Downtown Aquarium
4.1(23,288)4.1 out of 5 stars, 23288 reviews Houston, TX
About Downtown Aquarium
Downtown Aquarium offers a unique blend of aquatic life, exotic animals (tigers!), and amusement park rides, all centered around an immersive 360-degree aquarium restaurant. It stands out for providing diverse entertainment that caters to a wide range of ages, from infants to adults, combining educational elements with pure fun and delicious dining options.
What parents should know
Summarized from real visitor reviews.
Best for: Families with children of varied ages, including infants, seeking a diverse range of activities.Parents looking for a restaurant with an exceptional, immersive family-friendly environment.Visitors who appreciate a mix of marine life, unique animal encounters (tigers), and amusement rides.Anyone looking for an outing that combines educational elements with entertainment.Families wanting to break up their day with a variety of attractions in one location.
Why families love it
- Opportunity to pet stingrays, providing a hands-on experience.
- Features a majestic tiger exhibit, an unusual addition for an aquarium.
- Immersive restaurant experience with 360-degree seating around a central aquarium.
- Specific food items like gumbo, New Orleans plate, and kids fish plate are highly rated, with special mention of amazing shrimp and creole cream sauce.
- Train ride that leads to the shark exhibit and also offers unique educational insights into Houston's history.
- On-site rides are available and are specifically noted as suitable for all ages, including infants and little ones.
Insider tips
- Consider ordering extra plain rice with the gumbo to balance potential saltiness.
- If your party does not include small children, evaluate if the 'all-day pass' for the aquarium alone offers sufficient value, as some found it lacking.
- Be mindful of guest conduct at interactive exhibits like the stingray pool, as supervision may vary.
Good to know before you go
- If your primary expectation is a very large, traditional aquarium focusing solely on vast aquatic exhibits, as it's described as 'smaller than anticipated' for just the aquarium portion.
- If you have older children or adults who are only interested in a traditional aquarium, as the all-day pass might not be seen as value for money without engaging in the other attractions.
- If you rely heavily on strollers and prefer walking to exhibits, as the train is the only option to reach the shark exhibit.
- Aquarium portion described as 'smaller than anticipated' by some visitors.
- Reported instances of guests not following rules, such as placing arms into the stingray pool.
- Crowds
- Observation of guests not following rules at the stingray pool may indicate periods of higher traffic or less stringent supervision, but no direct crowd level descriptions are provided.
- Value
- The all-day pass might not be considered 'worth it' for visitors without small kids, implying the standalone aquarium experience may not justify the full price. However, the combination of good food, unique animal exhibits (tigers), interactive experiences (stingrays), and rides for all ages likely enhances the perceived value for families.
- Food
- Features a 'top-notch' restaurant with 'great service and delicious food'.
- Accessibility
- The train ride is the only option to access the shark exhibit, which may present a challenge for 'people with multiple children and are stroller dependent' who wished for a walking option.
- Safety
- A concern was noted regarding 'guests not following rules placing their arms into the sting ray pool', suggesting potential areas where supervision or guest compliance could be improved.
What parents say
"Talk about boring! This was probably the worst aquarium I ever visited. Not sure why tigers are at the aquarium but maybe that’s to pull visitors in. I observed guests not following rules placing their arms into the sting ray pool. I was hoping… never mind. Some of the reptiles were missing. There were some cool things but not much. My overall experience was, eh. If you do not have small kids, I’d skip the all day pass. It’s not worth it."
a week ago
"Finally one of these tourist trap that has good food. I m gladly trapped in this beautiful restaurant with an amazing aquarium. Seating is 360 around the aquarium. There is also a small but beautiful/romantic bar area. We had the gumbo , new Orleans plate and the kids fish plate. All very good, a little bit too salty in the gumbo. I suggest ordering extra plain rice for the gumbo to soak up the saltiness. The shrimps are amazing, creole cream sauce is yum. I'm grateful that this restaurant provides food as well as an amazing environment for the family"
2 weeks ago
"Had a good time. The restaurant and its aquarium are pretty spectacular. Our waitresses was very knowledable about the food and the fish in the restaurant aquarium. The train ride to the sharks was enjoyable too. At my age I have seen many aquariums and there were still several exibits in the main areas that we interacted with. And last but far from least they 2 tigers which were icing on the cake."
a month ago
Reviews sourced from public Google data.
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