not the best aquarium but if you have kids it will kill a couple of hours, very simple fish and bird areas. the most popular area was the slide and the fish pond by the birds. they have snakes but temper your expectations with this aquarium. they have discounts for military/teacher read more

We found the Austin Aquarium dark, dirty, and extremely poorly presented. Most of the displays did not have signs identifying the contents of the tanks. Having been an executive with Sea world, I expected more. We were supremely disappointed and bored. A huge part of the storefront in this strip center was devoted to cheap quality plushes and plastic keepsakes and toys. read more

I give this a 5 star because the kiddo loves it...and when he's happy, I'm happy. I've seen the reviews about how crappy they think the tanks are and how there should be so much more. What more do you want people!?? They have pretty fish and even some interactive tanks where you can pet the rays and sharks. For a family, this doesn't get any better. I've even learned a few things too! If you want something fancier then go to Sea World or go book yourself a Caribbean vaca and go snorkeling. read more

Such a disappointment. Our membership was given to us as a Christmas gift and I want to have it refunded to the people who bought it for us. What a complete waste of money. This "aquarium" consists of dark and dirty fish tanks and displays that look as though my teenager could have built them for science class. Much too dark, too small, not much variety in the sea life and worst of all, most of the displays are unmarked, so you have no idea what you are looking at. The feeding tanks are disgusting, as everyone puts their hands and arms in the water-so the water is murky. The staff were friendly, but they all seem very young and not equipped to handle the crowds, re-directing children or handling refunds or issues that arose while we were there. read more

First off, this place is terrible, second, this place is terrible. I have been to many aquariums and this place should not be considered one but more like really sad version of Petsmart. The building is not completely put together inside and is only partially put together. My gf was extremely excited about this place because she has never been to an aquarium and she had to experience the worst one probaly in the world. It's like going through a super sized walmart fish section. The tanks have pretty much nothing in them and are open for kids to touch them, they have no place to swim to get away or hide. There are also barely any signs to let you know the types of fish and the sign they do have are just crappy print outs tacked to the walls. It is very dirty and would not recommend is to anyone ever. Take those fish somewhere where they won't be tortued by kids everyday, please. read more

hands down worst aquarium Ive ever been to. Its like foing to a pet store except a pet store is cleaner has more educational value and is free. With the sad cages for the animals and the bad smelling conditions, Im honestly surprised they are still open. read more

I have been here several times with my young son, and I love it! A few things to remember: 1) No, it's not a huge aquarium with dolphins and whales. What you're paying for is the experience to be able to interact with the animals thay, here in Austin, you may not get the chance to otherwise. 2) Seriously, it's not overly dark. I have no problem keeping up with my toddler in here. Also, if you look on their Facebook, they mention that they are adding more lighting. 3) With more lighting, that's going to mean more algae in the tanks. Less light = less algae. 4) To the guy talking about the jellyfish- did you even bother to ask about them? Doubtful. This type of jellyfish spends most of its life upside down in shallow water. Simply Google upside down jellyfish. 5) Honestly, did NONE of you bother to ask questions?! The octopus was in a small enclosure so that she would feel more comfortable and less vulnerable. After going in today, her exhibit was closed because she is getting a new, larger one. 6) Yes, they are here to make money. In case you didn't notice, this is a for profit business. 7) There are very helpful staff members in each room that I have seen. One staff to 100 visitors is a small ratios, so it is up to the PARENTS to be sure their kid is following the rules. These people are here to educate, not babysit. Listen, it's definitely not perfect yet. It is a work in progress. I give it 5 stars for being affordable (we have a pass) and a great place to go take my son and teach him about the animals. I'm looking forward to seeing them grow and work out the kinks to become a great place! read more

Disappointed in the very dis-organized displays, upkeep and out of order digital info displays on the animal habitats. Not sure where the money their collecting at the door goes. They could work on ALL staff being more animal educated, some were but most were not. If animals are to ne kept in a zoo like environment for learning purposes get educated people on staff read more

Wouldn't go again. Our six year old grandson was a little entertained but not for too long. We have been to larger fish stores.

Came here with my special needs friend who is 21. All the staff was so friendly and informative. Especially Kayla! Thank you Kayla for getting Zoe to sing. And we loved feeding the parakeets read more

We went on a Saturday and just beat the crowd in. It was fun. I read so many negative reviews I was not sure we even wanted to go. I was greatly pleased. First of all this is a small project and a very reasonable price. Our grand Kids totally enjoyed it. Enough to do and see for young children, there were many staff competent to answer questions about the animals and the aquarium project itself. I would definitely say to give it a chance and form your own opinion. read more

Come on people! All I've read is crap about an owner that isn't really even a part of it any more. About how it is in a weird location, about how it's a little rough around the edges. Do none of you people have any patience? Must your needs and desires absolutely be fulfilled lest you resort to shaming something online? This aquarium JUST opened. And compared to day one, it's come miles further. Let's be real...I bet all you who gave bad reviews were ALL SMILES and had your every whim doted upon by a staff (who do care and might be struggling to make it a better place too) that gave nothing but courtesy and smiles in return. I, for one, was all smiles and will continue to smile, and laugh, and be excited, and rejoice every time my son gets excited at something exotic and new next time I go. I know that the staff member doing her best to make it better is going to hold his little finger over to the stingray tank and encourage getting closer, educating him to the best of his or her ability all the while. I know this because I understand that this aquarium is an upstart, a new "ATTRACTION" for which I can entertain my child and spend quality time with him at. I know this because I respect the staff that are working so hard to improve what so many bad reviews have defamed FOR NO REASON...other than a handful of peoples impatience, lack of compassion, and lack of understanding. Long story short...if you have been discouraged thus far, go ahead and disregard a strong majority of these bad reviews. Go judge the aquarium for yourself! And absolutely take your kids...and for the little girls out there, make sure to see the resident mermaid! read more

I had to come give a quick review because i almost didnt want to try out the aquarium after some comments on here. I am a mother to a 1,3,and 9 year old. They smiled from start to finish in here. The low lighting gave it more of a ocean feel. We all LOVED that there was so many hands on exhibits. Star fish, iguana, sting rays, birds, and my sons favorite sharks. There is also a small jungle gym area that my kids could have stayed playing in for hours. Overall, yes it is small and it could be navigated through quick. But if you take your time, read the info, touch exhibits, do feeding, and hang out by the play area its a nice little hang out with lots of seating and cool air. The only reason i didnt give it 5 stars is because for a family of 5 the price is kind of steep. We used a groupon so that is what made me go. They did have a reasonable annual pass sale going on for $75 for a family of 4 (because under 2 is free) and i could see us using that and going to this place at least 1-2 times a month. I didnt get a big pet store feel. For being in a strip mall i was pleased with our visit. Its actually a great size for little ones. read more

A lot of complaints for the Aquarium's reviews, but I disagree. I thought it was a great place and we had a lot of fun. I took my five year old a few months after it had opened. She had a great time. We both did. It was a very memorable experience and definitely worth the admission. Even if you just go once, go! Don't set your expectations too high, it's not Sea World! It's an aquarium in a shopping center. It's a lot bigger than I would have imagined, but it's not enormous. If your child is walking, you definitely don't need to bring a stroller inside. It can be pretty crowded on holidays, but not overwhelmingly crowded. There's room to peak at everything and you can go around and do it over and over again if you didn't get a good look the first time. No one kicks you out for returning to an exhibit more than once to see the animals. Yeah, maybe some of the accusations are true about the owners and the aquariums handling of the animals, I don't know. But from what I saw inside, everything was clean and well kept and the kids loved it and the animals seemed safe and happy in their environment to me. One exception is the stingray petting tank-I do agree that the children leaning over the tank walls and sticking their arms all the way in to try to pet them made me a little uncomfortable. But parents, watch your children! And explain to them that the animals should be treated nicely and gently. Don't let them slap the water and be crazy. As long as it's not abused, the experience is great! Older kids may not have as much fun, but the younger kids love it. And when a parent gets to see their child's face light up with delight, it's worth every penny. Admission is maybe a bit overpriced for the overall duration and experience. We didn't spend more than two hours and we could have done it much quicker. But I'm not sorry we went! I bet their birthday party package is neat, I'm not opposed to looking into that next year. I wouldn't travel from out of town to visit the aquarium, but if you are an austinite with little ones and need a fun family outing, your kids won't be disappointed, that's for certain! read more

I have been to this aquarium several times before and have never been particularly blown away by my experience, but it's always been decent enough. That is, until this week. I was watching some family friend kiddos and decided to take them to the aquarium for the afternoon. I understand it's summer and places are busy with kids being out of school, but there should definitely be a cap on how many people are allowed in and out of that building at a time. There is no way we weren't breaking some fire codes. Even more than that though, the staff was absolutely awful. From the moment we got there and paid our admission fee to the time we left, pretty much every staff member we encountered was rude and misinformed. They have different animal exhibits that you can pay extra for, but you have to buy tokens at the front for each one. We were there for 3 hours and every exhibit we tried to go to to use our tokens so the boys could see the animals, we were turned away. After 6 failed attempts of going back and forth with no luck, we had seen every fish and fed every bird and iguana, I went back to the front counter to ask for a refund for the $36 worth of tokens I had purchased so the boys could visit the lemur exhibit. I was told by the girl that they don't offer refunds but we could use the tokens in the gift shop...No, I did not spend $36 in tokens to buy a cheap stuffed animal. After explaining the situation to her about why I wanted the refund and how long we'd been there with no luck, she said we could take the tokens with us and try another day. So you want me to spend another 30 something dollars on admission again to chance this same situation happening? What a scam! The only reason I am giving this place two stars was because of ONE staff member who worked at the lemur exhibit and saw how long we had been there and kept striking out and offered us free tickets to come back another day since we had been having such poor luck. That is how you treat customers and make them feel like they want to come back and keep funding your business. The entire staff there needs a lesson on customer service and how to properly communicate with each other and the public. The price for the experience is 10000000% not worth it! read more

I'm being generous and rounding up. I mean to give it 2 1/2 stars. From opening day, I've been reading these reviews on Yelp and expecting the worst. I even waited a while before going so they could get everything in order. I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw (of course, I was expecting the worst). Yes, this is no Georgia Aquarium or Monterey Bay Aquarium, but it's ok. It was definitely made with children in mind. All of the large displays were open top, 3 feet tall, and started at the ground (probably because it's less expensive this way, but whatever). Kids can walk straight up to the tanks and see the colorful fish swimming around. There were a few empty tanks and maybe only about 30 displays, so not that much to see as other reviews have said. If enjoy reading and learning about the animas, look elsewhere. Although this place has information on the display on cool electronic tablets, the information is sparse. There is also a little obstacle course play area for children that looks fun, but not for my two year old. The lorikeets are pretty cool. They are in a enclosure that you can walk into and if you hold our your arm, they will perch on it or on your finger. They have a huge tortoise in what looked like a kiddie swimming pool. You can buy food and feed the sting rays and the birds. I saw the sting rays going crazy for food people were feeding them. About a quarter to a third of the place is dedicated to the gift shop. Tons of little toys and trinkets you don't need, but your children think they do. All in all, it was an ok visit. It took about an hour. I would have been very upset if I had paid full price, but I had a voucher for half price so it wasn't so bad. I probably won't go back, though, for a few years after my children have grown (and I find another voucher). read more

My husband took me here for a Valentine's Day date, as we are both huge animal lovers. Yes, it is small, but the variety of creatures in here are amazing. If you get lucky enough to chat with a staff member, they'll be happy to talk with you about the animals, and tell you their names and stories. The facility really just needs to invest a little more money, and they could have a beautiful place that earns 5 star reviews. The signs about each animal need improvements. They had some monitors that told you a little bit, but some were broken or missing. The regular plaques describing the animals would have been helpful if they were on EACH animal enclosure. I love the level of interaction people can have with them. Even as an adult, it was exciting to be able to pet the animals and feed them. Again, they need to spend a bit more money on enhancements, as the enclosures are a bit crowded for some of them (especially the koi/turtle pool). Some refrigerators where you can drop in the tokens and receive a container of food would be nice so that you don't have to walk through first, decide what you want to feed, then go back to the desk to tell them and get food. It's just a clumsy set up there that doesn't flow well. Some more staff on duty, and a cafeteria or even more than just one drab vending machine would be nice. We were thirsty, and the only thing available was a water fountain up front. Otherwise, we had a great experience, and would return again, as the animals were pretty awesome, and that's what it's all about. read more

Expensive for the size. It really smells at the front of the place and we nearly left for that fact. My kiddo enjoyed it and we were in and out in 30 minutes. Drop the price to 8.95 for adults and 5.95 for kids and it would be more reasonable. read more

I was surprised by this aquarium. I knew it was in a strip mall and had heard it was pretty sad and small but honestly we have a great time. I took my 2 year old and 6 year old and they loved it! It was the perfect size for them. They absolutely loved that you could feed and touch pretty much any fish or animal there. We are able to feed sting rays, sharks, and other fish with actual krill and anchovies. Pretty cool! They also have large cages with birds that you can go in and feed them food while they eat out of your hand. My kids were in heaven...not being a bird fan I was freaking out ;) They also were able to feed a giant tortoise lettuce. The smiles on their faces made my day! It's not a high end corporate run aquarium so if you are looking for that I would suggest going somewhere else. Also if you go buy tickets online before. It is quite a bit cheaper. read more

Wow, fun for the whole family. Educational, and exciting. Birds flying all around you. Chances to hand feed iguana, rays, and sharks!!!! Don't get your hands too close, lol. Definitely a great place to visit. read more

This place really isn't nearly as bad as the reviews suggest. There are touch pools with rays, tanks with back-lit jelly fish, and a variety of reptiles and birds. Given how few places there are to see exotic animals in Austin, it's pretty cool. We had a birthday party there, and the staff was very helpful and knowledgeable, taking our group on a tour and gave us little shrimp to feed the rays by hand. There's also a playscape with a very fast slide that the kids just adored. It is overpriced and they seem to be having trouble keeping up with the filtration in the touch tanks, but overall it's a good experience. read more

I recently purchased season passes to the Austin Aquarium, and have been there a few times with the family. We really enjoyed it. The best part, they allow us to interact with the sea animals, which is a huge bonus for my kids. The facility is simple, but the service and activity's are great. My kids loved the interaction with the birds as well. read more

I felt sad after entering this place. Sad for the fish. Sad for the conditions. Sad. Skip this shopping center location unless you have smaller kids who would get a kick. read more

Very small aquarium, not like your typical large aquariums. Mostly fish and sea animal exhibit not many replies or bird. Staff was not helpful when asked about if or when one of the animal encounters was going to start. The building is hot and humid on the inside. read more

DO NOT GO IN THERE!!! My wife and I took our kids there today and you can smell OZONE! I used to work with the stuff and it is highly toxic! There are no signs anywhere that state it is being used and the fact that you can smell it means that the concentration is too high. We left right away! I'm calling OSHA because I'm pretty sure they are not using it properly!! read more

As others have said, manage your expectations. However, I found it a little disconcerting that the only staff we encountered who were actually manning exhibits and not selling stuff were in the aviary. I was watching people scratch their fingernails on the rays, trying to "hug" koi, throw candy I to the enclosures instead of the available fish food, and for the love of God some parents were texting furiously in the corner while their pre-teen sons (I assume) were sticking their hands into the shark tank. The shark tank! Granted the animals weren't great whites or anything, but still... A freaking open shark tank! Maybe they're the toothless varieties in there? I just don't feel confident that the animals here are being protected to the degree required to keep them healthy. There are signs asking you to wash your hands before and after touching the fish in the open enclosures, but no staff to ensure you do. And having been to a few large, reputable aquariums in other cities and seeing the NASA-level procedures and protocols for interacting with the animals' environments, this just felt wrong on many levels. Particularly the open, unstaffed toothless shark tank and the algae-green koi tank with throngs of people sticking their arms elbow deep into that water. I'll say the habitats were large and seemed clean, but the general lack of staff , even to just answer questions, but especially to ensure folks weren't abusing the animals or otherwise doing something unsafe was really concerning. read more

So this aquarium is small it's fine for a visit but it's overpriced. If it was cheaper it would be worth it but it's not.

We did the "sleep with the sharks," experience. It was definitely worth it, soo much fun. Kayla was our host, she gave us a private tour of the aquarium. Let me just say she was AMAZING, very informative! We also had sky (I believe that was his name) he was soo sweet, and let us spend some extra time with the birds . We got to feed and pet the sting rays, play with the bunnies, feed the birds, koi fish, and SHARKS. We had a movie and some snacks before bed. Definitely take some extra blankets because it gets really cold at night. In the morning we got a "behind the scenes," tour and we got to meet Hank the octopus. Feed all the fish and sting rays again. Not only did we get to stay the night and experience the aquarium privately, but we got a full day pass. During business hours it's really busy, but the kids loved it. They got to take pictures with the mermaid and get tattoos, see the princesses. The parrots were out and we got to hold them and feed the birds again. I'm sure theres more I can add. But you should visit them yourself. You won't be disappointed. read more

Four my toddler kids it was a great day and priced right. The fish were clean, many to touch and close up. Bright tanks all at toddler level. Wouldn't recommend it for anyone over 6 or 7 but my 4 yr old and 18 m olds loved it. Glad to have something for toddlers to do in Austin! The play area in back was great too. I recommend buying online you will save money read more

It was a cool experience, especially for the kids. Definitely not worth the $15 an adult and $10 a child though.. That's ridiculous. Plus the cost per ONE cup to feed the animals.. $3.95! I do like how most of the tanks are open and they welcome touching, but still. Plus parents at the playground weren't even watching their kids. They really need a sign that says "No going up the slide." It took my 3 year old 10 minutes just to get down the slide because parents were letting their children go UP it instead of down. I finally stepped in and asked the kids to "Please go down the slide, not up it." - and the parents just turned and looked at me. Come on, really? Also, the girls working the registers in the front were SO slow. It took us 15 minutes just to pay to get inside and we only had one person in front of us! We went around 2pm on a Thursday.. It wasn't THAT busy. I don't see myself returning and sadly this was my first time here. read more

The aquarium was very kid friendly. I am upset about the sizes of the enclosure. They are too small especially the octopus and iguana, abusive . read more

The stench when you walk in takes your breath away. The price for one adult and one 2-year-old didn't help. ($27). While it was somewhat entertaining for my toddler for about an hour, that is the max. Really surprised how filthy some of the tanks were. None of the iPads attached to exhibits worked (I assume they provided info on what you were looking at, etc). Overall, disappointing, but decent way to entertain a kid for an hour for about $2/minute.... read more

I love how interactive the Austin aquarium is! My favorite part is the aviary. I love feeding the lorikeets!

My son is in first grade and he loves coming here! This is the only aquarium I've been to that you can feed SO many animals. Thank you Amy for all of your help! We will definitely be back :) read more

It was great! Didn't even know it was there till we drove by! We gave it a shot and i'm glad we did. Amy did a great job in explaining and informing about the exhibits! The best part was the interactive tanks you could feed and touch! It was a blast! I've been to big aquariums in Texas and in California and the Austin Aquarium is geared for learning and interaction! I know it's small but they do schedule shows and learning time. Will definitely bring my neice and nephew! They will love it! read more

After all of the controversy and horrible reviews I did not plan on visiting the aquarium. However, we received a membership for Christmas (and couldn't get a refund) and decided to give it a chance and see for ourselves. I was fully prepared to seriously hate this place. At the end of the visit, I'm underwhelmed but not horrified. Our toddlers enjoyed it for a while but anyone over the age of 5 will probably be wasting their time. As soon as we walked in we were told to wash our hands. We were asked to wash between each room and were reminded several times during the visit. The hand washing stations are against the wall but they were well lit and there were signs reminding us to wash. Ok, this place is pretty dimly lit. But I never felt it was dangerous and the 2 three year olds we were with had no problem with it. I could always see everyone and never lost sight of my toddler. The sting ray touch tank is not shallow. It's about 3-4 ft deep and pretty large. The staff member told us to simply wiggle our fingers in the water and the rays would come to us. It took only a moment and they would slowly swim up and brush by our hands. The animals were not being chased or bothered in any way. We were there during a very low traffic time, so it might be different with 100 kids. The tank was clean and the animals seemed fine. In fact, all the tanks we saw were clean. I didn't see any sick or dead animals at all. The information provided next to the tanks is basic but every staff member was eager to answer questions. There are some tanks that seem empty unless you look closely and find the fish hiding in the rocks. I do wish the octopus had a bigger tank and I told the staff member that when she walked over. The play area is dim. I could see my toddler well at all times and never felt uncomfortable, but it could really use some more light. I can be an anxious parent and I didn't feel that it's unsafe or creepy at all. Just darker than one would expect. Reading some of the awful reviews I can only guess that some improvements have been made in the last month. The place was clean, the staff was friendly and the fish were perfectly fine. Its not a fish torture chamber, but it's not Moody Gardens. If you go in expecting to spend about an hour in a small aquarium built into a strip mall maybe you won't be disappointed. My expectations were extremely low so perhaps that's the reason I was pleasantly surprised. I'm still skeptical about the business practices and time will tell how the legal problems with the owner's brother plays out. But I feel that with so many of us voicing concerns over the animal's well-being the level of care will be maintained. read more

We bought a family pass and night for Sleeping With The Sharks pass for half off several months ago. The aquarium is OK but very small. The petting tanks are probably the best feature and our son enjoyed being able to touch sharks and rays. The overnight trip was not worth it in my mind. My son did enjoy himself, but the aquarium really needs to work on its WOW factor for this event. The "continental tank side breakfast" was a farce - just pop tarts, packaged fruit cups and other junk food. The aquarium should limit the number of attendees at the sleepovers so that the guests can actually all fit around the tanks and hear what the staff has to say about the aquarium life. Kids get bored easy and if they can't get right in there, they are going to lose interest and wander off. It was too crowded around many of the exhibits. Also, the night tour didn't seem to include anything different from what the day tour would offer, so the aquarium should think of doing something else that makes the overnighter a unique experience. Rather than showing the kids movies they've already seen before, maybe a craft project or something that has to do with the marine life to add to their educational experience? Let's see some creativity and make the patrons feel like it was worth the money they spent. The staff were nice and one of them very knowledgeable (I think she said she was a marine biologist student). They should have microphones though so everyone can hear them because, again, it was crowded and people and kids who can't get close enough to the tank to participate are going to wander and talk and make it difficult to hear the staff talk about the marine life. The aquarium is new and allegedly growing. As we bought a year family membership, we will certainly take more trips to see what's new and it should hopefully be a good escape in the summer when it's too hot out. I agree with other reviews about the lighting in the snack area and play scape area. Those need improving. As far as size and growing, my suggestion to the aquarium is to take out half of their large souvenir area to add more space for other exhibits. They'd probably sell more souvenirs if the patrons felt they got a full experience. read more

I read the reviews before our family went here so I knew that it was a small Aquarium. I wanted to still take my family anyway. I was happy that we did. Yes, it was small but we had a great time. There was great hands on for the children and the displays I thought was great! There were workers that would walk around and tell you very interesting facts about the different animals and sea life. I believe that I honestly learned more details about very interesting sea life here than I have from going to the big Aquariums in other cities. My family took our time enjoying each and every display and made it worth the trip. I am sorry that there are so many bad reviews about this place. Yes it is a small "mom and pop" type Aquarium, but my family got so much out of this place. read more

We really enjoy going to this aquarium. It is very small but very hands on. Our kids are 7 and 8 year old boys and on a rainy weekend we definitely take advantage of our membership. Feeding the stingrays is a huge hit with the boys! I have now learned to dress them in short sleeve shirts. We also absolutely love interacting with the birds. It is what gets us to go back time and time again. Yes- it is a very small aquarium. I am hoping that Austin will get a bigger space for a better aquarium. But honestly, we have visited many more aquariums in different cities and none have been quite so interactive. As for feedback to the aquarium staff- I wish there was hand sanitizer available for a quick clean when needed. Also- clearly more staff are needed to dispense food for the bought tokens. The booth had nobody staffing it and no sign up directing where to buy the stingray feed. read more

5 stars all the way. My two boys (7 and 4) absolutely loved it. The best parts were the water tank where you can pet the friendly manta rays, the bird cage where dozens of birds land on your arm, and the awesome iguana lizard. They also have several unexpected surprises like a kids play area and a hurricane wind chamber (for a fee). Don't listen to any of the bad reviews of this aquarium. They are mostly by people who demand a showy, perfectly clean facility. It's not immaculately clean but it's fine, IMO. It's also a small sized aquarium but that's a good thing because kids get worn out fast anyway. It lets you enjoy each display without feeling rushed to see it all. You should check this place out. I will definitely go again. read more