Seattle Aquarium

The Seattle Aquarium on Pier 59 has been the city's premier marine life attraction since 1977. The 2024 opening of the Ocean Pavilion transformed it from a solid regional aquarium into a world-class facility. For families, the waterfront location, engaging animal exhibits, and extensive touch opportunities make it a reliable outing in any weather.

The sea otter exhibit is the emotional heart of the aquarium. The otters -- mostly rescued animals that cannot survive in the wild -- float, dive, play, and groom themselves in a large pool with both underwater and above-water viewing windows. During feeding shows, keepers toss shellfish, and the otters demonstrate their remarkable tool use, cracking shells on rocks balanced on their chests.

The keeper talks explain otter biology and conservation in terms that engage kids and adults.

The underwater dome in the original building places visitors inside a 400,000-gallon Window on Washington Waters tank. Salmon, rockfish, and other local species swim around and above visitors, creating an immersive experience. The dome is especially effective for children who have never snorkeled or dived -- it provides the sensation of being underwater without the equipment.

The Ocean Pavilion, which opened in 2024, approximately doubled the aquarium's size. The centerpiece is a 325,000-gallon open-ocean tank housing sharks, rays, and schooling fish in a habitat far larger than anything in the original building. Tropical coral reef exhibits, additional touch pools, and interactive displays round out the expansion.

The new wing brings tropical and open-ocean environments to a facility that previously focused almost exclusively on Pacific Northwest species.

The touch pools remain a highlight for young visitors. Sea stars, sea urchins, anemones, and hermit crabs are accessible in shallow tanks with naturalist staff guiding interactions. Touching a sea star's rough surface or watching an anemone close around a gentle finger creates the tactile marine biology experience that screens cannot replicate.

The aquarium sits on the Seattle waterfront within easy walking distance of Pike Place Market (uphill), the Seattle Great Wheel (5 minutes south), and Ye Olde Curiosity Shop (adjacent pier, free and genuinely weird). Families commonly combine 2-3 waterfront attractions in a half or full day.