Arizona Boardwalk

I want to preface this review by stating that I was a bit uncomfortable writing it, as I see Google Maps as a service and site from which we "all" can benefit. When a four-hour "outing" begins exceeding, fiscally, what the norm may find affordable, I feel uncomfortable, and that is my problem. When it begins to cost approximately $100/per person- that is shameful. I want to address The Butterfly Wonderland/OdySea and appeal to them to make this more affordable, at least, for students, (with a valid school identification) and one chaperone. I took a moment to consider their operating costs, which attributes to very high costs. Their overhead is likely "exotic" as housing unique/rare insects comes at a cost. Essentially, without high costs attached to these events, they are not feasible. If you are fortunate enough to attend this gorgeous exhibit, please consider bundling. If you would like to do this, then you have to do it at Odysea, first. Before paying anywhere else, stop at Odysea and inquire about bundling! Be forewarned, that they do not have customizable bundles. For instance, if my son and I wanted to view Odysea, The Butterfly Experience, Ripley's Believe It or Not, and The Illusion Museum, That particular attraction ended up being one of my son's favorite. Odysea has a VR (virtual reality) ride, which is not included in the overall price. That is extra. For two, this ride would cost approximately $10 to $15 per/ person We chose a shark VR ride, (they had four great choices) and it was awesome. My son was completely Gobsmacked. The portion of the Ripley's museum, which my son and I both enjoyed immensely, was the dance room. It consisted of a room where projectors projected our dancing onto a wall, with vivid colors and effects. This was my 10-year olds favorite part of Ripleys. The Butterfly Experience was overcrowded and under "butterflied." They did have in- numerable beautiful butterflies and a very informative 3D Monarch movie, which showcased Monarch butterflies. Admission for one adult and one child, bundle mentioned above. The total was likely...

My family and I love the aquarium and various art around the plaza, so take this two-star review with a grain of salt. The carousel experience for a toddler parent is painful. I have a 2-year-old girl that loves the carousel and all the animals. Realistically, while we're out for the experience, I'll expect to pay a little more for any ride.

If your kid is 42" or smaller, they safely require an accompanying guardian on the ride with them. However, they've started to not only charge the full $5 for the adult, but that adult is not even allowed to ride on an animal nearby! This wouldn't be such a big deal to me, but she's so compassionate that she wants me to share the fun experience with her on my own animal.

So you end up paying $10 to stand next to your kid for 2 minutes. The cherry on top was that the carousel attendant was particularly short with me, and ended up stopping the ride for everyone because I was standing on the inside of the innermost animal in an attempt to keep her safest and in front for photos. There are not any markings or indications that this is a breach of carousel rules, and was not instructed to stand elsewhere until I was blamed for making them...

Even though it took 2 hours of public transit from downtown to get to the aquarium, it was worth it!

Most of the tanks aren't just big, they are huge! The signage is decently informative but definitely needs some refreshing; there were unlabeled species in nearly every display, and multiple labels for fish that weren't on display.

Don't go expecting an impressive coral reef display; it's impossible to keep live coral in huge systems but even the 3 smaller tanks that did have coral had only a few tiny colonies of beginner corals.

Closed doors, poor signage, and a variety of "with extra fee" options lead to me almost miss their 4 largest exhibits that are part of a "submarine tour" in a giant rotating room with 5 "sub" theater style seating areas that rotate through the entrance and 4 exhibits while an audio tour plays.

The staff were all very friendly and knowledgeable, the facilities were clean and nicely lit to show off the inhabitants, and while it wasn't cheap (but online tickets do save $$), for almost 3 hours of entertainment it was a very nice way to spend...