SEA LIFE Arizona Aquarium

This isn't the biggest aquarium in the world, but I have to say, I was very impressed after not having been here in years. We went to the Animal Crossing event and it was managed very well. Staff were making sure people could cross through the somewhat tight pathways and that everyone was in the correct line for what they came for. It could have easily gotten chaotic with the amount of people there and how small some of the areas are. Aside from the AC-themed stuff (which was all great and very cute, sad we didn't get the hats in the store for some reason though! Maybe they had sold out since we went for the last day :() the aquarium had a decent amount of cute exhibits with different kinds of fish, sharks, and other animals. They had decorated the exhibits for Halloween and it's very clear that the staff members really care for the animals and enjoy their job. One staff member in particular was on top and we saw her in 2-3 different stations in the hour or so that we were inside! Great time and it was all because of the staff.

It can be so hard to find something to do with kids in this AZ heat, especially something fairly active and that doesn't break the bank. For that, we love this aquarium. We pay $35 for an annual Mon-Fri pass and my kids have a great time walking around and seeing the fishies. The underwater tunnel is a huge hit as is the sea star petting.The biggest downfall here is its location. Being inside of AZ mills means that we go when it first opens (11am), but I would feel unsafe bringing my kids later on in the day, especially the evening. We have never personally had any problems but unfortunately for a child-centric place the safety of locale is a big factor.

I went here specifically for the Animal Crossing Aquarium Tour collaboration. I have a friend who is really into the Animal Crossing franchise and I wanted to see if the collaboration would be worth the trip. Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed. It cost $20 for an adult ticket if you purchase at the door or $2 less if you do it online. The staff even encourage you to buy a ticket on your phone while you're standing there in the lobby. The Animal Crossing character mascot meet and greets and something called a "stamp rally" are only held on Saturdays and Sundays, according to the Sea Life website. I was here on a Monday and the only Animal Crossing features were a photo backdrop, a few themed character cutouts, and a handful of information signs, some of which weren't related to the fish or other animals on exhibit. I was here for about 45 minutes and rushed through it only because there were a lot of little kids and their parents running around. Considering the small size of this aquarium, you're not going to see anything larger than the sea turtle or the leopard sharks (at least, I think they were leopard sharks but I could be mistaken). They have fish, manta rays, seahorses, shrimp, jelly fish, eels, starfish, sea urchins, and an oddly out of place room with desert tortoises and a few lizards.There was a small touch pool area but only one of the three pools was open. My favorite part was the tunnel that went through the biggest tank. There was also a large viewing window into the tank and an employee in Halloween-themed scuba gear was feeding fish out of a pumpkin. Unfortunately, several employees were standing in the way so nobody else could get a decent view. Most of the exhibits had Halloween themed decorations in them but I found it really distracting. There is a big room with a kids play area at the very end but that room smelled horrible. I held my breath as I made my way into the gift shop.The gift shop had some Animal Crossing merch but it was just a couple of t-shirts, some plushies, mugs, and really expensive Lego sets. Some of the Lego were going for $50-$75. I went across the hall to the Legoland store and they were selling the same sets for a couple dollars cheaper. Overall it was an average mall aquarium. If you really want to go here for the Animal Crossing collaboration, then go on a weekend.

Nice little shop to buy goods to stop at after viewing the aquarium, I like that they have a small play area for kids, I'd recommend if buying package w LEGOland do aquarium first the kids will enjoy playing all around LEGOland longer after viewing fish. Aquariums were well kept and they had tons to view. It was fun walking through and checking out all the fish they even had some funky ones in there that were interesting. Staff on site were friendly and helpful with questions or presentations, very informational. We picked up some souvenirs on the way out.

We all live in a yellow submarineYellow submarine, yellow submarine...Took the kids to Sea Life after visiting the neighbor across the hall Legoland Discovery Center. It was worth buying a package for both places, you can do them on different days which works great for the kiddos. Nothing beats seeing them mesmerized by the wonders of nature. Love that they talk about all the little fishes they saw. Parking is spacious since it's a shopping center. It is right by an entrance. However I have to be honest there is no yellow submarine here, I can't get that song out of my head (thanks J.G.). It's not that big, you can almost walk thru twice (we almost did). There is a restroom at the beginning so if you have to go or your kids do it when you arrive or you'll be walking back as we did. There is a little area where the kids can touch a starfish which the kids loved (anything hands on for them). The sea turtle exhibit was empty which was a bummer, no whoa moment with Crush. Sometime nice to do indoors and away from the heat.

If you want a small aquarium experience, then this place is perfect. Lots of fish to see and an area where guests can touch and feel some coral with some very knowledgeable person, guiding the guests along. Lots of sign and the set up was good where you enter and end up in the gift shop!

My kid had the most star struck amazing moments at the aquarium in the mall of Arizona Mills. One Spontaneous afternoon we decided to go. During the timeOf visit it was not busy at all. Going through all the different sections of interesting facts about the sea life and plants with all the fun finding facts were pretty cool. Walking through the tunnel gave you the life experience of the water mammals just about and the cool sea creatures was definitely a site to see.(2021)

We were extremely disappointed in this aquarium. It is very tiny. Our visit was ruined by two vans of severely mentally handicapped kids about age 12 who had poor supervision and literally trued to knock my small grandsons age 3 and 7 over. The supervisor of these 2 kids of their group was right behind them allowing this when I said hey stop them from pushing my kids into the glass. She just deflected and did nothing. I said you're in charge of them. Do something. !! We spent our entire visit trying to stay ahead and away of those people who overran it. The aquarium should book private time for these large special needs groups. It's just too much.

I like it so much and the animal crossing collab was cute. I felt for the price it was great. It's very clean and the animal look very well cared for.

I found myself in Phoenix wanting to explore around. I really wanted to see an aquarium but I also didn't feel like paying an arm and a leg. I heard about this one. I thought it was cool that it was next to a Lego land attraction. The place was very clean. Lots of aquatic life to see. My favorite part was the tunnel. It was so cool walking through it. It almost felt like I was walking those the ocean. There were a lot of neat fish and creatures I saw. I'm really glad I stopped in to see it.