Jan 15 2009
Underwater Adventures Aquarium at Mall of America
Mall of America has been around since 1991 or so, and I’ve lived in Minnesota for most of that time and made many trips to MOA. I’d explored the theaters and mini golf, stores and amuseument park, but had never ventured to Underwater Adventures Aquarium.
With discount tickets in hand, however, I took the kids on a trip to the mall and we went down to see the sharks.
Billed as the world’s largest underwater aquarium, Underwater Adventures features a Minnesota wildlife habitat area followed by a moving walkway that goes through a tunnel with water and sea creatures surrounding visitors. It’s interesting to see the undersides of sharks and other fish, and my two-year-old loved the big turtle.
The moving walkway is intended to keep people moving at a steady pace through the aquarium, and it would have worked very well if everyone had known this. Because I had a stroller along, however, I had to hold it to the side, off the moving part, and it kept getting in the way of people who wanted to move faster or go back through the aquarium.
At the end of the aquarium section, there’s a pool where you can touch a shark under the guidance of an employee. You can also get your picture taken or buy things in the gift shop.
After finally visiting Underwater Adventures, I realized I hadn’t been missing much. Their “world’s largest” claim is pretty narrow; after all, how many underwater aquariums are there in the world? There’s more to do in the aquarium area of the Minnesota Zoo, at a cheaper cost. My kids enjoyed the aquarium, but weren’t as excited about it as many other places we’ve been.
It’s convenient to have Underwater Adventures right at MOA, and it can provide a respite from shopping for kids and adults alike. If you do go, be sure to look for discount tickets; you should at least be able to find some that offer a free child’s admission with purchase of an adult ticket.
You can never really go wrong with little kids an aquarium but some are certainly better than others. Thanks for the heads up!
Sharlene’s last blog post..Santa Monica Pier
I agree, we’ve been there once and I’ll never pay for tickets to that place again. Especially not their regular price. It’s crazy expensive! My kids have more fun seeing the free entertainment at the Mall of America like various school choirs and bands…and of course stopping to get a big pretzel from Auntie Anne’s!
Thanks for the honest review! Having visited a variety of aquariums in the Caribbean and both US coasts, I guess we’ll give this one a miss.
Sandra Foyt’s last blog post..Customize A Web Browser For Home School Use
i wish you would put how much this attraction costs
Brittany, it is currently $18.95 for ages 13+ and $11.95 for kids 3-12.
I generally don’t put admission prices on my site because that information is always changing, but I provide a link so you can easily find the details.
Hi, just linked to this article on one of my posts about Aquariums in the US. Thanks:)
Shreejana Hickman’s last blog post..7 Aquarium Discounts and Bargains around the US
[...] Underwater Adventures Aquarium [...]
This is good info. I just wanted to make a comment on the moving walkway thing. I was traveling in Chicago, my first trip by plane back in 97 on my way to Hawaii. I had the unpleasant experience of my first moving walkway through an area to make people continue forward. I despise those things, I think they are creepy. Don’t think I want to visit this aquarium, shark experience or not. Anyway, thanks for the info, great pics.
All Inclusive´s last blog ..All Inclusive Excursions Texas Invites You To Stay At The Renaissance Curacao Resort & Casino