Seattle Aquarium

An Awesome Aquarium

Recently renovated and expanded to the tune of $41 million, the Seattle Aquarium is the flagship marine animal and environmental experience of the Pacific Northwest. The fishy focal point of the new and improved aquarium is the brand new 120,000 gallon 'Window on Washington Waters' exhibit. Through the enormous 20' X 40' viewing window you can watch divers give talks and answer questions three times a day from the underwater world modeled on Washington's Neah Bay. All of the displays will fascinate the younger set: the leafy seahorses are spectacularly alien-like, the jellyfish glow in their O-ring home, and the river otters play with each other all day long. Flop some seals in there and you have an afternoon of delight for kids of any age.

Besides just observing, children can also touch and feel some of their favorite underwater animals and you can too at the 'Life on the Edge' display. Stroke a starfish, rub the belly of a nudibranch and nudge an anemone. If you haven't been to the Seattle Aquarium in a while, it is definitely worth checking out whether or not you have children in tow, though rest assured the kids will love all the animal action and hands-on experiences. Once you finish your visit, wander down the waterfront for a lunch of (what else?) fish and chips overlooking Elliott Bay; just make sure you wash your hands first!

What an animal!

The octopus tank is fairly close to the entrance, and the staff will announce feeding times via a loudspeaker, so it's pretty easy to witness this mesmerizing spectacle. The octopus is somewhat shy, so it's hard to catch a glimpse of it unless you're there to watch it eat.

This was easily our favorite specimen in the whole aquarium--it moves in a hypnotic fashion and it sticks the suckers on its tentacles against its glass tank, so you can really get an up-close-and-personal sense of just how weird this animal is.

The aquarium's staff is extremely well informed and answered all of our questions comprehensively.