We had one full day in Vancouver and decided to spend the morning in Stanley Park and at the Aquarium. We had such a great time! We've been lucky as a family to visit some great aquariums all over the US and I'd say Vancouver's definitely ranks in the top as well. I do think that separates this Aquarium to others we've been to, thankfully due to the moderate climate here, they can have outdoor seal, sea lion, and sea otter enclosures, which was great for our son as he loves seals. Also thoroughly enjoyed the laid back setup on the shows, where you don't have to sign up or pay extra, they are on a recurring schedule. You can easily make the Seal, Sea Otter, and Sea Lion shows without having to rush or miss out on other parts of the Aquarium. The interior does have quite a bit to see as well. I liked the Pacific Canada and Treasures of the BC coast as of course that is highlighting the local wildlife we do not get to see. Naturally, what visit to an aquarium is complete without a stop at the gift shop? We all found some great and fun merch to bring home as we exited. All-in-all this a great aquarium in such an equally great setting and city. It might not have the biggest footprint of others you may visit in North America, but more than makes up for it in the beautiful setting, outdoor enclosures, and helpful staff. read more

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6/3/26 Purchased tickets online... Arrived early and was able to get in quickly.. I do think they should open the gift store at 10 am (the same time the aquarium opens).. A self guided tour... and many areas to explore.. I have this thing with wanting to see the monkeys.. ( had so much fun in Japan).. First stop was the Amazon area-.. it gets busy so we stopped there first-.. Got to see the small monkey- so cute playing.. The dolphins, jellyfish, all had wonderful displays.. Picked up a few souvenirs to take back.. read more

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I liked this aquarium a lot! I was on a solo trip and get lost easily, but found that a lot of things were easy to find and navigate here. I loved the outdoor areas- watching the little seals and otters was so cute. They had otter soccer at one point but it was WAY too crowded to see. I did get to view other otters from a different angle and they were so happy and silly. It made me smile. Loved the frogs and that you can see different exhibits in a multi-level way. The rainforest area was also really cool. Saturday in May was BUSY!!!! Frequently super crowded areas, felt a little trapped at times. I tried to stay outside and on lower levels for better viewing. Even with timed entry it was still pretty hectic. Would love to return on a quieter day. Wasn't super impressed with the food options, but I also don't see why you would need to stay long enough to eat here- go back into the city! read more

Definitely the place to be if you enjoy sea lions and otters. The thoughtfully designed enclosures for these animals really allows visitors to get close and take in their personalities. When we visited the sea lions were going through a stimulating play of turf wars and going between pieces of land and lay claim to them and fend off the others. There was another sea lion on the other side who was otherwise very happily sunbathing and stretching in all angles to find the perfect position to sleep in. We also went to the sea lion show which was very educational and fun to see the trainers show the audience how they live while giving them tasty treats. read more

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Awesome aquarium! This is a large aquarium with knowledgeable staff. I really enjoyed the myriad of animals featured. My favorite to admire were the jellyfishes! read more

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Overall: 100% worth the visit. There is so much to look at, it's clean, they have food, gift shops and some shows. It wasn't too crowded when we went, which made it even better because we could view all the marine life. Honestly one of the better aquariums I have gone do and they have a really cool sections with dragons and reptiles. Parking wasn't too bad either. read more

Vancouver Aquarium - Aquariums Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Actually really amazing! Prices are a bit high (around 58 USD per person), but use your hotel concierge - they might be able to get you a slightly cheaper deal. Really nice layout and selection of fish, jellyfish, and others. Lots of good infographics, an immersive 3D experience, and a 4D theater! Don't want to spoil the 4D, but it has some jump scares! The best part is the sea otters/lions outside - so cute! Also there is a restaurant with burgers, poutine, etc for confiscatory prices. Nice gift shop at the end. Definitely Uber - from the cruise terminal downtown it's around a 50-55min walk. read more

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Vancouver Aquarium is an awesome spot to come check out a diverse array of aquatic wildlife. The aquarium is broken up into different sections and their climates. Our group had a blast walking around and then taking a short walk to Stanley Park right after! read more

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Came by Cinco de Mayo featured event night. Only over 19 yr old and they serve alcohol and mariachi as well. Event was held between 7pm-10pm. From my experience, it was not large aqualium but good enough to explore. The facility is new (some tiny area were aged) but I would say almost new. Their 4D theater is highly recommended. They play about North American mammals and the gimmick was very fun and surprising. read more

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Our group had a wonderful time here! Coming from Southern CA, we love the Aquarium of the Pacific, and this felt so similar. Friendly staff, good lunch options on the outer deck, and phenomenal exhibits! read more

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Many fish, fresh and saltwater. Large display of Otters, many different seals, jellyfish, ocean, and freshwater fish. A nice Amazon rainforest exhibit with both land and river animals. The staff has otter and seal talks/shows providing education and entertainment. A good collection of BC and Canadian marine life makes this aquarium a worthwhile visit. read more

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My husband and I came by for a visit yesterday. It was not either of our first times, but it had been ages since either of us had been. I honestly don't even remember having gone lol But this place was cool. The husband and I were suprised to see two sloths and monkeys! Really glad I got over my fear of birds to see them! Great frogs exhibit! Oh, there was an employee walking around with a shark plush with bunny ears on! It was Easter, so maybe that was the Easter Shark? I dunno, but it was really awesome! I liked the little bits of silliness! I also liked the fact that in the touch area, they had closed tanks for the animals to rest. Thought that was really cool! Put the moon jellies were there to pet and the usual star fish and sea urchins. The gift shop, has the usual gift shop fare but also has some Ogopogo merch, which is totally cool and I couldn't even help myself and got a big plushy of the cryptid! read more

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I enjoy zoos and aquariums, and this is a great place to bring the kids. I came here before when I was younger, and decided to have my cousin bring her two kids. We had fun. Lots to look at, and so much that kept their interest. read more

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Small aquarium, can quickly tour the aquarium. Nothing extraordinary but we enjoyed seeing the turtles, monkeys in the rainforest, sealions, jellyfish and frogs. read more

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I've been to the Vancouver Aquarium a few times now and it's always a fun place to visit for the entire family. It's well maintained and has both indoor and outdoor areas. The live shows are fun and the seasonal exhibits keep things fresh. Parking isn't too bad if you come early. My only complaint is that I wish the aquarium was bigger and therefore could showcase an even greater variety of sea life. read more

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What a wonderful way to spend the afternoon! The Vancouver Aquarium is located inside Stanley Park. We found public transport to be very convenient with bus route 19 taking us to within a 5-minute walk to the entrance of the building. The exhibits were amazing and very informative and a number of activities were also interactive, like the wet lab where visitors can touch some creatures, and the virtual reality experience (available for an additional fee). We also had a great time watching the seal feeding time and the sea lion training session. For a late lunch, we ordered fish and chips which were delicious. The cashier that helped us with our order was so kind and helpful. All of the other personnel, from the ticket counter to educators/presenters, to shop staff were professional and friendly. Bathrooms were clean and conveniently located throughout the property. As a tip, bring sun protection for any of the outdoor events--there was limited shade available in certain sections of the seal and sea lion locations. Additionally, booking tickets online at least 48-hours ahead of time can mean lower ticket prices. Overall, this is a really nice aquarium and absolutely worth the visit! read more

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Love it here! So much to see both indoors and outdoors and the staff are so kind and informative! A definite must see if you're visiting Vancouver! read more

Vancouver Aquarium - Aquariums Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

The Vancouver Aquarium is truly special. It's an experience that makes you feel connected to the BC ocean. There are cute sea otters, mesmerizing jellyfish, colourful tropical fish and show-stopping sea lions. the exhibits are designed in a way to connect the community with aquatic nature. I like the warm Amazon area where birds fly freely and the air humid just like the real tropics. You can also spot the sloth hiding around the trees. The staff are very knowledgeable, and the aquarium's conservation work is admirable. Vancouver aquarium is not only fun but educational and immersive read more

Vancouver Aquarium - Aquariums Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Date of visit: July 21, 2025 It had been several years since visiting Vancouver and the Aquarium but I was quickly reminded of the high quality exhibits and overall condition of the facility. The 4D showing was not something I remembered from my last visit, and while short, it was well done and a nice touch that it was already included in the price of admission with showings every 15 minutes. Speaking of the admission price, it was a bit steep and the gift shop prices made me laugh out loud for several items, but I understand that running these types of facilities are not cheap. Staff interactions were mixed; some were very friendly and others (some young ladies near the seals and sea otters) were only interested in talking to each other. The facility is certainly larger than many other aquariums we've visited in North America as well and its location in Stanley Park makes it easy to get to and explore the surrounding area of Vancouver. read more

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Came here in early july on a weekday afternoon. The lines at the the ticket entrance booths were not too bad, about a 15 minutes wait. There were a couple cool things to see here. I'll go over a few of the highlights. The sea lions were my favorite. Spent a good 10 minutes staring at them because the sea lions were playing with each other and making lots of interesting barking noises. They were pretty active in the pen. There was a shark exhibit with a few small-medium sized sharks, lots of exotic fish, and jellyfish. It was great learning about the different exotic animals with your own eyes in the fish tank. I liked the tropical exhibit. The tropical exhibit had small VERY active monkeys (yes, actual monkeys at an aquarium!), piranha fish, tortoises, bats, a crocodile, and exotic birds. There was an reptile exhibit with many different types of frogs, lizards, and a sloth (of course he was sleeping) but i didnt stay too long as it wasn't as interesting as i thought it would be. The aquarium has daily events where they talk about the animals, do tricks, or feed the animals. There was a sea lion feeding event which was pretty interesting because they were doing some tricks as well. The crowd seemed to like it. One thing to note is that it gets really busy and crowded during the sea lion feeding event so you have to come early before the show starts. I loved the 4D movie theatre. The 20 minute nature doc was about salmon and the animals that eat them at a river. As the movie played, there were actual bubbles, vibration in the seats, splashes of actual water, and something under the chair that touched my feet. Everyone was given 3D glasses and the movie looked great with the 3D effects. The kids loved it and everyone was super surprised whenever the water splashed the audience. The sea otter feeding event was OK. A couple minutes the trainers were throwing seafood into the water and the sea otters ate them up. The sea otters were doing laps around the pool together. Most of it was a aquarium educator talking about sea otter conservation and the fur trade. The trainer that talked did a good job trying to make it as interesting as possible asking questions towards the audience so it wasn't just a monologue. Very crowded though. I also went to a shark talk event but it wasn't too interesting. I left a few minutes after it started. There were 2 aquarium educators who were basically talking about shark stuff and shark conservation. There's no tricks or shark feeding involved. It's just a educational talk. I'd skip it if that doesn't sound interesting to you. There were a lot of washrooms nearby and they were squeaky clean. there was surprisingly lots of private washrooms with wheelchair friendly access and nursing rooms. I didn't try the food at the cafe on this visit and brought my own food. There are plenty of tables with sun umbrellas and benches with shade in front of the main entrance where you can eat. They do give hand stamps near the entrance. You can come back inside after you get your hand stamped at the ticket counter so you don't have to queue up again. The gift shop has a lot of neat apparel, well designed animal plushies, and lots of uniquely vancouver aquarium themed things. Some sculptures there were really unique as they were hand made by an artist especially made for the van aqua gift shop. It was interesting to browse at the items they sell. The things there were not inexpensive but not crazy overpriced either. OverallI the place was crowded but not too crazy crowded for a weekday afternoon. You might have to wait a minute see some fish tanks up close. (science world's crowds were way worse!) Time wise, you could probably see everything within 2 hours. You could spend 3-5 hours and completely scope everything out, REALLY take your time staring at the animals, watching some of the events, and reading all the descriptions by the exhibits. As a transit user, it was super easy coming to the aquarium. The stanley park bus loop is less than a 10 minute walk to the aquarium. The bus goes from metrotown, then goes past downtown, and then to the stanley park bus loop. The bus comes pretty frequently too. Overall, I had a great time overall at the vancouver aquarium. 5 stars! read more

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Although I have visited Vancouver a few times in the past, it was my very first time at the Aquarium!!! We had a few hours of wait time until we met a friend for supper, we decided to visit the Aquarium. The museum has otters, sea lions, and a whole varieties of fish, frogs, jelly fish and animal creatures living in water or wet areas. Our favourite exhibit was the otters, which were rescued otters. These little guys are very good swimmers, and are so funny when they float on their backs!! The staff of the Aquarium were very friendly and knowledgeable, and the ambiance is very family friendly. It was great to learn about water based animals and would love to return in the future to learn more about them!! read more

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Stunning aquarium. Lots of fish to look at. Seals and otters. Jellyfish. And a rainforest. The 4D penguin show is a must. Expect to spend 3 hours here to see it all. There's a cafe and plenty of free water. read more

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Plan ahead by purchasing tickets online and allowing ample time to find parking. We circled the lot many times! Located through Stanley park, it can take a bit to get to. You pay for parking here. We're a family of 4 with two grown kids.., paid for an all day parking pass but was only there an hour. The aquarium has some attractions - sloths, monkeys, otters , seals and a ton of fish. It's great for kids and families. However, IMO many of the tanks seemed dirty and their spaces were small. There's photos of penguins online but they don't have any. There's a lot to see and I can see why this is an attraction in the area. read more

Vancouver Aquarium - Aquariums Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Such a cool aquarium! We loved every minute in it. Kids had such a good time. Food was excellent and team members in true Canadian nature, helpful and kind. Highly recommend! read more

Vancouver Aquarium - Aquariums Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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The Vancouver Aquarium is located in Stanley Park and it is the largest aquarium in Canada. Me, Emma, my dad, and my Auntie went out to walk in Stanley Park and go to the aquarium in Vancouver. We saw sea otters during feeding time, sea lions swimming, axolotls, and more creatures in the water. Even we went to the Time Exhibit "Dragons." But dragons are not real in the world, they are actually mythical creatures. Me and Emma saw reptiles which they're look like dragons. The Vancouver Aquarium has opened in 1956 in Vancouver, Canada. read more

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02.10.26 @2p How is this the largest Aquarium in Vancouver?! Didn't worth the $50 admission! read more

Vancouver Aquarium - Aquariums Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Came by with family to enjoy the aquarium. Since it's in Stanley Park, parking can get tricky depending on your arrival day and time. We stopped by in the afternoon so luckily people were leaving as we were coming. Paid parking in the lot was available and the walk was not too far. We took advantage of the family price and spent over 3.5 hours in the aquarium. Their exhibits were informative and nice, it's clean, and the employees were all very friendly and happily answered questions. I loved that they had kid friendly areas to play and touch or explore. The indoor/outdoor exhibits were a bonus, as we would head indoors when it got too hot. read more

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There's a lot going on here, and there had better be, for what it cost to get in the door! Shelling out $130 CAD for two adults, one 8 year old, and two freebie babies is pretty steep, especially when we arrived at 3:00 PM, not knowing that the whole place closed at 5:00 PM. No discount for dumbass, late-arriving tourists? Price point aside, this really is a fantastic aquarium. I'd been here once before, around 12 years ago, but my memory of the place was fuzzy, at best. I remember there were dolphins back then, but the weather conspired against me, and prevented me from seeing them in any meaningful capacity. They appear to be gone now, replaced with sea otters (one of my wife's favorite creatures), which is an acceptable substitution. Near as I can tell, even with our limited amount of time, I believe we were able to see pretty much every gallery and attraction the place had to offer. Our kids loved it, from the 8-year old, to our toddler, and even our infant, who was fascinated by the ambient lights and strange, floating creatures. Beyond the undersea attractions, there was also an Amazon rainforest exhibit, featuring all manner of creatures, aquatic or otherwise, including monkeys, sloths, colorful birds, frogs, snakes, assorted reptiles and amphibians, and exotic plant life. I wish we'd had more time, to thoroughly flesh out the place, but even with our limited run, I could tell that our boys really enjoyed their time here. Seeing their smiles is very much worth the price of admission, regardless of how steep it may be. read more

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This was a really great aquarium! I really enjoyed the interactive talks and demos that they had throughout the entire building. The staff were all very kind and answered lots of questions. Most of the aquarium is inside, but all of the seals and otters are outside. I really enjoyed the lab area where you were able to go inside and hear from some of the researchers as well as pet some of the jellyfish. They also had a touch tank in the outside area. My favorite areas were the otters and the tropicals area. Make sure to take time to go through the tropicals room where you can see sloths, turtles, birds, monkeys, and bats! The food court was mildly overpriced but I think everything in the city is slightly expensive. The aquarium sits right by a large park which you can easily explore after your visit. The aquarium also has wheelchairs for free to rent, you just need to sign a form and leave a photo ID with the information desk. The only part of the aquarium that was questionable was the "4d movie". Maybe it's old, but half of the effects didn't make sense or do anything. If you have extra time, maybe it's fun to see but definitely don't go out of your way to watch it. read more

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I don't normally enjoy aquariums now that my kids are older, but I was roped into going to the Vancouver Aquarium recently, and I have to admit, it was pretty cool. There's not just fish, there are frogs, snakes, bats, otters, all kinds of stuff! The jellyfish are quite nice and available in different sizes from teeny tiny babies up through the large suckers. Parking in the park is confusing...it's hard to tell where to park because the parking lot at the actual aquarium was full, so there was someone keeping cars from pulling up that road. I asked if any of the other lots were better for aquarium access than others, and I was told 'just try any of them and walk, I don't know', which is kind of disconcerting when you're visiting and the park is huge. But we ended up finding a spot and the walk was only 5-10 minutes, so it wasn't bad, but some helpful information would be nice for the future. Overall I'd say it's a great place to take kids (it's great without them too, but there were SOOOO many kids here, all having a great time). Try it out, I bet you won't be disappointed. read more

Came to my first adult night for cinco de mayo. They were serving drinks and tacos but I was too excited by the animals and ended up missing the window to order anything. Admission tickets for the event were $35 which was a great price. Drink tickets were $12 each as a friend got some. The wet labs was open and we got to pet some moon jellies (native to deep cove which is super neat!) Loved the vibes of the outdoor seating area with fire pits. Had a really good time and would come back again for another adult night. read more

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Wooow what a lovely experience. It has 2 levels and an open part. It gets busy. We had tickets and we have to make a quick line to get inside. First, you get your picture taken. You can purchase it by the first kiosk inside. Strollers all around on each room. Some are parked outside at the hall. Lost of kids. Tall tanks. You can carry babies and they will easily see better. Very interesting species and nicely illuminated tanks. There is a lactation room on the lower floor right infront a diaper changing station. Please parebts: try using that changing room or the table inside the restroom before using the last resource (lactation room). Some moms need it for it because there is no other location. Diaper changing has other 2 options. Staff is very knowledgeable, caring, patient, and friendly. They are very good with kids. Parking wasn't that bad for us, but we saw so many people had to go all the way around and way back the main lot. Spots are narrow. read more

Vancouver Aquarium - You can take a picture at the entrance.They can change the back :) - Aquariums Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Came to Vancouver with my son and the first thing he said he wanted to go to was the Aquarium. I was a little skeptical at first reading some of the reviews and knowing that it was going to be a holiday weekend. We picked an early time and I am glad that we did as it wasn't super busy when we got there. By the time we left it was quite busy. I was very impressed with the exhibits, the workers and their knowledge, and the cleanliness of the place! Well done! read more

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A very nice aquarium located in Stanley Park. They have quite a collection of jellyfish and frogs. Plus, the sea lions and seals who put on a couple of shows. An everyone's favorite the sea otters. Plus, they have a nice rainforest with monkeys & sloths. It's a very interactive aquarium. They have a whole area for touching the animals plus virtual reality. It has two cafes and a lovely gift shop. It was surprisingly busy on a Monday. read more

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Great aquarium! Lots of stuff to do indoors and outdoors. My kids love the touch tanks.

What a fantastic place! This is not your typical aquarium with simple tanks of fish. Instead, they have a crazy variety of reptiles, fish, mammals, flora and fauna, and much more. Lots of interactive and engaging displays with enthusiastic volunteers. Highly recommend!! read more

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Such a fun experience, highly recommend finding the hot and red headed guy who is a big jellyfish nerd to tell you all about the creatures as you pet them, 1000/10 would book him as a personal tour guide if I could read more

Vancouver Aquarium - The cutest baby - Aquariums Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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This is the worst, most expensive aquariums I've ever had the displeasure of visiting! I'm an animal lover and love visiting zoos and aquariums.. This place is simply not worth the price you pay. They have two few exhibits to warrant the price. read more

Best aquarium I've been to! While on a birthday trip to Vancouver my family and I decided to go to their aquarium, which was perfect for a rainy day. Wow! I was so impressed with how large this aquarium is and how many different types of sea life and other animals they have. We have been to a couple of different aquariums and they usually have the same type of sea creatures but not here, this aquarium has so many sea creatures I have never seen before. We had fish and chips from their cafeteria and it was so good! The fish was so fresh! Everything was great during our visit! We took home a beautiful family souvenir picture to remember our wonderful time here. read more

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This was the first place that we visited last Tuesday on our first full day of our first family vacation in the Vancouver area! All six of us sure had a great time here! It was cool to see the orcha statue at the aquarium entrance. Going inside, it was a big aquarium with so many different rooms and things to be looked at. Of course, it's always so neat to see the so many different kinds of fish that live in the many different oceans and waters of the world. So beautiful, all the different colors, shapes, types, and sizes of each fish. They also many other things here. I remember seeing frogs, bugs, a rain forest area with some exotic birds, turtles, and cute little monkees. Also, some alligators, snakes, jellyfish, and eels, to name a few more. We also saw a sea otter show that lasted about 15 to 20 minutes and was spectacular! After all these fish and animal viewings, then we finally moved into the Café area to get some lunch. I had shared the four chicken tenders and poutine with my younger daughter. My older daughter and her hubby and kids shared a chicken tenders' kids meal, and they had a fish & chips plate. I chased my items down with Canada Dry ginger Ale and an orange Fanta soda. My younger daughter had an apple juice. We all seemed decently content after lunch. The funniest part was making sure the seagulls didn't try to steal our food. Lol. Overall, this was a wonderful and exciting experience here to see my two granddaughters' faces light up with big smiles. It would be so neat to come back in about 4 to 5 years to see them interact even more and to be able to remember things by that age. We would definitely come back again, and this is a must visit! read more

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