Where can you feed a huge tortoise or caiman, hold a parakeet, pet a capybara, or actually swim with stingrays? The answer is at SeaQuest Interactive Aquarium in Fort Worth! The aquarium opened in 2017, and while there are larger aquariums in the DFW Metroplex, what makes SeaQuest so unique is that you actually can feed and touch almost all the animals! It’s a great aquarium for younger children, and I love how everything is more at their level, however my son loves it for the animal encounters! We loved the kinkajou encounter, he was so adorable and we learned so much about an animal we’ve really never heard of before, but nothing yet has beat Swimming with the Stingrays!
We loved the Kinkajou Encounter, where we were introduced to the curious little honey! He was very personable and we enjoyed feeding him, petting him and learning more about him!
If you’re not ready to swim with the stingrays, you can also pet them! They are actually very friendly, and a little playful! I wasn’t paying attention and one splashed me!
Fishy Kisses is so cool, you can pay to have these little fish eat the dead skin off your feet! They have little benches you sit at and then put your feet in their tank! What do you think, is that a yay or nay for you?
Don’t worry, no shark we injured in the making of this post.
But they do have some amazing animals, like these cute hermit crabs!
The Sulcata Tortoises are allowed free run of the aquarium, and you can purchase food anytime to feed them! They are one of the largest land tortoises, and can live up to 150 years!
The staff was very helpful and friendly. This keeper is showing the kids how to use 2 fingers, zoo fingers, to pet the snake.
This little bearded dragon was so friendly!
My son loved the iguana habitat, where we could go inside and pet them! There were several, and while you could buy food to feed them, we chose to just pet them! I like that you don’t have to purchase food to be allowed inside any of the animal enclosures!
You can also feed these little caiman, just not by hand!
The Aquarium also has birds! There are so many cute parakeets, and they all come to roost on your hand, especially if you have a little food (but again, not necessary)!
There is also a daily bird talk. We got to meet Ra, a Sun Conure. Ra is still a juvenile, but these neat birds can live for 30 years and are native to Northeast South America.
Swimming with the Stingrays was AMAZING, and we loved it! We’re already talking about going back with friends! The stingrays were SO sweet and friendly! Our favorite is a little cownose stingray named Nubs because he’s missing part of his tail. He stayed near us almost the entire time!
They have several different types of stingrays in the tank, as well as guitarfish and grey smooth-hound sharks. I was able to swim down and hand feed a guitarfish, which was a huge thrill for me, too!
Our guide, Taylor, was terrific and stayed with us, but let us explore all over the tank! He was also very knowledgeable about all the animals!
There is an additional fee to swim with the stingrays, $29.99 for members and $39.99 for everyone else. But it’s COMPLETELY worth it! A session last about 35-45 minutes!
A few tips for Swimming with the Stingrays
- If possible, arrive early to enjoy the aquarium, and make this your last activity, so you’re not walking around with wet hair.
- Wear your swimsuit under your clothes. A tight fitting suit fits best in the wetsuit.
- For younger children, just use the goggles if they aren’t comfortable with the snorkel.
- Bring a towel and dry clothes!
Things To Do in Fort Worth
Play
The Fort Worth Botanical Gardens offer FREE admission and parking, as well as 23 specialty gardens to enjoy located on over 7 acres! Click HERE for more information.
Trinity Park stretches out along the Trinity River, with playgrounds, a depot for the Trinity Park Railroad Train, and is home to numerous festivals throughout the year. Click HERE to read more.
Flight Deck Trampoline Park is a fun place to take the kids to play! Click HERE for more information.
Eat
We love the Woodshed Smokehouse on the Trinity River. Click HERE for more information.
Stay
The Hilton Garden Inn has a great heated pool that my kids love all year long! Click HERE for more information.
SeaQuest Interactive Aquarium
1974 Green Oaks Rd., Fort Worth
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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