Burlington VT's ECHO Museum

We have ventured from the woods and across the pond. We are compelled to see the exhibit, “Attack of the Bloodsuckers!” at the ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center located in Burlington, VT. I am not known for a fondness for anything of the horror genre so I usually abstain from anything that will cause two small children to crawl into bed with me at night. But I’m willing to go anywhere to learn more about my nemesis, the black fly.

We have not gone to ECHO (a place to view the Ecology, Culture, History and Opportunities of the Lake Champlain Basin) before and enter the buildings to the sound of running water. The children rush up the stairs while my husband and I consult the brochure. I grab a Discovery Trail (flyer with scavenger hunt) but find it unnecessary. There is plenty else to do. We find our children at the tide pool petting starfish and anemones. We turn the corner and attempt to excavate some Beluga Wale bones. I do an on camera weather report while my son ventures into Frog World. I find him at a computer morphing his face into a frog.

The last stop is the “Attack of the Bloodsuckers.” Beside the gross-out factor of watching mosquito larvae, which was quite hypnotic, I learned that black flies only lay eggs and hatch in unpolluted water. Finding them in abundance is a sign of low pollution. I am not sure if the fact that they are an indicator of our Adirondack clean water makes up for the fact that every spring I become an unwilling participant in their food chain.

We play TwITCHer, placing our hands and feet on the appropriate game pieces while someone calls out, “Left hand on head louse.” Yuck! It makes one want to itch. We see sea lampreys, leeches, and a giant tick. I briefly swear off swimming in ponds and rivers.

ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center is open year-round from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets range from $7-9:50.
Coupons and discounts
Free admission for K-12 classroom teachers with a credential ID
$1 off coupon for up to four people that is in the ECHO brochure
aAny Vermont and NY resident will get $2 off admission through April 28th.

Call 877-ECHOFUN for restrictions.