I still love it whenever I walk away from something feeling a little smarter and that was exactly the case with this week’s Destination Gulf Coast as I ended up at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab on campus from the Aquarium of Alabama. This place is a shining example that education can be fun and exciting!

To start our day, I had a great conversation with Joanne, who is an educator at Dauphin Island Sea Lab, and she couldn’t be more excited to tell me about the programs featured there. One of my favorite programs that Joanne told me about was the Sea Stars program, a camp for students with special needs. Then there are the Gulf Island Journey Campers, who were kind enough to join us for the first part of our day as well. It was great to see so many young people checking out the live specimens that were in the Touch Tank, having a great time discovering all of the “cool creatures” we have here on the Gulf Coast! However, I have to note that the hermit crab pretty much stole the show as everyone’s favorite.

After having a great time with Joanne, it was time for me to have a chat with Mendel, who is also an educator at Dauphin Island Sea Lab, and it was here that I learned that the Sea Lab was recently appointed. Alabama’s official aquarium! So exciting! However, that wasn’t all for Mendel, as she went on to explain that the Sea Lab offers 3 different trips to the aquarium throughout the fall. This is their particular way of showcasing the local ecosystem, in addition to the aquarium.

Overall, not only did I have a great time at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, but I also came out smarter to have learned so much about the Gulf Coast aquatic ecosystem!

For more information on the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, visit: WWW.DISL.EDU