Self-guided adventures
The self-guided tour includes the All Day Adventure Pass covering the exhibit, rides and Stingray Reef, without stingray food.
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Overview
About Downtown Aquarium
Visitors can experience Shark Voyage Train rides, interactive exhibits, and animal encounters with creatures like sharks, Sumatran tigers, and parrots. The facility is home to Sumatran tiger sisters Zara and Kirana, who are part of the Species Survival Plan, and offers educational programs for children.
Made for
- The exhibit holds over 400 species of marine life, and guests touch and feed animals at Stingray Reef.
- The Shark Voyage train ride travels through a tunnel of sharks.
- Dining happens around a 150,000 gallon tank, and online reservations are recommended.
- Visitors can see animal encounters, fish feedings and tiger talks while visiting.
- The restaurant is inside on the 2nd floor, and concession stands are outside in the amusement area.
- Guests can splash around in the Dancing Fountains in the amusement park.
The packages
MOVE & GROOVE = PRESCHOOL
Preschool students learn how fish, snakes and birds move around their habitats.
SQUIDY ANATOMY = GRADE 1-12
Students study squid adaptations through a hands-on dissection led by educators.
STUPENDOUS SHARKS
Students study shark natural history, adaptations and the threats wild sharks face, plus ways to save them.
CORAL COMMUNITIES
Students learn about coral and the sea creatures that rely on it.
FISHY ANATOMY
A dissection program for older science students covering lab safety, terminology and fish anatomy.
WEB OF LIFE
Students learn how energy moves through food webs from producers to consumers to decomposers.
OUTREACH PROGRAMS
Aquarium educators bring lessons on ocean, aquatic and wild topics to the classroom.
MARINE BIOLOGIST FOR A DAY
Participants spend a day behind the scenes, with close encounters of exotic species from the deep sea to shallow reef.
ZOOLOGIST FOR A DAY
Participants go behind the scenes, meet live animals, build enrichment items and meet the animal care team.
WILD DREAMS OVERNIGHT
The overnight teaches rainforest and tiger conservation as participants stay up late.
WORKING ON THE WILD SIDE
Teens go behind the scenes to learn about animal care, training, conservation and the zoo and aquarium industry.
SEA SAFARI CAMP
Sea Safari Camp gives each week its own unique theme.
The styles
TEXAS BAYOU
The Texas Bayou exhibit tours Gulf Coast marsh and bayous with alligators, turtles and bullfrogs.
SHIPWRECK
Guests step inside a sunken 17th century Spanish galleon hull in the Shipwreck exhibit.
SUNKEN TEMPLE
The Sunken Temple holds lionfish, tarantulas and axolotl.
UNDERWATER RIG
The Underwater Rig lets guests glimpse offshore rig divers at the bottom of the sea.
RAINFOREST
The rainforest exhibit includes red-bellied piranhas and venomous freshwater stingrays.
DISCOVERY ZONE
Interactive monitors in Discovery Zone explore coral reefs, arctic seas and the deep ocean.
Maharaja's Temple
The tiger exhibit has multiple levels and retreats, plus a Kid Crawl space for children.
SHARK VOYAGE
A train ride crosses the middle of a 200,000-gallon shark tank with Sand Tiger Sharks.
Event experiences
- Classroom programs last 30-45 minutes and can be added to a school field trip as an upgrade.
- The Treasure Chest Gift Shop sits at the end of the Aquarium Adventure Exhibit.
- A pass offers unlimited ride admission at the Aquarium, Kemah Boardwalk and Pleasure Pier every weekend.
Good to know
- The single public lot behind the building accepts credit cards only, with no cash parking.
- The parking lot is fully automated, and valet sits at the front entrance.
- Every ride has height requirements, with ride rules posted at each entrance.
- Exhibit tickets cover exhibit entry only, not rides.
- Animal chats inside the exhibit require an exhibit ticket.
- School groups must reserve in advance, at least two weeks before the visit.
- Tour guides and educational programs are not part of the self-guided school visit.
- Chaperones stay with school groups at all times, and minors stay with the chaperones.
- The property is wheelchair accessible, though wheelchairs are not offered for rental.
- Guests are expected to behave in a family-friendly manner, and line jumping or profanity can lead to ejection.
- Shirts, shorts or pants, and shoes are required at all times.
- Pets are not allowed at the aquarium.
- Guests with service animals check in at the ticket booth, and the animals stay leashed.
- Strollers are parked outside attractions and kept out of ride lines.
- Wheelchair access is provided at every attraction.
- Rides may close for high winds and lightning, and rain checks are not issued.
- Most downtown Houston hotels provide shuttle service to the aquarium.
- Ride heights may be measured at the ticket booth before purchase or before wristbands are given.
- Visibly ill guests or those under the influence of drugs or alcohol cannot ride.
- Guests with prosthesis or missing limbs speak to the ride attendant before boarding.
- Riders need a valid ticket or wristband.
- Pregnant guests or those with physical impairments should review certain rides for risks first.
- Hours differ between Sunday to Thursday and Friday to Saturday, and may change for holidays and special events.
- Fall or winter visits avoid larger crowds, while March through August are the busiest months.
- Wild Dreams Overnight runs on Friday and Saturday evenings, excluding major holidays.
Details from downtownaquariumhouston.com