving at The Aquarium
After parking in the garage, bring your overnight belongings and follow the signs for the Aquarium’s main entrance. Groups can arrive and begin gathering as early as 5pm in Oyster Hall. Please stay in Oyster Hall until an aquarium staff member greets the groups and begins the check-in process. his typically occurs around 6pm.
Check-In
You’ll receive directions to your sleeping area where you can then proceed and store overnight belongings. Please do not set-up belongings before bedtime. Store belongings against a wall in your designated sleeping area and try to avoid blocking tanks and doorways. After the group’s overnight belongings are stored the group to explore Aquarium exhibits and galleries. Orientation will begin around 6:45pm in Newman’s Own Hall.
Overnight Schedule
The exact timing will depend on total overnight group size.
Check-in: 6:00pm
Orientation: 6:45pm
Evening Activities: 7:00pm-10:15pm
Dinner, Tour, Movie and Craft
Snack: 10:15pm
Get ready for bed: 10:30pm
Wake-up: 7:30am
Morning Activities: 8:00am-10:00am
Breakfast, private seal training demonstration, self-guided tour
Schedule of Activities
Attached is a schedule of events. Please share a copy of it with each adult attending the overnight. Sea stars will eat at approximately 7 PM and Seahorses will eat at approximately 8:15 PM. Lights out is not later than 11PM. Wake up is at 7AM. Groups will need to bring their belongings out to their car before returning to the Aquarium for breakfast, which starts at 8AM. The scout program formally ends at 10AM, but your group is welcome to stay for the full day. See the parking information above regarding additional parking fees.
Menu and Food Allergies
Please notify us 2-week in advance of any food allergies so that we may plan accordingly. Parents are welcome to contact us directly to discuss options for participants with food sensitivities. The menu is as follows: dinner is cheese pizza and tossed garden salad, along with soda or water; snack is Oreos and whole fruit, milk or water; and breakfast is an assortment of cold cereals, milk, bagels, and fruit juice. There is coffee, decaf, and tea available during mealtimes for the adults. We strongly recommend that everyone have a snack before they arrive at the event, as dinner is served later than most children are used to eating.
Instructions for Children
Children should bring one bag (so it can be easily carried from the parking lot) containing a sleeping bag, sleeping pad/mat, small pillow, and personal care items. A twin sized camping air mattress is acceptable. Please be aware that electrical outlets are not readily available, so battery operated pumps are preferred. If you have a larger than twin sized air mattress, you must have a second person on it with you. We suggest that everyone dresses in layers, suitable for active play and sleep. Changing into pajamas is not recommended due to limited changing area space. If anyone in your group is light sensitive, we suggest an eye mask, as there are emergency lights that must remain on in each gallery throughout the night for your safety.
Sleeping areas
Groups will be assigned by the Aquarium to specific sleeping areas based on age and group size. Sleeping areas will be on either vinyl or carpeted floors. You are welcome to bring a piece of plastic or cloth to use as a barrier between the floor and your sleeping pad or sleeping bag. We cannot promise any group a specific sleeping gallery, but will take everyone’s requests into consideration. Please make sure your group knows that the animals and other overnight participants need sleep too, and may not be in their exhibit spaces at night. Also, you may be assigned to a gallery that does not contain animals.
Cellular phones and other electronics
Please be courteous to other campers and leave all cellphones on vibrate. If you need to take an emergency call, please be mindful of the group and go to a quiet spot away from the activity. After 10 PM and until 7:30 AM, we ask that all electronic equipment be turned off and stored for the night.
In Case of Emergency
Call the Maritime Aquarium security office at 203-852-0700 X 2250. In case of medical emergency, Norwalk Hospital is less than 2 miles from The Maritime Aquarium. When a parent is coming to pick up a child in the middle of the night the group leader must be present and must notify the overnight TMA supervisor/staff of the situation prior to the child leaving the property. The group leader/chaperone is responsible of releasing the child to the parent, not a TMA employee or security.
The Gift Shop
Will be open at 9:45AM the morning after the overnight for participants.
Inclement Weather
In case of a severe weather, we will be in contact with the group leaders. No decision will be made regarding rescheduling until the day of the scheduled event. In the event that the weather makes driving too hazardous, we will make every effort to reschedule at a later date. No refunds will be issued for inclement weather.
Do NOT Bring
Cots, snacks, gum, alcoholic beverages, cigarettes (including e-cigarettes), electronic games, large sums of cash, or valuables.
Permission Slip
The following permissions slip needs to be signed and presented at the event.
(281) 435-0098
jonny171@sbcglobal.net