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Downtown Aquarium
Rating Details »
Neighborhoods: Northwest, Jefferson Park
700 Water St
Denver, CO 80211
(303) 561-4450
700 Water St
Denver, CO 80211
(303) 561-4450
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
39 reviews for Downtown Aquarium
This was a pretty neat aquarium. We went in the middle of December and there was almost nobody there. I really liked the shark exhibit, they have some big ass gnarly mofos in there!
They have your standards fish exhibits, a mini zoo (weird), and the sting rays you can pet (I like this a lot, and no, I'm not 5 years old...).
It was fun, definitely one of the high points of Downtown Denver (though I really liked the art museum).
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I really enjoyed the aquarium and only have one problem with the place... TIGERS, WTF?! No offense to the aquarium or anything but you have tigers, which makes no sense to me... I had to get that off my chest.
The aquarium is maintained very well! I was impressed. From the Otters to the Sharks, good times (Note: I told the yellowtail that I was going to eat their cousins). It's actually a pretty fast paced place unless you make it a point to really go slow and read every sign... I don't have the patience for that. Once you reach the stingray petting area, you are all done... I recommend feeding the stingrays... It's weird. One of them bit or sucked on my wrist so hard, I was bruised. I'll admit it, after that happened, I was kind of a chicken s4!t about feeding them the rest of the fish, haha. I sucked up my pride though and gave it a second chance where I dropped the fish whenever one came close. It was pretty cool to see them swarm near me for fish... a bunch of excited stingrays that remind me of puppies with wings.
The restaurant was very flamboyant to say the least. Our waiter (I believe his hame was Ibriham) was remarkable. He brought out a sample of the bisque used in the gumbo so my girlfriend knew what she was getting into and he pointed me in the direction of the fish tacos. The food was delicious!! Of course the gumbo bisque may be a little too salty for some people, fyi. By the way, I felt like a jerk when I was eating my fish tacos and watching the fish swim around in the tank, haha.
To summarize my experience:
Aquarium + Tigers = Stupid (It just came to me: maybe they are amphibious attack tigers)
Otters = Awesome!
Sharks = Awesome!
Fish + more Fish = Awesome!
Stingrays = puppies with wings!
Aquarium + Seafood Restaurant = Guilt (even if you aren't Catholic)
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I had the scariest experience of my life here. Literally I surprised I didn't shit my pants. So it feels a little weird that this aquarium also has a mini zoo in it with non water animals. I went here with my friend really late so it was really dark. We were walking around and we moved over to the Tiger exhibit. Only problem was I couldn't see the freaking thing. Both myself and my friend were looking all over for the darn thing. Then we look straight ahead of us. I shit you not that tiger was looking straight at me!He couldn't have been more than like 1-2 feet away. Eye contact with a tiger is not something that is fun. My friend still didn't see the Tiger after I told him to look straight (not up) he had the same reaction that I did.
The rest of the visit was pretty standard. We ate a really good dinner at the in house restaurant. My Miso Sea Bass was amazing. They are a little overpriced though. So if you can I would just Yelp up some other local place to eat. Unless you don't care about your money. It is pretty romantic being encapsulated in a floating Aquarium with candle light. Also there are a lot of kids here. Which made me feel really old. LOL. There is also a souvenir store.
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Parking across the street is $7, which for Denver is high. Glad I have a different perspective. I loved being able to see the fish, as I love aquaria and it was great having one in Denver to see. Outside the building there are things for the kids to see, and an audience participation show going on with interesting animals, like a boa constrictor.
I thought the exhibits were interesting, and the kids that were there, loved the place. I found some beautiful fish to take pictures of, but I agree, not so sure about the tigers in this kind of place. But oh, wait, I've seen white tigers in a casino, so maybe having them here is not such a stretch!
We checked out the menu in the restaurant and the bar, but no real veg options, so we opted out of eating. I thought it was cool that you could sit in the bar and have the giant fish tank adjacent to the room.
The tank with the scuba divers, sharks and turtle was cool. I liked that you could get under and over the fish in many spots in the aquarium. Sis and I had a great time here.
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I felt a little old to be in here. The most amusing thing about the whole aquarium is the fact that they have a seafood restaraunt inside it. Which is just sick and wrong. No way I could order the "Catch of the Day:"
I thought the Otters were the coolest, they made my day. The Stingray petting zoo was interesting. They're one of few animals that can pet you back, which is impressive since they have no hands.
It's probably a pretty good distraction for about a half day or so if you need to entertain visiting family or kids and the money isn't an issue.
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This is an aquarium run by a restaurant chain. The fish are great to look at, but the exhibit explanations are short. It is also way overpriced from admission to parking to everything else.
They only really cool thing was the "touch-a-stingray" exhibit.
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The price is really steep for what it has to offer, but I love how they redid the aquarium. I think it is better and more aimed for little kids than before. All of the attractions are the same, and not trying to make the average aquarium goer think it's spectacular. It just exists.
The tigers still look sad, but I loved petting the sting rays. They were so cute. I had to ask the person I went with if my bag was big enough to smuggle one out.......He said no. Party pooper. I may or may not have contemplated it though. Last time I went was on Easter, and it was packed. Surprisingly, I enjoyed going this time more than I ever have been. This is a very non-traditional aquarium. It is different than ones in other states/cities/etc. So take it for it's Denver charm. IT's a nice activity for a rainy day, but it will cost you an arm and a leg.
However, the one addition I hate is their animitronic gorilla. I have a phobia or robots, and this made me have a panic attack. Good job.
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I love the aquarium. I really do. The photo ops are phenomenal, and watching my daughter run from tank to tank, waving hello and talking to the fish? I love it.
Well, allow me to qualify: I love it in the evenings, when there aren't a bazillion people herding through the walkways. I love it when I can find meter parking nearby and do not have to shell out an exorbitant fee to stick my car in their lot. I love it when there aren't a bunch of teenagers getting in the way and sucking face in front of my kid.
Is it worth over $13 for an adult? Nope. Do I pay it anyway and enjoy myself thoroughly? Yes. The giant tanks are crazy. I love watching the sharks meander by, mere inches from my face. The jellyfish are my absolute favorites - they seem extraterrestrial. The coral is pretty awesome, too.
I still don't get the tiger exhibit. I don't. Those guys should have the opportunity to be outside.
Skip the food. Skip the bar. Skip the gift shop. Just go and see what there is to see.
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It's owned by Landry's...that's all you need to know.
Wow, who knew Denver Yelpers are such aquarium snobs?
:p just kidding, I guess 3 stars is pretty much what this place deserves. It's just ok. But hey, we're like 1,000 miles from the closest ocean, so be happy with what you can get. The animals are still cool to watch. So I'm giving it 4 to bump up the average just a bit.
Highlights: Otters, sharks, sea turtles
Missing: penguins, seals
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The Downtown Aquarium is a pretty big waste of money.
Street parking is somewhat hard to come by in the area if you go at peak times. You can park in the designated lots, but for a cost of $10. It appears that the price may fluctuate depending on how busy the aquarium is, so it might be cheaper during off-peak times.
The admission cost is $15 for an adult and $9 for each child three or older. For that fee you get to see a tiger exhibit where they appear generally aggitated, an entire zone of snakes and reptiles, and some fish. Nothing amazing here in the least bit.
Taking our time to view the exhibits, we were in and out of the place in less than 40-minutes at a cost of $40. The only highlight would be the area where you could pet the sting rays, which is by a mini food court.
I would never waste my time or money coming back here. It's drastically overpriced for what is offered.
I would highly recommend going to the Denver Zoo over this place.
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Three stars for the Dive Lounge
Happy Hour - Monday thru Friday - 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
$2.50 Draft "Hand Crafted" Beer
$2.00 Domestic draft
$2.50 All Well Liquors
$3.00 "Select" Wines
$3.00 Margaritas
"Themed interior" that is actually kind of cool (when there's not a bunch of screaming kids around)
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/17/2008
Think of it like this, huge restaurant corporation that happens to own an aquarium in the same… Read more »
It is all in what you are expecting to see here. I've only been to a few of these around the country. The Denver Aquarium has the best display, and the most healthy Bengal Tigers I've ever seen. Being a prolific scuba diver I see most everything aquatic displayed here in its natural environment. The displays aren't bad, but what it did seem when the place was crowded, it was pretty ridiculous to take much time at any display case, people viewing press against the glass, thus preventing anyone else from viewing the display.
If Yelp allows it, I'll post a couple of the tiger pictures we took during our visit
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Wow this place is PRETTY cool there were so many fish in there I had never seen before. I loved how there were several HUGE TANKS with all kinds of cool stuff in them. Great that they offer the opportunity to scuba dive in them too for the public. It's such a treasure for the city of Denver. I agree it is pricey though for admission and having to pay to park. But it was a pretty cool experience and I would come back and check out the restaurant and lounge.
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I'm docking two stars right off the bat for A) the tarantula, and B) the really bored-looking tiger. I love fish... but I hate spiders. If I wanted to see a tarantula (which would NEVER EVER happen), I'd go to Bubba's House O'Rachnids. If I wanted to see a bored-looking tiger, I'd go to the zoo. I wanted to see neither, so I went to the aquarium. Thankfully I noticed the sign proclaiming "TARANTULA INSIDE, DON'T PEEK IN IF YOU VALUE YOUR SANITY" before I actually pressed my nose up to the terrarium glass. Had I not, they might've had a hospital situation on their hands.
The fish themselves were very cool... though I would've liked to see more wildly colored tropical guys and perhaps some of those deep-sea, dark-dwelling weirdos. The shark tank was crowded with onlookers, and for good reason! Seeing a huge shark (not a Great White, but big enough to maul) swim directly at you, toothy mouth agape, is quite a sight. Also great: the jellyfish. Not that they actually DO anything but float and swirl... but still. They're extremely zen.
Kids will love the "pet the stingray" tank probably more than the stingrays themselves. The staff will urge you to "use only two fingers" to stroke their wings, but I can't imagine that makes the whole experience any more soothing. Then again, what do I know? Maybe they're having the time of their little stingray lives.
Contrary to some of the other reviews, I didn't notice any weird smells. I mean yeah, it smells like a fish tank. Guess what? YOU'RE IN A FISH TANK. But it didn't smell bad or neglected. In fact, we saw several scuba divers actually vacuuming the rocks and sand in several tanks! Now THAT's attention to detail.
Be prepared to pay $7 to park your car. Way lame.
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After breakfast we went to the Aquarium on a Saturday. It was tricky to find and we were happy that we had GPS in my iphone. We finally found it and found a space to park in the paid parking lot.
The line for tickets was long but again it was on a sunny Saturday morning. My only complaint about the aquarium is that the aisles are so narrow at some locations which creates traffic snarls.
I did notice that the plush animatronics were strange. The tiger was pretty active and I didn't mind it being in an aquarium. The end was crazy as you are snaked through an area offering snacks, face painting, balloon animals, and caricature drawing. It was just strange that all of this was at the end when you are tired and ready to go.
We didn't eat at the restaurant but it looked like it was nice. The menu looked like I could get the same food elsewhere for cheaper.
We love our local aquarium in Oklahoma and this one was decent and it was nice to see different displays.
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Why does the downtown aquarium feature tigers?
I guess it's because they have nothing else better to show that they'd even settle for cats.
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I went in with very low expectations
I read all the reviews
Kept all the negative aspects in mind when entering
And I thought it was very entertaining. I laughed, a lot.
I did think it was smelly inside.
I had a good time. The other people I went with (all adults) had a good time. I'd go back.
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Perhaps you have never been to an aquarium or don't really know what an aquarium is. Then the Downtown Aquarium may seem pretty cool with its hodgepodge of fish and animals. The interesting combination of a flash flood re-enactment, random animatronic bald eagle, live bengal tiger, stingray petting area, and snakes and spiders!
Seriously though this place is OK. We went on a Saturday and it was really crowded. So crowded that we probably didn't get to see a third of the exhibits because people were standing in front of them and wouldn't move. It took us about an hour and a half to get through. And no one was very impressed. We didn't eat at the restaurant because it was too crowded.
Unfortunately you have to park your car in the Denver Aquarium lot, which costs $7.00, and there is only ONE place to pay so you can get out. We had to wait in a very long line of cars and people started getting mad and cutting places. NOT COOL. Well, maybe cool if you are used to shelling out lots of money for nothing and waiting in line.
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***Review of Restaurant Only***
Our second night in Denver we opted to take Little Q to the Downtown Aquarium Restaurant for dinner. Constantly eating in restaurants with a very active two year old boy can be a real challenge. Downtown Aquarium's massive, floor to ceiling fish tanks surrounding the restaurant sounded like the perfect way to keep Little Q entertained while enjoying a mediocre, overpriced meal.
We didn't go for the food, and were therefore not let down.
The service was spotty, at best. The hostess put us in a really crappy section with a bad view of the tanks...and the place was near empty. Some pushing on our part got us moved to the super awesome sunken room with extra-tall windows and a crappy waiter.
He professed to be getting off of work as soon as he was finished with us, and pushed us through the meal as quickly as he could. We had to place our order for dessert before we were done with our entrees, so he could get us our check that much faster and cash out that much earlier.
Working for a corporation that "promotes" sea life education while cooking up same said sea life must be a soul sucking experience. How else to explain the complete lack of commitment to customer service exhibited by their staff?
The food: overpriced and bland. Think of it as a watered-down Cheesecake Factory. The only reason to go to this place is to watch the fish while you eat.
The service was bad. The food was below average. And the fact that they make you walk through the gift shop to get to the restaurant or the bathroom simply underscores the mentality of the corporation that owns it.
The big fish tank and wall of fish earns a bonus star for the Downtown Aquarium. But even Little Q burned out on that.
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This place would be great for an event. Good first time aquarium, maybe I'm partial to Scripps. For the price of admission, I wasn't impressed by the size. Great place to take the kiddos. I guess it would be hard to re-create the ocean in Colorado, which could be where the cost comes from. Even still, won't be going out of my way to re-visit.
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This used to be Ocean Journey but they discovered it was hard to keep a full blown aquarium running in the middle of a land locked state. As a result it sunk and some aquarium chain place bought it and I guess make enough money to keep it going as an attraction and a resturant. Regardless it is pretty much the same as is used to be but with an added shipwreck/Life Aquatic Theme. It can be a bit cheesy at times but the tanks and exhibits are virtually unchanged. The only thing noticably lost was the large sea otter tank in the entryway which is where I assume the resturant is. I can't vouce for the resturant that is another review.
The attactions here are just amazing especially for Colorado massive tanks with sea turtles and sharks even areas with local fish and wild-life. They even have a rare breed of tiger living there. I was worried it would be a big let down after the change of management but it was just as good and if they can make it work then it is a great addition to Denver.
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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Plus some ripoffs:
1. Two adults and 3 small children charged over $50.
2. $6 dollars for parking; should be able to park for free given the cost of admission.
3. A personal pizza for two of the kids and a jumbo hot dog for another: over $25. Plus the hot dog and bun are warmed up in a microwave together. The ends of the bun were hard.
4. Between $2 and $3 for 5 little fish to feed the sting rays. To the owners/operators: you have to feed the sting rays anyway. Why not let kids feed them for free then they will have more to spend in the gift shop.
The Good:
-An interesting fun flash flood show.
-Some beautiful marine and avian creatures. They are the stars.
-Being able to touch the sting rays!
-Some friendly staff: One overworked docent, a young woman who helped the kids feed the sting rays, and a young man who was the parking lot attendant.
-The appearance outside. Plus the bubble blowing machine that the kids loved.
-Some very well done tanks/exhibits.
The Bad:
-Devoting too much space to the gift shop and then making it difficult to take tired children through there at the end: very narrow aisles.
-Staffing the snack bar with disinterested almost unfriendly staff.
-Not having more staff available.
-A tiger exhibit that is too small.
-Some tiny exhibits that are out of place: e.g. the tarantula. Guess what? YOU CAN GO TO THE BUTTERFLY PAVILION AND ACTUALLY PET ROSIE, THEIR TARANTULA.
-Too few exhibits where people feel part of the environment or a personal experience.
The Ugly:
-The theme signs which looked like trying to transfer the old west ghost town look to a maritime theme.
-Some stuffed animals that moved, eg. the orangutans.
-Having a tiger exhibit at an aquarium.
Three stars maybe too generous but hell, I found some of the anemones, jelly fish and starfish to be so vibrantly beautiful, that I will stick with 3 stars.
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I realize, my bad, I never wrote an update. Fred Tate was not helpful either, very defensive, and clueless, but HIS manager was somewhat helpful. To be fair, they did offer a discount for me coming back again, not the group, which should have gotten the discount, but I'm not bothering. There may be some people who need to get burned 3 times before not coming back, but I"m not one of them, and besides, they kept Matthew on there...enough said.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/12/2008
This experience was just bad from beginning to end. I am assistant organizer for a professional… Read more »
Hooray for a taste of the ocean in a land-locked state! I moved here from Boston, and after touring the New England aquarium many times, I have to say I'm quite impressed with what the Downtown Aquarium has to offer.
I'm especially wowed by the tunnels to walk through which are under water. I have many pictures of the undersides of sting-rays and that big, huge grouper. I've even debated snorkeling in the tanks - yes they allow that for only $75 - but I'm too chicken.
I also enjoy the sting-ray patting zoo at the end. It's an experience I recommend... they're slimy, though!
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Kind of sad for an aquarium.
The whole place had a kind of Fox programming kind of vibe, if that makes any sense. Info cards were few and far between, kind of random in content (rarely matched the tank they were nearest) and seemed very dumbed down.
There's a "flash flood" area which is cheesy, some reptiles who looked less than lively, and a very bored and lethargic tiger (!?!?! in an aquarium?!?!?).
I like watching fish swim by - epsecially the sea turtles and sharks - and there were a few areas with large windows where I could enjoy myself. Seating areas were also located throughout the aquarium, which was nice. I got to pet a stingray, which is also pretty nice. But the smaller displays were by and large disappointing, with poor lighting, little explaination, and some sick looking fishes.
At least parking was cheap (by Boston standards) - only $6.
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We went on a Wednesday afternoon/early evening to the Downtown Aquarium. We had been to aquariums in the past and my daughter loved them. What a pleasant surprise! We were not certain what to expect based on the reviews, but we were pleasantly surprised.
It is very different from other aquariums we have been too (specifically thinking of Shedd's in Chicago at the moment). My husband and I especially liked the fact some of the exhibits were open--you could (if you were crazy) put your hand in the water--which they obviously do not want!
We were surprised to see birds and tigers there seeing that it is an Aquarium but they added another feature to the tour. It is easy to navigate. We took our time and let our daughter explore so it took us about two hours to go through the exhibit. I could see it easily taking more time during a more crowded time.
Overall, we enjoyed it. I do not know if I would necessarily go there often if we lived nearby.
The Money Breakdown:
Parking--$7.00 bit steep IMO. Tickets--$13.75 per an adult (12 and up to retirement age). 2 and under are free. I cannot say what kids 3 and up to 11 are because I did not think to check. It was too expensive IMHO, which is why I only gave it three stars.
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I've never understood the real need for an aquarium in land locked Colorado, but it's certainly fun. I enjoyed watching the shark and his fishy entourage swim with divers. Schoolchildren on field trips enjoyed educational displays and information on Colorado's native species, but I was more interested in the saltwater life.
Seriously, though, what is up with the tigers in an aquarium? I go to the zoo for tigers, the aquarium for fish. If an aquarium needs tigers to attract visitors, it just might not be doing the best job of showcasing aquatic life to the public. They're beautiful and all, but really, I find it somewhat irritating to just plop a few big cats in the middle of an aquarium staffed with marine experts; it really can't be conducive to top level care for the cats, and indoors is not where tigers belong.
The giant grouper is fabulous, as are the moray eels. I would like to see more cephalopods displayed, but I suppose the challenges of transporting and keeping these delicate animals might outweigh the benefits of having them. Pufferfish and porcupinefish are among my favorites, and I spent a few minutes making kissy faces at each one I spotted, attracting some funny looks.
Overall, fun, but doesn't compare to coastal state counterparts like the Monterrey Bay Aquarium.
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Sorry, but I don't really get the thrill. I'm just not into zoos and aquariums, anything where animals are kept in cages or under glass. I'm not some PETA extremist, it just doesn't do it for me.
I remember when this opened it was all the rage. I didn't get it then; I don't get it now. I wasn't surprised when it, as Ocean Journey, went under.
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The aquarium is awesome. I have been there twice now and loved it both times. I think a lot of locals write this place off assuming it will be lame but I thinks it's amazing. Well worth the $13.50 cost to get in.
On my most recent visit we decided to stop in the restaurant to have some dinner. It was not good at all. Kind of like the Casa Bonita of sea food. Even the salad was horrible. I felt ill for the rest of the night. If you want to hang out and watch the fish for a while I'd suggest maybe just having a relaxing drink after walking through the aquarium.
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I'm an aquarium freak, meaning that whenever I visit a new city and I hear there's an aquarium -- no matter how small or crappy -- I *have* to go. I'd heard about the problems the Denver Aquarium has had, including being threatened to be shut down, so I assumed it would be only mildly better than the Waikiki Aquarium, which was only slightly better than a large pet store. But the Denver Aquarium surprised me with its range of critters -- both aquatic and non. In fact, I'd say it's better than the one in Coney Island and on par with the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.
Although there weren't that many unique critters (what do you expect from a landlocked state?), there was still enough to keep my friend and I snapping away with our new digital cameras, so that when we left, we had nearly 600 photos between the two of us.
The highlights were the shark tank and the many opportunities for macro shots. The down side was the far too small enclosure for the tigers (the poor things probably never get to run). We would have eaten at the restaurant, but there weren't many vegetarian options for me (I would have had a better meal if they'd just stolen the lettuce from the sea turtles).
Why is everyone so hard on this place. I thought the aquarium was well worth the $12. It took us over an hour to see everything. Some of the tanks are really impressive. I didn't eat the food, but the tanks were enjoiyable and I would defiantly go again.
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Now, let me clear this up right now: I've been to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, so pretty much every other aquarium after that is kind of lame. I actually considered going to school out there just so I could buy a year pass and hang out with sea otters every day. I'll try not to compare the two. Anyway...
I went on a Saturday. Don't do that.
I'd say the best exhibit was the river otters. I overheard people remarking that it was a shame they put it so close to the beginning; I totally agree. After that the fish just weren't nearly as entertaining.
The one thing I could have done without were the fake animals--what was that about? It was just kind of weird and cheesy.
One of the tigers happened to wake up when we came by, which was cool. However their enclosure is set up so that they can be up high and out of people's view most of the time. Which is good for them, but not so hot for us. I suppose the zoo would be a much better place for big cat viewing.
Overall this was a good place to bring the kiddos and a diverting hour for us grown-ups.
...and just an aside: No one raised an eyebrow when the seafood restaurant bought the aquarium? ;)
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It was a pretty small aquarium. It's kind of cool. I've never been snarled at by a shark so that was a first. The price is definitely kind of high.
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Why does the Downtown AQUARIUM feature snakes? C'mon! Eels, fine, but snakes do not live in the sea and do not belong at an aquarium, not even an aquarium in Denver. I hate snakes. I don't want to see them, ever, not even on TV. And I take extraordinary measures (like avoiding Animal Planet) to skirt around any potential run-ins with these hideous creatures. I will never forgive this aquarium for displaying snakes and making me run through the hallway of horrors with my eyes closed, let by the hand by my poor girlfriend who just wanted to see the sharks and such. That is just wrong.
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Meh.
What they had was higher than my expectations, but given the fact that I expected a few goldfish and nothing more I give two stars. I was playing tour guide for some out of towners and I thought cool, we'll go to see fish in land-locked Colorado, that will definitely be an experience.
More than anything the place seems really commercial. There are ads in the fish tanks, as if the $14 you gave at the gate wasn't enough. It offers some interesting options swimming with fish, or sharks (no children under 10- those are bite size) or having a sleepover there. Who really wants to pay to "sleep with the fishes"?
Also they have fake animals and plants!!!!! I thought the point of these places was to see "real" things! I'll give that the Orangutan adds to the ambiance of the tiger exhibit, but come on a Fake Bald Eagle!?! Oy. There were also a bunch of leaky misters that poured on any poor soul not paying attention, snakes in an aquarium (I kept looking for Samuel L. Jackson), and a flash flood exhibit (complete with warnings and announcements from "chief meteorologist Mike Newton" and a splash zone).
To get this level of corniness I think you have to take those little archaic animatronic McDonald's displays, combine that with the soullessness and commercialization of Sea World, and add a couple disgruntled angsty teenage employees. Not good.
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Oh my heavens. This is really more of an attraction than an aquarium. And um, not that attractive of an attraction. Not for me. Not for my 6 yr old.
I will say my son really enjoyed the long walk from downtown through the Cherry Creek canals...seeing the gondolas go through the locks. So much so that he absolutely insisted we walk back to our downtown hotel rather than cab. If we're ever in Denver again, we'll take an evening gondola ride down Cherry Creek and stay as far away as possible from the "Aquarium."
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I had the best date of my life with a girl I didn't really like at this restaurant.
Well I didn't NOT like her (Is that a double negative?) I just wasan't crazy about her. & No I wasan't settling either, we broke up shortly there there after.
Anyways, yes this is the location of my best date of my life. Ambiance, pure ambiance.
We went on the day before Valentines Day (Like I said I wasan't crazy about the girl & I didn't want her getting any ideas so I planned on having a guys night out of debauchery the following evening... Yes guys like me are the reason women become lesbians...) & had the place practically to ourselves.
The service was very nice & prompt. Do expect to drop some coin here. They have got some fun signature drinks. I'm no seafoodologist but I was some what disappointed in the food, if I am going to pay $24 for a plate I do so expecting a mouthgasm. Not a problem for baller like me but 2 Stars deducted none the less.
Now if you are really interested in spicing your date up I recommend setting your reservations for about 8:30, have a few drinks to get into the adventuresome mood. Now the museum closes at around 9:30, walk up the stairs to the museum entrance & hop the little guard rail to sneak into the museum. Thats what we did & we managed to have the entire museum to ourselves for about 15 minutes before they found us & asked us to leave. In that time we were able to get some private fish viewing in & a hot make out session in under the waves (I always imagine what would have happened if I had another 20 minutes...).
Its also fun to go with a date & pretend to be an expert on amphibian wildlife.
Definitely better to go in the evening with a date as opposed to during the day when a bunch of annoying little kids are running around who I would like to feed to on of the sharks.
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I have been here when it was known as Ocean Journey as well as Downtown Aquarium. This place is definitely better than most aquariums that I have frequented. Being a previous owner of a 650 gallon, 55 gallon, and multiple 20 & 10 gallon tropical (and limited saltwater) fish, its nice to relate to the species found here. The river otters are adorable while they swim up to the glass and flip around. Reading the sign on the flash flood exhibit, then witnessing the water rush through is scary. Ever heard the story of Antelope Canyon? Try reading it and then put yourself in a flash flood. Overall, a lot of negative space can be seen/felt in the aquarium. I am sure they have space for more exhibits but most fish require 65-75 degrees temperature and certain humidity levels for other animals. Walking through the tunnel with the sharks is very cool. So overall, even though parking has an (expensive) price and there is some wasted space, I am still a fan for what they offer. I have been to the aquarium 4+ times and still enjoy seeing everything interact with each other and how excited kids get when they see the fish. Also being a previous Arowana owner, I am amazed at the size of the ones found here. Definitely worth a shot but maybe not to the number of times I have been unless you're a fish fanatic.
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