This is the realest review you're gonna get. This aquarium is far too expensive and boring. The exhibits are small and not very cool, except the dome and some mammal exhibits. Save your money and go to a nice lunch. read more

This review is specifically for Chelsea Gillis (Catering Director for Seattle Aquarium) and Mohamed Kari (Operations Manager). My fiance and I are getting married in August 2017- We currently live in Los Angeles, but my fiance is originally from Seattle. When we were researching possible venues in Seattle for our upcoming wedding, we were so excited to come across Seattle Aquarium as an option. Chelsea impressed us from the beginning. She responded right away to our initial inquiry, and was so friendly and easy to communicate with answering all of our questions as we were planning a wedding out of state. She is very accommodating to our requests and sustained communication with us even when we were not e-mailing as frequent as the beginning. When it came time for us to tour the Aquarium, which was Christmas weekend, Chelsea was off on holiday but arranged for us to tour the space with Mohamed. Mohamed was so friendly as well, and gave us a full tour of the space. When planning with Chelsea and Mohamed, we never felt pressured to book by a certain time. They were both super patient and very understanding about the challenges of planning an out of state wedding. Even during a time when we weren't sure what our plan was, they never pressured us into booking, and even kept a soft hold on a wedding date for us. It never felt like were were working with sales staff, but more like talking to old friends. After careful consideration, and due to family circumstances, we ended up deciding to have our wedding in Los Angeles. We have full confidence that had we chosen to hold our wedding at the Aquarium, the team would have put together the perfect day for us. Thank you Chelsea and Mohamed!! read more

I love the Seattle Aquarium! It is on a pier jutting into the Puget sound and the major focus is what you would see just below the pier. They aren't fancy and there are no frills, but they do local very well. They also do a fantastic job of having tons of knowledgeable staff and volunteers on hand to answer any questions you may have. They actually try to engage you in an attempt to have you learn something while you are there! I am especially partial to the Dome full of local fish. It is so soothing to sit down and just watch the fish swim by. I am also in love with the Grunt Sculpin that "walk" along the bottom of their tank and their neighbors the lump suckers who have little suction cups on their tummies and stick to the glass. Cuteness overload! Their tropical section always has something cool and interesting, I mean who can be mad at cuddlefish? The Octopus and the jellyfish donut are always fun to watch. Overall, the Seattle aquarium excels at educating the public without being preachy and they focus on the fish that make this region unique! read more

small but nice aquarium on the waterfront

My wife and I visited here last week on our 2nd day in Seattle. There was some traffic in the morning after checking out from our hotel by the Seatac airport. However, we made good time to get here at 9:30AM when it opened. This gave us an early arrival to see the aquarium before it got busier with families. We got to see all the large fish tank exhibits but cannot be compared to Monterrey Bay aquarium. However, it is a decent size to see other smaller mammals like otters, seals, and penguins. Overall, the price was pretty good for seeing a decent variety since we spent a lot of time on the sea and river otters. They seem pretty good to encourage kids to learn about the sea with day camps with counselors. It was good to see them have them do scavenger hunt and we even learned along side them. For parking, I can't emphasize enough that the best deal is Pike Place market which only cost us $9 for 3 hours. There were other lots but it was more early bird special. read more

This is a pretty small aquarium, I joke around with my bf by telling him that the entire Seattle aquarium is as big as one room in the Monterey bay aquarium in California. Still, it's pretty fun and a nice place to relax and see some sea creatures read more

It's part of the city pass, but skip it and spend more time at the Zoo or Chihuly Garden. The water and glass are dirty and besides a couple cute otters, I was disappointed with every tank. You can pet a starfish, but honestly Austin Texas has a better Aquarium. read more

So much fun! The staff is nice, and the beauty inside cannot be overstated!

We bought the City Pass and this was part of it! My kids were so excited to go and we spent about an hour and a half here. An hour was just at the tide pools where you can touch starfish, sea cucumbers, and get a hug from a sea anemone. The rest of the aquarium went pretty quickly, because there was 2 schools that showed up there with a lot of kids. That made it hard to see everything without a lot of kids to see through. Our kids were over being there by the time we left. We go to big attractions early to miss the crowds, but that did not happen here. We might go again, but I would call ahead to see if they have school groups scheduled for the day we would be there. It really put a damper on the day. read more

If you have a library card you can sign up for free tickets. Do that. The prices are OUTRAGOUS and the exhibits are few. This is a sad aquarium. If I put a fish tank in a closet it would be more exciting. When you first walk into the aquarium as it is on the sound you would expect beautiful fish. Granted the wall aquarium is lovely however the species are very plain and a lot of the feeding/dive times are inaccurate. Especially around the holidays when Santa is supposed to feed the fish. When you move forward through the aquarium its easy to get confused because there are literally no exhibits. Some fish by the bathrooms. An octopus in a tube and a small tube of jelly fish. The touch pool is nice however if untouchable creatures swim up to you remove your hand immediately as you will be yelled at. Moving forward there are very few tropical/ colorful fish and a small tank of seahorses. Moving on outside you are feeling relief as you are praying it gets better. No. It gets worse. As you walk outside there are a few sea birds staring aimlessly into their rock enclosure. You are probably feeling the same way at this point thinking, what did I just spend $120 on? I could have bought mass amount of good wine, cheese, and deli meats. Or even a whale watch at Friday Harbor! As you make your way into the next building there is a small enclosure for seals and otters. Yep. Thats it. If you stand outside on the dock of the same pier you can see everything the aquarium has to offer. For FREE! My husband, myself, and four children got through this aquarium in 30 minutes. Go on a whale watch, go to the zoo, go to cabellas, go to the locks. You will see all of the same things and more for a fraction of the price or free. If you pay you will leave feeling like you paid for fillet minon and someone smacked you in the face with a pork chop. In fact donate the amount you would pay for a ticket to your favorite sea life charity. You will feel so much better. read more

A good aquarium for families and and other fans of sea life. The otters, seals and "petting zoo" area make it a clear notch above the baseline aquarium expectation. read more

I did not go here during regular hours for the normal aquarium activities. I was here in the evening for a party. It is a great place to host a large party. It has enough diferent areas to have several functions going on at once. What I did see of the actual aquarium related stuff was good. It is not the best I have seen, but it is well worth a look. I personally will return now during regular hours to check it out and give a better write up. read more

This was an ok aquarium. A lot better for adults than kids in my view only because they didn't have the wow factor that kids like. It was nice to learn about Puget Sound marine life. I would go again if I was taking adult guests, but if I had kids in the group, I would go to Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. read more

i touched a fish and liked it. Not really, that would freak me out, but it was really cool for all the tide water pools to get a hands on experience. The wave pool at the front was fun to watch the fish sway with the water. The octopus was big and looked grumpy... but i mean, if I had to spend all day there in the tank, i'd be grumpy too! The underwater dome was great and what a fun way to view the fish. It's a fun way to spend some time with the family, and explore near the pier. read more

This is definitely a good aquarium. They have a lot of areas to touch various sea life. The location of the actual aquarium is perfect, along the pier, not too far from the ferry, and across the street from the entrance to Pike's Place. The admission is pretty expensive, but the kids love going here. Very hands on. Definitely avoid this place on the weekends if possible, it is ridiculously crowded to the point of not being enjoyable for lack of maneuvering and viewing exhibits. Fall and winter are better to go as well, there are not as many summer tourists. read more

I got to touch a sea cucumber and feed a sea urchin! Whoo hoo! Ok this place is not the largest aquarium but they have two small pools that allow you to touch sea stars, sea urchins and sea cucumbers. The also had and octupus that they feed. That was not very exciting as the octopus never did wake up fully. But they have great volunteers who are willing to talk to you and tell you lots of sea stuff. I learned a lot and really enjoyed my experience. Great afternoon on a misty Seattle day. read more

I havent been to too many aquariums - the only reason why I went here was because the weather sucked (typical of Seattle). For the $20 price tag you really dont get your money's worth. The most exciting thing is probably the octopus that just lays there forever without doing anything. Yes the otters are cute too but they are also napping. There's a bunch of starfish that they let you touch but then again, I was not impressed. If you are coming with kids it might be worth it for them. No sharks too which is pretty disappointing. read more

The Otters. Oh, the Otters. If you're wanting to see the cute little bastards doing backflips and mocking you by swimming backwards in Looney Tunes-ian fashion, then take the afternoon off and come here. The Aquarium is small, walk-able in 1 1/2 hours, but full of high-quality exhibits. Other highlights were the fish feedings, the giant octopus, and the seals. Tickets were $22 a piece for adults but worth it. read more

This is my second time here and the 1st time was much better. It was crowded but I felt like there wasn't much to see. I felt like all the sea animals were gone. Especially when you go to the exhibits outside. There was a huge crowd since it was a holiday weekend and you would think there will be staff spread out helping the traffic flow and stuff but that didn't happen. read more

I was swayed to give five stars in part because I feel the overall rating doesn't do it justice. I am spoiled for aquaria- the National Aquarium in Baltimore is my hometown mainstay and it is one of my favorite places on the planet. If you want me to squeal like a child, show me a cuttlefish. The Seattle aquarium has a great number of exhibits where you can experience above, under, and around the water. The touch tanks were super neat, and the number of volunteers and staff answering questions and facilitating people's exploration was awesome. Someone finally answered my "octopuses/octopi/octopodes" conundrum. Annoyingly, they are all correct. I was hoping for some obscure correct Grecian variant. The tanks with traditional reef fish are colorful and chock full of triggerfish, goatfish, clownfish... The dwarf cuttlefish might have been my favorite but Lew the fur seal did pose with me. They fed their giant Pacific octopus, though Nacho apparently doesn't like herring. He is gorgeous. At 20 some pounds, it's hard to imagine the 70 pound behemoth they had before him. (Good luck in the Big Blue, Kong!) The gift shop has some seriously wonderful puns and designs. I picked up more than a few gifts. Some reviews have been dissatisfied with the size, but it's ample entertainment for a couple hours wandering. I wish I had had more time to just sit and watch the underwater dome or the tank by the entrance. Both are mesmerizing. What might have been best, though, was watching the little kids go through around you. read more

We love fish! Super cute otters and seals! Kind customer service from staff. Very clean. Had the city passes so we didn't have to wait in line, would definitely recommend getting one for your trip in Seattle. read more

this is don't miss. make sure you see the feeding of the sea weasels, err, otters, it's verrah niice. wish it was bigger, i didn't want it to end. read more

The sea otters alone are worth visiting this place. I've missed them since leaving Monterey. It's small compared to the Monterey one but it has plenty of interactive exhibits that are worth the money. Also fyi they have active duty military discount read more

The Aquarium was seemingly small but bursting with families. Of course my favorite exhibits were of the sea and river otters. Their atrium area of one of the aquariums was also pretty cool. Other then that, it was okay for my boyfriend and I. We weren't too wowed with our visit here but as tourist we gave it a go with our CityPass. read more

After having visiting the Chattanooga aquarium and the Atlanta aquarium many times, I have to admit that I was a bit underwhelmed with the Seattle aquarium. It was nice, but rather boring and small. Anyway, it was included with our City Pass and we weren't completely disappointed. read more

I really liked this aquarium. It's a little smaller than most major aquariums but the exhibits are nice. I just think that the price you pay is a bit steep for what you get. I also did not enjoy the amount of people packed in to the place, and being overrun by children. I think they should make aquarium days for adults- I'm sick of being told child A and B want to see/ do etc and honestly, I paid the admission, I should get to see and do too. I wasn't super impressed with the staff- someone needs to tell people to knock it off when shooting flash photos of the octopus. Overall I'm glad I went but I don't know if I'd go back. read more

Love watching the critters, but not worth the price unless you have some sort of pass/discount.

I find it hilarious and also a bit sad that some people knock off stars because of how crowded this place can get, it's a tourist trap in downtown Seattle....what do you expect? Anyway went yesterday on a double date with my boyfriend, my brother and his girlfriend. We all had a blast, yes it was loud and noisy and there was always at least one baby screaming but that's what babies do! :P I do think the outside does make it look a bit bigger than it actually is but whatever no big deal. When you walk in you're greeted by a friendly and knowledgeable staff, the staff there are great, I feel like people don't ask them enough questions because any time I had a question their face lit up like a light. It's great that so many passionate people work here because you get such a great informative experience. The exhibits were great, we loved the sea otters and the jelly fish round-about. I would definitely come back on my next trip out here. :) read more

See all

Amazing experience for my son and his class! The octopus feeding show was our favorite

For a city like Seattle, this is just embarrassing. I know not every city can have a Georgia Aquarium, but come on. I spent maybe 15 bucks but had more fun spending $7 on Failure to Launch (which I wouldn't Netlfix if I were you, btw). Go see the Sci-Fi Museum or something. Heck, jump into the icy Puget instead. It'll cost less and you'll have more fun (it's all relative). read more

River and sea otters! Who could ask for more? I love love love love love the Seattle aquarium. I've been coming here since I was in pre-school and now I'm thrilled to be sharing it with my son. I've always been a big fan of the many touch pools where you can feel anemones, starfish, urchins and the like with your own 2 hands. A fabulously kid friendly activity. I also am a big fan of the 2 octopi and well as the totally adorable otters. But my all time favorite is to sit in the big underground room with water on all sides and look at the big ol' fish in there. If you can go at a time when they feed the fish, it'll be crowded but a lot of fun. The cafe is overpriced, go down the street to Ivars or something instead. read more

Didn't wow me as it comes to aquariums. Honestly wish it was a little bigger. There were some cool exhibits like when they fed the octopus and the sea otters are sooooooooooooo cuuuuuteeee. They also had a few touching pools which were cool where you could touch sea stars and anemones. read more

This is a beautiful aquarium. It's small but really nice inside. They did a wonderful job with my friends wedding party. It was lovely. The sound job was just so so since the ceremony was outside but still good. The staff was friendly and helpful. I loved seeing the baby sea otters. It was so cool to take a time out from a regular cocktail hour to see them fed. Nice job here! read more

Being from Hawaii, it was and amazing aquarium! I took my 7 year old. It was nice to see things we are not used to...like salmon. I visited this aquarium over 13 years prior and they have done some serious updating. I originally wasn't looking forward to going as my first experience wasn't so great but we got the city pass so well with it. I loved the starfish and sea anemone interaction. We were able to see the sea otters interact and they were very lively. They also had a specific area for tropical fish so it was cool to see the humuhumunukunukuapuaa (Hawaii state fish) in Seattle!! read more

Great aquarium. We bought the Seattle pass, so I'm not sure what the price of this place would be otherwise, but my wife and I enjoyed ourselves. My favorite part was the underwater dome. Seeing salmon was awesome as well. If you have the time (or children) I'd put this on my things to do when visiting. read more

It was ok. Not that interesting for me but good experience for little kids. More of an educational place than a trained animal trick show

I loved it and thought it was the most enjoyable part of my trip to Seattle! It's wonderful and interesting and beautiful and has otters. It was great and I will absolutely go back. A lot. I really liked it. Squee! read more

We took our daughter for her birthday. Not impressed at all! Drove from neighboring state too just for an expensive let down. Very overpriced for what it is. Dirty tanks you could barely see fish or sea life in especially the bigger animals, over crowded and understaff same family was the small jellyfish window for over an hour we walked back 3x and they were still there and the staff member standing near by never asked for them to give others an opportunity to look. We should have just visited the space needle instead. Only have a generous second star cause the octopus feeding was cool and the staff member there was a good educator. read more

Fantastic Beyond Belief. Who would have thought that there is a world class aquarium in Seattle. We went there one afternoon because we had a few things to do and were totally awed by the collection. In fact, we were so awed that we came back again, brought friends and family on a 2nd visit, and stayed more than half a day. The see creatures are all important, are wonderfully treated, and well displayed. All of the aquarium's cleaned daily and many of visitors stay and watch the scuba divers clean tanks and feed the fish. The science shop is located at the front after the entrance and you can see how our ocean habitat being preserved through the participation. There are also a lot of birds and mammals shown on outside around the aquarium. If you are even the slightest bit interested in aquariums and I love them, this is a place not to be missed. Just do not make the mistake we made of arriving late in the day as you will run out of time. Get there in the morning and plan to spend the entire day there. read more

The Aquarium is a fantastic rainy day diversion. Go during off-peak times and bring a kid.