The World Aquarium
701 N. 15 th St. , St. Louis, MO 63103
Phone: 314-647-6011
0
Votes
Neighborhood > St. Louis
Categories > Entertainment & Attractions
Type > Museums
Find something near The World Aquarium...
More about The World Aquarium...
Short Description:
The World Aquarium, home to more than 10,000 creatures, is a new development provided by the St. Louis Children's Aquarium. The spacious layout and informal atmosphere prompts kids to play and enjoy the learning experience. All exhibits are sized so that adults and children can view them together.
Full Details:
Admission: $6
Phone: 314-647-6011
Hours:
Sunday: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Monday – Thursday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Friday: 9 a.m. -11 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. – 11 p.m.
After the guided tour provided with an aquarium ticket, families are free to venture in and out of the aquarium while exploring other sections of the museum. Located on the second floor, the World Aquarium's design alone is worth the additional entrance fee. Massive columns lining the Grand Hall look like they're wrapped with coral. Tour groups move quickly to dodge jets of water shooting up from the floor. Giant clamshells and animal sculptures guard the entrances to tunnels and castles where kids play and hide. A glass slide shoots straight down the middle of the shark tank, taking visitors as close to the predators as they'll ever be without swimming in the ocean.
Massive tanks located throughout the floor contain undulating bodies of sharks and neon green eels rippling through rainbows of coral. When feeding hour arrives, crowds throng around the glass as sharks and mammals rip into their meaty meals. Those with sensitive stomachs mill around tanks that are home to fuzzy alternatives, cooing over rabbits, guinea pigs and raccoons that scurry through wood shavings. The most crowd-pleasing creature of all, however, is the albino, two-headed rat snake. Adults and kids alike swarm around the tank with bulging eyes and involuntary shudders.
These are but the backdrop of the aquarium's many hands-on exhibits. In one corner, a little girl gently strokes the sand-colored shell of a skate-board-long sea turtle, squealing as an aquarium professional helps her pick it up. All the while, another employee describes the creature's life span and living habits.
Turtles aren't the only creatures open to direct introductions. Visitors bend over shallow tanks and wrinkle their noses as they stroke the soft surfaces of sting rays scooting through the sandy water. Braver people dip their hands into a tank to stroke small sharks.
For families looking for a memorable experience in St. Louis, the World Aquarium is brimming with possibilities.
See Related Guides:
