Our daughter was 13-months-old on our first visit and she was completely enthralled during the entire three-hour-tour. Her excitement hasn't waned at all in subsequent visits. With interactive exhibits throughout, there is something of interest for everybody. The aquarium has 14 different ecosystem exhibits, each with an engaging theme and enough informational and educational detail posted to make it a learning trip as well.We haven't seen the Sumatran Tigers swimming yet, but the exhibit is designed so that you can get really close to the animals even when they are just lying around. There is also some seating nearby where you can wait for the swimming mood to strike them.
The flash flood simulation was a little much for our daughter, but I thought it was cool.
By far the most impressive (is "breathtaking" too dramatic) exhibits are the Under The Sea (coral reef), the Sunken Temple and the Shipwreck. Under the Sea features an underwater tunnel about 30 feet long where a variety of sharks, groupers, stingrays and eels swim around and over you. The aquarium wall in the Sunken Temple display leans and curves over the observation area as well. The Shipwreck can be viewed through a 20 foot tall floor-to-ceiling wall of glass AND though large glass portholes in the floor where sharks swim on the sandy floor about 15 feet below. I actually got a little vertigo in the Shipwreck area.
There is also a restaurant on site with good seafood, though a little pricey. We thought the 150,000 gallon aquarium wall was worth the extra money we spent on dinner. If you decide to try the restaurant, I recommend going on a weekday and timing your visit so that you are eating between the peak meal hours. This will increase your chances of sitting near the aquarium itself. We sat at a table right under the glass wall and our daughter was delighted throughout dinner.
One of the best family friendly attractions anywhere. A terrific activity for that inevitable rainy afternoon on your vacation. Plan to spend 3-4 hours looking at the exhibits.
The best pictures we got were in the Under the Sea tunnel. Most of the other immersive exhibits are too back lit to shoot without a flash. I was shooting Fuji PRO 1600 film and you can see how dark and grainy the photos turned out. Take flash photos at your own peril...lots of reflective surfaces.
Adult tickets to the aquarium are $13.75, children 4-12 are $8.75, kids under 3 are free. Restaurant pricing is similar to Landry's or Joe's Crab Shack, $18-20 per adult and $7-10 per child.
Additional information is available on their website http://www.downtownaquarium.com/.
Have fun!
