SEA LIFE Arizona Aquarium

SEA LIFE Arizona Aquarium in Tempe is the Phoenix metro area's premier aquarium experience, bringing the ocean to the desert through a series of immersive displays, walk-through underwater tunnels, and interactive touch pools. Located inside Arizona Mills Mall in Tempe, the aquarium is about 90 minutes from Sedona and is a natural addition to a Phoenix area day trip or stopover.

The aquarium's centerpiece is the ocean tunnel — a walk-through acrylic passageway with sharks, rays, sea turtles, and tropical fish swimming overhead and on all sides. The experience of being surrounded by marine life creates the feeling of being underwater, and the visual impact on children is immediate and powerful. Even children who visit multiple aquariums remember the tunnel effect.

Touch pools are the most popular feature with young children. Dedicated times each day allow children to touch starfish, horseshoe crabs, sea cucumbers, and other marine invertebrates under staff supervision. The tactile experience of feeling a living sea creature is something that photographs and videos simply cannot replicate, and it's what most families cite as their children's favorite part.

SEA LIFE is part of the Merlin Entertainments family, which also operates LEGOLAND Discovery Center Arizona in the same shopping mall. Combo tickets are available and offer meaningful savings for families planning to visit both — a full day's entertainment for children ages 3-12.

Note that this listing appears under the Sedona city_slug due to a data pipeline geography issue; the aquarium is in Tempe, approximately 90 miles south of Sedona. Buy tickets online in advance at visitsealife.com for the best pricing.