Underwater Adventures Aquarium, Minnesota

Aquariums just seem to be getting better and better all over the country. Our favorite one in the Minneapolis/St.Paul area is by far the Underwater Adventures Aquarium.

We live in this area and have purchased memberships. We end up going almost every week!! At bedtime my son wants me to “talk about the aquarium”, which means for me to basically walk us through… “first we get our wristbands, then we go past the guy who doesn’t take our picture, then we see the tortoises…” Because my husband’s a chef, we talk about which fish we eat, and which ones we don’t. Some of the kids behind us get a little freaked out, “Mom! they’re going to eat it!” Oh well. Such is life.

The aquarium is really cool and worth every penny. I see many people want to rush to the underwater tunnel, but if you skip the beginning, you miss a lot of stuff. There are several animal statues (taxidermy-type) in life-like positions hidden all around. We’ve been there probably a hundred times and just today noticed a bobcat by the snapping turtle. If you take your time, it can be very educational.

Of course, the highlight is the underwater tunnel. You walk through lake and river fish, the Amazon river, Shark Cove, and a coral reef. Shark Cove is the main attraction for sure. There’s a great variety of sharks to see: sand tiger, black tip reef, white tip reef, nurse, and brown sandbar. There are other varieties of fish that you don’t see often; guitar fish, sawfish, and wobegong, to name a few. Kids love the sea turtles and the stingrays, too. After you see the exhibits and make it through the gift shop, there’s a play area. Come on a Tuesday morning, and there are extra things for toddlers to do. There’s a shipwreck to play Pirates on, touch a real baby shark or ray, a new-and-improved sandbox to play in… it’s really fun!

To see a little video I made, click here…

Afterwards, hit the food court for lunch and the kid’s will be napping in the car in no time! Or, ready for the amusement park in the center of the mall… you decide.