Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive.” Rod Stewart’s “Maggie May.” “The Sweetest Thing” by U2. What do these tunes have in common? They were all “B” side hits. For those of you who remember records (those vinyl discs that music was stored on back when dinosaurs roamed the earth), you’ll recall that the popular songs were on the “A” side, and the secondary tracks were relegated to the “B” side.

We’ve had some “B” sides in our travels, too, so I’m giving them their due in today’s post. In our (okay, my) overzealous quest to seek out BIG attractions, we sometimes visited places solely because of their size. Some have been less than a BIG hit with the kids. Still, I contend that there’s something interesting in all of these large sites, and not just because of their size!

World’s Longest Bridge Tunnel

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, also known as the Lucius J, Kellam Bridge Tunnel, connects the eastern tip of Virginia at Fisherman’s Island to Virginia Beach.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel

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Greater Cleveland Aquarium

Where we went, and who was coerced into going:

Over Memorial Day, we drove to Cleveland, and remarkably, only had to separate the kids once during the drive. The invisible line I painted down the middle of the back seat lasted nearly 8 hours before it was infiltrated. I consider that time frame a good ROI on the invisible paint.

We were pleasantly surprised by all there is to do in Cleveland. We visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, of course, and the delightfully quirky world’s largest rubber stamp. Another stop on our itinerary was the Greater Cleveland Aquarium, a new attraction and home to the World’s Longest Underwater “Sea Tube.”

Okay, what was so cool about it?

The Sea Tube is the main attraction in this aquarium, which itself is relatively small (the world’s largest aquarium is in Atlanta, GA).  There is only one floor of exhibits, and it took us less than two hours to make our way through the themed galleries, including: Ohio Lakes & Rivers; Exotic Freshwater; Florida Keys; Tropical Reef, and Weird & Wonderful.

For young children, the manageable size is a definite advantage. Many of the tanks were positioned low to the ground, as well, so little ones get a great view. I can imagine they go through a lot of window cleaner with all those wee noses pressed up against the glass!

Bet they purchase their Windex at Costco!

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Georgia Aquarium

Sometimes, you get the best perspective about an attraction from a “local.” This month’s guest post is from an old college friend, Tina. “Old” as in, I’ve know her for over 20 years. Not ancient. In fact, I recently saw her at our 20^th reunion (same trip as the World’s Largest Rotating Globe), and now think she’s made some sort of youth-extending deal with the Devil. Yet, I still like her. She took a Seussical approach to naming her sons Boy #1 and Boy #2 for the purposes of online embarrassment. I dig it.

Tina doesn’t live far from the world’s largest aquarium in Atlanta. The Georgia Aquarium features more animals than any other aquarium, in more than eight million gallons of water. Her report:

Where we went, and who was coerced into going:

I went to the incredibly large, exquisitely fish-filled Georgia Aquarium, which has the largest tank in the world. I took along my 4 1/2 year old son on his maiden voyage. We made it a playdate with my neighbor Carla and her 7 year old.

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