Calling All Adult Jonah's! You're in Luck on Labor Day Weekend at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk

NORWALK, CT — If your name is Jonah, and you're an adult, you'll be treated to free admission Labor Day Weekend at the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, as part of a promotion for its "Giant Walk-In Whale" exhibit, the local attraction announced.

"During the holiday weekend, The Maritime Aquarium will welcome any adult with the first name of Jonah into its life-size inflatable whale – and the entire Aquarium – for free," aquarium officials wrote in a statement. "That’s a $22.95 value (or $20.95 for seniors 65+)."

Just as the Biblical Jonah spent three days inside a whale, the offer is good Sept. 3rd, 4th and 5th, the “Giant Walk-In Whale” exhibit’s final days. The free-admission offer is good to adults (18+) with proof by photo ID, such as a driver’s license. It’s not available for advance online ticket purchases.

"We suspect that anyone named Jonah has heard a few whale jokes in their time," said Aquarium spokesman Dave Sigworth. "We’re happy to help all adult Jonahs out there to finally have their whale encounter. Going inside our whale is fun and insightful, but – unlike the Biblical Jonah – doesn’t end with you being spit out onto a beach."

The “Giant Walk-In Whale” is the centerpiece of The Maritime Aquarium’s “Whale of a Month,” a package of bonus offerings that celebrate recent sightings of humpback whales in Long Island Sound. The 43-foot inflatable helps Aquarium guests understand the real scale of a whale. Pose for a selfie with the beast, then go inside to see representations of its heart, lungs, stomachs, tongue and other organs. (The exhibit is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

Also offered through Labor Day for the “Whale of a Month” are a whale activity station, daily screenings at 4 p.m. of the IMAX ® movie “Humpback Whales,” and (through Jan. 2) an exhibit on whale migration, “Animals Without Passports.”

Plus, a “Whales for A Cause” fund-raiser supported by Vineyard Vines continues through Sept. 16. Pick up a whale coloring page at the Aquarium or participating area Vineyard Vines stores, or download one from www.maritimeaquarium.org. Vineyard Vines will donate $1 to The Maritime Aquarium for each whale you color and publicly post to social media with #WhalesForACause and @VineyardVines.

“Flutter Zone” Also Ends on Labor Day

Mon., Sept. 5 also is the final day for another walk-in exhibit: “Flutter Zone,” The Maritime Aquarium’s enchanting exhibit that offers close encounters with exotic tropical butterflies.

This special summer exhibit on the Aquarium’s riverfront courtyard features dozens of varieties of butterflies native to South America and Asia. Some of the butterflies may even land on you!

Double your butterfly experience by including the IMAX movie “Flight of the Butterflies,” which chronicles the story of the monarch butterfly and their amazing multigenerational migration to Mexico that was a mystery to scientists until just recently. The film currently plays at 1 p.m. daily. But, like the “Flutter Zone” exhibit, “Flight of the Butterflies” will close on Labor Day.

“Dragons: Real or Myth?” Extended

The special exhibit, “Dragons: Real or Myth?,” originally announced as closing on Labor Day 2016, has been extended until May 29, 2017 (Memorial Day). The exhibit features nine species of animals all with the word dragon in their names, including dragon moray eels, a cousin of sea horses called weedy sea dragons, and such terrestrial lizards as frilled dragons, beaded dragons and Chinese water dragons.

Star of the exhibit is the only black dragon displayed in any U.S. zoo or aquarium. The animal is an Asian water monitor lizard, which are exceeded in size only by komodo dragons. The Aquarium’s rare black dragon has a melanistic gene that makes it all black, similar to what makes an albino animal all white.

"Labor Day brings an end to our great special summer exhibits, but it’s only a transition into new and exciting offerings for Fall, including a 'Grandparents Weekend' discount Sept. 10-11, a Family Sleepover on Sept. 23, and a visit from Capt. Barnacles of The Octonauts ™ Sept. 24-25," Sigworth said.

Get details about all current and upcoming exhibits, events, programs, IMAX movies and public cruises onto Long Island Sound at www.maritimeaquarium.org.

Photo: Step inside the “Giant Walk-In Whale” – a 43-foot inflatable model of a humpback whale – as part of The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk’s “Whale of a Month” celebration daily through Labor Day (Sept. 5). For the whale’s final weekend – Sept. 3-5 – any adult named Jonah gets free Aquarium admission. Get all the details at www.maritimeaquarium.org. Photo credit: The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk