Dadventures: Sea Life Aquarium

Being in the flyover part of country, the nearest ocean is 12 hours away from our fair Kansas City.  That is not to say that we don’t have lakes, rivers and streams, of course. However, those lakes and rivers don’t usually have sharks and octopi in them. If they did, my wife would never go swimming outdoors again for as long as she lived. So what is a guy to do when his kids want to see a real life octopus?  Easy, we head to the Sea Life Aquarium by Crown Center in Kansas City.  Look, Dad has got to come through, it’s what we do. We take dreams and make them happen. If the boy wants to see an octopus, I’m going to make sure he see’s an octopus.

The Sea Life Aquarium is over 28,000 feet of oceanic awesomeness.  All that space dedicated to sea creatures that normally we wouldn’t really get a chance to see here in the prairies and the plains. Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing prairie dogs but sometimes a man craves a shark and this is where we go see it.  

First though, let’s go get tickets. Walk-ups are welcome and ticket prices are reasonable for what you are getting; $19.00 for anyone over the age of 12, and $15 for ages 3 through 11.  That makes those under 3 are free and I always love free.  However, if you book your tickets online you can get a substantial savings.  Ticket prices drop to $14.00 and $11.00, respectively, which makes it easier to take a family of 5 on this outing.  

Once through the door you get a chance to pose for a family picture in front of a green screen.  Get a nice family shot or a good goofy one.  The pictures will be ready at the end of your visit for you to purchase.  Now it’s onto the aquarium.  

You will be consumed by the number of viewing tanks available right at the start.  Featuring different creatures from all over, or should I say under (#DadJokes). Clown fish, sea horses and just about any other creature you can imagine are ready to be discovered. The rock pool is always a must-see - here you and your kiddos will get a chance to touch the very creatures you came to see. Starfish are not soft and spongy as I imagined they would be. My son liked petting the horseshoe crab and I had to gently let him down that no, we could not take him home. Not without a lobster bib and some seafood scissors.

The aquarium is set up as a series of large, accommodating rooms and hallways that connect, each containing a tank of specific fish or undersea things. One of my absolute favorite is the octopus tank. To see a creature in real life that sometimes looks like it doesn’t belong be so graceful in the environment that it does belong is something that YouTube videos and Google searches don’t do justice. Mesmerizing.

If you have toddlers you will also have to stop in the Octonauts room, where your kids can meet some of their favorite characters from the TV show. Captain Barnacles is there, alongside Peso and others, all set-up in an interactive exhibit to teach our young ones about the sea, and that a bunny can serve as an engineer for an underwater animal medical team, but I digress.   

Next, pass through the tunnel that goes underneath the colossal aquarium tank. This is truly a unique experience.  Benches are supplied for you to sit and look up through the tank at the sharks, fish and other creatures that may happen to swim by. This is the place where you want to take all your pictures.

Finally, don’t miss the open water tank. This tank contains many different sea creatures including the cowhead stingrays.  You can watch them go by as your kids climb on the makeshift dock that goes over the top of it.  This is the finale that you deserve after going through all the exhibits.  

The Sea Life Aquarium is open Sunday - Thursday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.  Friday and Saturday they are open from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.  It is also located right next to Legoland if you are feeling like continuing your adventure!