Seattle Aquarium

Okay let me give my honest review. We recently visited the Seattle Aquarium and had mixed feelings. Tickets were about $140 for two adults and one child, which felt pretty steep for what we experienced overall. The original part of the aquarium was honestly underwhelming. It had that typical strong aquarium smell, and some areas looked a little grimy and uncared for. A few exhibits were empty or had very little to see (one bird in a large space, for example). It just didn’t feel like the price matched the experience in that section. That said — the new building is AMAZING. The engineering and architecture alone are worth seeing. It feels modern, immersive, and beautifully designed. You can tell a lot of thought and artistry went into that expansion, and it completely changes the vibe. Overall, I think the aquarium has a lot of potential, but at $140 for a small family, I expected more consistency throughout. If the older sections were updated or better maintained, it would feel much more worth the cost.

— Diana Gonzalez

Don’t forget to go to both buildings!! Totally goofed and had to come back to see the other building. You have to pay at the original building and can go to the pavilion after. The pavilion tanks seem to be taken care of a bit better but overall very cool exhibits and animals.

— Lola Morales

The aquarium supplies is water from the Puget Sound!! One of the buildings is much more open to the outside than the other two, so if you're going while it's kind of chilly, be sure to take your coat! The new construction is for tropical fish and the water has to be heated to around 70° for them. That's my favorite building.

— Eva Collins

My boyfriend and I visited the aquarium for the first time in February and we loved it! All the staff is so helpful and educated. I can’t remember the front desk girls name, but she was so helpful right when we walked in! One of the best aquariums you could go to.

— Sarah Williams

Discounts accepted (military, etc). Fantastic aquarium with nicely spaced exhibits. Animals were active during 10am visit. Tanks were extremely clean. You could even see fish kept behind the scenes thanks to large windows. We saw some cuddlefish that way. Love to see fish and aquatic life not seen at other aquariums and this one hit the mark. Especially enjoyed the microscope exhibit showing sea life from the ocean water sample. Staff were very knowledgeable.

— P H