Austin Aquarium

Crowded. Lots of school groups. Bought the sloth experience (50$ per person) right when we arrived. We were first on the list. I had to inquire about when we get to do it 3 times with the reply being that weight & health check need to be done. After two hours, I asked for a refund as we had to leave. They immediately said we could go in. It was very controlled & the worker was the one interacting with the sloth. My mom got to offer it a piece of cucumber and stroke the side twice before being told that was enough. I was able to touch it once. While the handler continued to feed & pet it. My mom and i were calm, quiet, and respectful. The wait & experience was not worth it. The sting rays & the bird experience were enjoyable. There was a good variety of animals to see. We purchased tickets on line, but you still have to wait in line at entrance.

Wonderful time, really cool exhibits for good token prices! Accessible building, and a very talkative and friendly staff! It was a truly informative experience to use the tokens my friend and I got for the aquarium, it felt worth the money to learn more about the animals and interact with them alongside those caring for them every day. When my friend and I went, we weren’t able to finish the entire aquarium, and I had driven from San Antonio to look at everything there was to see with him. We talked to the wonderful employee up front, I wish we got a name, and he was kind enough to be able to give us vouchers to not only finish using the tokens next time, but to come back another day! Wonderful experience, recommend for sure!

Our family’s visit to the Austin Aquarium was truly unforgettable! From the moment we walked in, we were surrounded by vibrant marine life and hands-on experiences that made the day exciting for everyone. The interactive exhibits were a huge hit—getting to touch stingrays, feed sharks, and even hold exotic birds made it more than just an ordinary aquarium trip. The kids were in awe of the glowing jellyfish and colorful tropical fish, while the otters kept us entertained with their playful antics. The staff was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, always ready to share fun facts about the animals. One of the highlights was the walk-through aviary, where parrots landed right on our shoulders! It was a magical experience that made us feel truly connected to nature. We left with smiles, great memories, and plenty of pictures to look back on. If you’re looking for a fun and educational family outing, the Austin Aquarium is a must-visit. We can’t wait to return!

This place is a blast! The staff are kind and knowledgeable. Shout out to Zane for showing us Nellie the octopus! We got to interact with a sloth, starfish, birds, fish, stingrays, wallabies and more! 10/10 recommend. I’ll be back!

When we entered, the place was very clean. The water in the tanks was very clean and was clearly cleaned and filtered often. There was fresh lettuce and salads left in enclosures for lizards and tortoises. There was fresh hay and bedding left for lemurs and other land dwelling animals. But, that was those were the only things good about this terrible place. Animals were held in insanely small enclosures and were stressed. Lemurs were constantly fighting and were aggressive, and they had no sunlight and were kept in darkness. The animals are clearly becoming so aggressive as they have zero access to sunlight. Lemurs are normally calmer than this. The fish are kept in overcrowded environments. Sturgeons can barely squeeze between all of the koi fish. The turtles couldn’t even reach the top of the tank because of how crowded it was. There was even a baby alligator kept completely in a tank that it would grow out of. There was an adolescent saltwater crocodile kept in an enclosure made for small lizards. That crocodile will outgrow it and start curving its jaw into absurd shapes that will ruin its life. The pool inside of its enclosure was full of dirt, mold, and was slowly drying out and was very very tiny for a crocodile. There was a random black jacket left on top of a tortoise in the tortoise exhibit, and was not removed from the enclosure the entire time. The stingray petting area was not large enough and did not give the bamboo sharks, hound sharks, and stingrays enough space and privacy for them to be comfortable. A few of the stingrays tails were bent in spirals, which is a clear sign in animals that something is wrong. When we went into the “shark room,” there was a Galapagos tortoise sitting in the dirty concrete floor. It was just sitting in a corner IN THE DARKNESS, not even surrounded by any sort of border, free to roam and able to be kicked or pet. It was clearly depressed and bothered, as children were free to crouch down to it and scream in its ears. It had a metal bowl of hay and some lettuce in front of it, as if that helped. The special petting areas for the kangaroos and wallaby’s was just devastating. The enclosure for them was tiny and poorly lit, and they had hay for substrate and could only roam in certain sections of the enclosure due to the benches on the sides. Children were free to pet them whenever they wanted, and weren’t instructed to give them any privacy whatsoever. The capybara being completely alone was just as devastating as capybaras are social animals and live in groups in the wild, and socialize well with others animals. The pool for it was drying out and TINY. They had an entire flock of budgies living in an under decorated enclosure, and so did their parrot, toucan and lemur. All the enclosures in this terrible “aquarium” were under decorated and barely had any enrichment. This aquarium is more of a petting zoo for toddlers than an actual aquarium made for educating children and adults on the beauty of nature. It sickens me to see animals kept in conditions like this. The fish, sharks, eels, and stingrays were so incredibly disrespected. Fish are constantly treated as stupid and deserving of no respect, and that is shown incredibly well in his excuse of an aquarium. The audacity to say you are the official “Austin” zoo is insane. This place was like a restaurant or a fish store where people can choose fish they’d like to eat for dinner. I could write so much more about the various reptiles. The snake at the front of the zoo is somehow the luckiest animal, at least it gets to see the sun and hope one day it’ll be saved and live in a better environment. Do not go to this “aquarium,” don’t buy anything from them, and don’t go here.