Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion — Attraction in Seattle

The first time I visited Seattle, in 1997, the viaduct was still here. I stood at Pike Place and saw it, walked under it to the waterfront and heard it, felt it. And the waterfront smelled like diesel not salt spray and sea foam. I was an aspiring urban planner back then, and I remember wishing that ugly monstrosity away, and envisioned what it could be like, what potential existed beneath. Nothing I ever dreamed of was within what I thought to be the realm of possibility. But now, over a quarter century later, what exists here is beyond belief. Like, I wouldn't have put a soccer field on the pier even if I was playing SimCity, c'mon, that's just indulgent and over the top...but, it's not. It's freaking perfect. I kicked a ball around with strangers after eating grilled cheese on a bench overlooking Elliot Bay, then watched the full moon rise over native grasses and wildflowers backed by tall buildings, and rode my bike down the boardwalk past a tropical reef floating in the sky, to catch my boat to Bremerton, after buying birthday presents for my boo at the market. Perfect night, perfect place, perfect city. Good...

Not little kid friendly. When researching safety, accessibility, and how kid friendly this aquarium is, they advertise as kid friendly. But it's not great for little kids.

There's a section for "little marine biologists" but it felt like someone who has never worked with kids nor has kids put it together.

There are push doors that are often just left open that go outside and exposed bolts over by the Sea lions that could have easily been covered by builder foam or something safe. (For instance, it was very crowded the day we went and someone bumped into our child and he went face first into an exposed bolt. I was worried he might have a fracture or concussion. Again, this could have easily been covered.)

The layout does not have an easy flow so we were not able to let our child explore freely. He had to have his hand held the whole time, which can take away from the experience.

We will not be returning until our child is much older (probably around 7 or older). Pretty disappointed and I felt mislead by what I read...

The Ocean Pavilion cost around $160 million to build. It is meant as a public building for anyone to enjoy, however it is not disability or stroller friendly since there are no ramps going up to the upper part of the exhibit. There is just 1 small elevator.

This addition was advertised to be all new exhibits with sharks, rays and other species. There are rays, but many of the fish were moved over from the original aquarium. The majority of the new building is wasted space with stairs and walkways with a bunch of video projected images. When you first walk in you don't see any fish.

The main tank is cool, but underwhelming compared to exhibits in other aquariums around the country.

With the crazy high price of tickets, I would say the Seattle Aquarium is no longer...