SeaQuest, an interactive animal experience, comes to the River Ridge Mall in Lynchburg
If you stopped by the River Ridge Mall this past weekend, you might have been shocked by the line wrapping down the hall with a pirate in one corner of the line and an armadillo nestled in a man’s hands in another.
Such a sight marks the grand opening of SeaQuest, an interactive animal experience that walks you through various ecosystems around the world.
“(We have) very big expectations for today, as it’s our first day of being open to the public,” Cindy Capps, program coordinator of SeaQuest, said. “We are anticipating huge crowds this weekend with it being Liberty’s Homecoming weekend as well.”
The Lynchburg SeaQuest location is one of ten locations throughout the U.S. and is home to more than 1,200 animals originating from five continents.
Along with offering free admission to certified teachers’ families and foster families, the SeaQuest team plans on partnering with the community for several educational experiences as well as events that give back to the community.
“That’s just one simple, small way that we can give back,” Capps said. “Our company will also be involved in food drives for the holidays, toy drives for the holiday school supply drives, blood drives, any way that we can find to be involved in our community.”
SEA LIFE — Visitors have the chance to pet sting rays and take part in other exhibits.
SeaQuest’s move to Lynchburg is a part of an initiative and redevelopment plan to transform the River Ridge Mall into a destination mall. This transition is scheduled for completion in 2021, according to a River Ridge Mall press release.
“We understand that part of bringing SeaQuest to Lynchburg has been kind of a deciding factor and other retailers deciding to come to River Ridge,” Capps said. “So, we feel like as … one of the anchors here in the mall that we can help be a destination that will draw in our customers for other retailers.”
Originally, the opening of SeaQuest was scheduled for the end of the summer, but the opening date was pushed back to October after a few setbacks.
“(Earlier this week), we had a ‘friends and family’ soft opening event to kind of give our staff an idea of how things would run operationally,” Capps said. “We’re just excited for the opportunity to finally open our doors to the community. It’s been a long time coming.