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Nestled between the thrilling roller coasters and waterslides of Elitch Gardens Amusement and Water Park and the trendy bars and restaurants of Highland, the Downtown Aquarium is an often overlooked attraction in the Mile High City. That is, for everyone except the hordes of families who are enthralled by its million-plus-gallon tanks every summer.
The Aquarium In Denver Colorado
Inside these tanks? Everything from brown trout (Colorado's state fish) to stingrays (which you can pet) to sharks (which you can actually swim with). To make sure you see each of them during your visit—along with the other land creatures on site—we've put together an essential guide to Denver's downtown aquarium.
Downtown Aquarium, Denver In Denver, Co
The most convenient way to secure entry is to buy tickets online in advance of your visit, which is an iron-clad strategy on weekends when crowds descend on the aquarium. Starting June 15, bookings will be staggered every 15 minutes to ensure social distancing. (Visitors aged three and over must still wear masks.) Use the ticket within half an hour of the time slot, otherwise it will be invalid. That said, during our visit, the staff at the box office said that on weekdays, tickets were usually easily available on a walk-in basis.
The main exhibition is open from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday to Thursday from 09:00 to 21:00. on Friday and Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.
During non-pandemic times, the aquarium usually offers additional experiences through premium ticket options, such as the Aquarium Exhibit Plus Pass, which costs $5 more than regular admission and gives the holder access to a screening of the 4D Experience (a 15-minute film in a 40-seat theater equipped with physical effects). Or for $6.50 more than the standard price, an Aquarium Exhibit Value ticket gets you into the 4D experience along with two of the following benefits: food for the interactive stingray exhibit, face painting, a small soft drink or a climb up the Coconut Tree (artificial a tree that you can climb using a rope and harness).
As the 4-D Experience and other additional attractions are still temporarily suspended due to COVID-19, the Value Ticket and Plus Pass are currently unavailable. But be sure to check the aquarium's website for up-to-date information on the reopening and available premium tickets.
Denver Downtown Aquarium
The main attraction. This exhibit is included in the price of general admission and winds through nine different habitats, from North America to a rainforest to a coral lagoon. Highlights include: Emmet, a 10-year-old North American river otter who can swim seven miles per hour and likes to show off that speed as he glides around the enclosure; a glass tunnel through which large stingrays swoop; Besar, a tiger known for taking a nap after gobbling down a heaping portion of pork; and 20-foot sharks. The most popular one for kids is at the end, where the outdoor tank lets them lean over the glass and touch passing rays as they circle above the water.
With the help of Littleton-based A-1 Scuba & Travel, the Downtown Aquarium also gives its guests the opportunity to dive. On Saturdays and Sundays from 9:30 a.m., customers ages six and older can snorkel with stingrays, groupers and eels in the Under the Sea exhibit ($85). Start at 1:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, certified divers can examine sand tiger sharks up close at the Sunken Shipwreck exhibit ($185; all necessary equipment included). For those who want the thrill of being shark bait but don't have their scuba certifications, there's also a Shark Cage Experience (ages eight and up; $100 for 20 minutes underwater) on Saturdays and Sundays.
Throughout the summer, the Downtown Aquarium offers educational programs for its younger patrons. Students can participate in a full day of education through the “Marine Biologist for a Day” and “Zoologist for a Day” tours (both cost $65 per day and run from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; see the events calendar for the designated day for your child's class). If that doesn't cut it a day, the Downtown Aquarium also hosts five-day summer camps for first through sixth graders. On July 2, 16 and 30 and again on August 6 and 27, children ages five to 11 (accompanied by an adult) can sleep at the Downtown Aquarium ($65 per person; each adult is free with five paying children) ).
Located between the aquarium and the South Platte River, the Aquarium Express is an electric train aimed at children (although riders under 36 inches must be accompanied by a guardian). Similarly, the Aquatic Carousel (children under 42 inches must ride with a guardian) replaces traditional horses with sea monsters. Both cost $3 a ride.
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Downtown Aquarium is owned by Landry's Restaurants, the owner behind chains like Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., and yes, Aquarium Restaurants. The menu at the Denver outpost is naturally seafood and steak-heavy, with everything from grilled Atlantic salmon to a grilled captain's plate or classic steak and lobster. Of course, there is also a children's menu full of mac and cheese, pizza and grilled cheese. However, the local restaurant's main attraction is a 50,000-gallon aquarium filled with fish.
But if eating tilapia while other sea creatures look on is scary, there are plenty of alternative places to eat in the area. Directly to the east, Platte Street is full of reputable restaurants. Protos Pizzeria Napoletana bakes thin-crust pies, while Brider's sandwiches are perfect for a quick lunch. At the east end of the street, Maria Empanadas offers delicious and affordable options that even the pickiest of kids will appreciate (just see if they can resist the ham and cheese). Our daughter has been asking to go for months. She is an animal lover. She really likes dogs. She also likes life in the water. We set up a freshwater aquarium in her room. But she had been asking to visit the Downtown Aquarium in Denver for some time. She was ecstatic when we put the trip on the calendar.
The Downtown Aquarium is close to many Denver attractions, including the Children's Museum, Elitch Gardens, Pepsi Center (home of the NBA's Denver Nuggets and the NHL's Colorado Avalanche) and Mile High Stadium, home of the NFL's Denver Broncos. .
The aquarium is home to a number of freshwater and marine animals, but also tigers, sloths and river otters. It is open every day.
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Our trip started with a mad dash to get to the Mystic Mermaid morning show. We had to hurry between the exhibits, the children were arguing along the way that they would stop at this or that tank in order to catch the performance of the three mermaids at the Under the Sea exhibition.
The ten minute show will delight the audience as the mermaids talk to the audience from the tank, swim, dance and inform the audience about efforts to protect our waterways. Our children loved watching the show and marveled at how the "mermaids" could swim and talk underwater. After the show, you can meet the mermaids on the dry beach and have your photo taken with them.
After the show, we swam upstream like spawning salmon to the aquarium entrance to officially begin our trip. Our first exposure was to the North American wilderness, where we saw many freshwater fish, including those native to the mountains of Colorado.
We found sturgeon, river otters, trout, alligators and turtles. Many of the tanks in the exhibit hall are waist-high, so you can see through the tank to the fish below you. There is also an area in the lobby where you can dig for gems in the flowing sluice.
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We then moved into the desert where we found bearded dragons, tarantulas and desert pups while learning about the highly adaptable nature of these creatures.
The hall was in stark contrast to another exhibit, Under the Sea, which features a large coral tank filled with marine life such as stingrays and sharks, along with smaller tanks that serve as homes for seahorses (a favorite) and moray eels.
Next we went to At the Wharf, my wife's favorite spot where we could touch starfish and admire sea urchins, stingrays, sea anemones and rockfish. This smaller exhibit had a lot of hands-on experiences that we really enjoyed.
Next was a rainforest hall with piranhas and Sumatran tigers. We were lucky enough to see the tigers munching on some treats and even heard one roar. However, the children were not so excited to listen to the macaw's loud calls in this hall.
Tiger At The Downtown Aquarium In Denver, Colorado Editorial Photography
Coral Lagoon had my favorite underwater specimen in the aquarium - the crawfish. We laughed when we saw the lobster scratching its head. Coral Lagoon also had some of the most colorful fish with amazing patterns including dots and stripes.
The Sunken Temple is home to zebra sharks, lionfish and
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