Lionfish, tigers and bar-icudas, oh my! The Downtown Aquarium in Houston is a huge entertainment complex sitting right off I-45, and recognizable by the ferris wheel that overlooks the freeway! In addition to being a restaurant, it’s also an aquarium and theme park, with rides and games and some pretty cool animals, too!
It’s hard to believe that you’re actually Downtown in the 4th largest city in the country when you’re here!
The Aquarium takes up the bottom floor, with the restaurant on the 2nd and a Special Events Venue on the third.
Admission isn’t required to walk around, and you can pay for rides separately.
There is a fee for parking, of course. On our last visit it was still $8. We stayed parked there all day, since there is so much in walking distance of the Downtown Aquarium!
Bring towels to let the kids play in the fountains! Check their calendar of events for upcoming live music!
The Electric Eel Train takes you on an incredible Shark Voyage through the Aquarium! It is SO much fun!
The Aquarium is filled with great fish! They have amazing animal encounters for an additional price, as well as educational programs like Marine Biologist for a day. Previously we have done the Behind the Scenes Tours.
In Stingray Reef, you can hand-feed the stingrays, too!
We love the beautiful tanks to show off the fish. There are 8 different exhibits, each featuring fish and animals from different parts of the world, like the Louisiana Swamp, Rainforest and Mayan Sunken Temple!
The Aquarium fish are incredible, but so are the many reptiles housed here, from alligators to snakes and tarantulas!
Ocearch is defintely my daughter’s favorite, where you can see the location of tagged sharks in the ocean!
And you can’t forget the white tigers!
Downtown Aquarium has incredible birthday parties, too, and even sleepovers where kids can stay with the tigers! Well, outside their exhibit, of course.
The Aquarium Restaurant is also dedicated to animal conservation. To learn more about the Wildlife Alliance, click HERE
The gift shop is full of great souvenirs from your visit!
After dark, the restaurant is lit up and beautiful. Dinner on Saturdays is especially busy, but here’s a great tip. We had just purchased a $25 Landry’s Select Club card the week before, which gives you $25 off your next meal so it pays for itself on your next visit. Then you receive points towards future meals when you eat at any Landry’s restaurant, or even hotel stays at the Galveston Island Hilton, which happens to be one of my favorites. When we arrived at the Downtown Aquarium for dinner, I was told we had an hour wait for a table, but when they asked if I had a Landry’s Club Card, we were seated IMMEDIATELY! That was SO cool!
After dinner, we enjoyed walking around the rides, and all the lights!
It’s absolutely beautiful at night!
On Saturday Nights, horse drawn carriages line up to take your on a magical tour of Downtown Houston, too!
Things To Do in Downtown Houston
Play
The Art Car Museum is FREE and so much fun! We love it! Click HERE to read more.
Another fun things to see in Houston is the Beer Can House! Click HERE for more information.
Discovery Green Park in Downtown has great activities, a spray park, playground and there is always something exciting happening! Click HERE for more information.
Stay
The Houston Hyatt Regency is an incredible hotel in Downtown Houston. Click HERE for more information.
Downtown Aquarium
410 Bagby Street, Houston
Click HERE to visit their website.
Keep Having Fun in the Texas Sun!
Michelle
Having Fun in the TEXAS Sun is on PINTEREST! Use it as a quick resource to find activities in different Texas towns! Click HERE!
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