Aquarium of Boise — Attraction in Idaho

11/6/22 update: We came back again today and we're sad to find out that they no longer have any stingrays. According to staff, all of their stingrays passed away from a bacterial infection. They also did not have any feeding experiences available. Without the interactive experiences I would hesitate to spend the money to come again. I would definitely call before going, at a minimum, to see if their stingray exhibit has been reinstated.

Original Review: One of the best aquariums I have been to!

I grew up being taken to aquariums like Monterey and Long Beach that are VERY big and beautiful. So I had low expectations going to this one, but still wanted to check it out. Please forgive me for my aquarium snobbery... Boise Aquarium has changed my mind on this completely.

It is small. Yes, I know this. But it was a WONDERFUL experience for me and my three kids. What they lack in large exhibits they make up for in amazing interactive experiences. The kids loved feeding the stingrays, and feeding the other 3 fish exhibits they allow you to buy food for. My 4 year old and 2 year old were completely mesmerized and entertained for over 2 hours here because of how connected they felt to the animals. The feeding experiences also got my little ones to become more curious about the fish and want to learn more about them instead of just walking right by them. It was amazing. We have already been there three times now and hope to make the aquarium a monthly adventure.

Masks are required and during Covid the Lorikeet exhibit was closed. There is no snack bar or anything here, so definitely eat before you come.

For me and my two kids to visit, with the cost of food for the fishes, it was about $25. Kids under 2 are free. Worth every penny....

We visited the Aquarium of Boise on a Sunday afternoon in June, 2023. They were pretty busy, but not overly so. We waited a few minutes for our turn to pay our admission to enter. They had discount rates if you were either over 55 years old, or a US Veteran. But not both. It's one or the other. But hey it saves you a couple of bucks if you qualify. The Aquarium isn't very large. Actually it's quite small being in a smaller warehouse. It's designed to start in the front left corner. You then proceed across the front of the building then it wraps back around the back. So it seems larger than it actually is. You of course exit through the gift shop. Would you expect anything else? They do not have any fish that is really considered large. Yes they have some sizable fish that are fairly large for a small tank. But you will not be seeing dolphins, penguins, or whales. No this is a smaller indoor building with smaller tanks. But, they have some fun things to see and learn about. There were not only fish and eels, small sharks and stingrays. There were also lizards and birds. So there is a good amount to see. Small children would probably really like this because it would be less overwhelming compared to an Orca jumping out of a pool and scaring them. Parking was adequate and right in front of the building. It was also free. It's always a good start when you do have to pay to park. They get a plus for that. We had a good time visiting the Aquarium of Boise. Yes it was smaller than almost every other aquarium I been to before. But it was different and totally indoors. As such, I feel most people would enjoy visiting...

We’ve been frequenting this place since they opened. We’ve really enjoyed the interactive experiences and variety of species. The employees/volunteers have 95% of the time been awesome- especially the ones who have worked there for years. It appeared the exhibits had been heavily cleaned recently which was a nice surprise because we’ve seen it on their dirty days. Today- we were disappointed. After about 45 minutes of walking through (and we arrived at opening), I went to the counter to purchase food for the cichlids. We had been at the cichlid tank for the previous 20 minutes and only saw one person feeding them. My children thought that looked fun so I went and stood for nearly 10 minutes in line. After all that waiting, there was a TINY message on the counter that they were taking a break from selling food. When it was my turn, I approached and notice the teeny message and said to the clerk, oh I was waiting to buy food so nevermind. She was pleasant and said it would be a while until they started selling again so if I came back later, I could then purchase some. It took me less than 3 minutes from that interaction to get my kids from the cichlid tank, wash their hands, and walk to the front doors. In less than 3 minutes, they had began selling again. extremely annoying- felt lied to. Sad my kids missed...