Since the Spring announcement, Las Vegas has literally been waiting to get its hands on the SeaQuest Interactive Aquarium. Opening to pass holders beginning Friday, December 9th at 4pm, the new addition is located at The Boulevard and boasts 31,000 square feet of interactive, educational, hands-on fun for everyone. Annual passes have been deeply discounted since the initial announcement and will cease when the doors open to the public. We are pleased to have partnered with SeaQuest to not only bring you this exclusive sneak peek, but to also bring you a special discount, future offers, animal encounters, special features and more!
Get Annual Passes Now – Use Code VFEGVIP for 50% off – Valid through 12/11/16
So what can you expect on your interactive encounter …
After browsing the gift shop and purchasing the fish sponge (or three), the turtle truck, the shark truck and a few Toobs (just my suggestions to start) you enter into the interactive fun!
First up is the Amazon Rainforest where you can reach in and feed fish and fresh water sting rays or step into the world of the Iguana and mingle with up to 20 spined, scaled and tailed friends who enjoy munching on lettuce while basking on warm rocks. Ask for Rupert, tell him you know me, we go way back.
When you’ve completed your tour of the rainforest, you can sail over to the California Coast, a local hotspot. Take some time to visit with a Giant Pacific Octopus, but watch out because that guy is super handsy and clingy. Learn all about how neat the Moon Jellies are (and then you can go home and read one of my favorite books about moon jellies too for bonus super parenting points) and discover starfish and anemones.
Head East toward the Caribbean and settle in the tropics! You’ll know you’ve arrived when you see the Tiki Hut! Here you’ll be surrounded by rays, sharks and tropical fish of all kinds! It’s a large tank and there’s room for everyone … you can even snorkel in it if you’d like!
You’ll also find the Shark Lagoon near here! Shark Lagoon is inhabited with the brilliant likes of bamboo sharks (like the one pictured below), nurse sharks and grey smooth hound sharks. Get up close and personal with them. They don’t bite. No really. Forget the movie.
When the sea has set you free, it’s time for drier land …
Egypt awaits with land-loving friends. Get ready to share stories with a 100 pound sulcata tortoise, have a conversation with a lizard, enjoy a snack with some young tortoises, or have a quiet moment with a crab. This is one of my favorite features of SeaQuest!
The exit from Egypt passes through the Creatures of Light, a wonderful experience of luminescence. The natural glowing of creatures from coral and tree frogs, to mushrooms, tarantulas, scorpions and fish is on display and is definitely a viewing experience. There’s not anything to touch here, but it’s not really a sense that’s needed as you take it all in with your eyes and experience the beauty.
The Mayan Jungle is sure to be a favorite as it has the open aviaries and the sea horses. In one aviary there will be parakeets that you can feed seeds, the other will house lorikeets that enjoy nectar. When you walk into the aviaries with cups of food expect to be gently fluttered with little feathers as the birds fly down for food. As with all the animals at SeaQuest, they’ve been hand fed so they’re used to all of this attention. The birds have lots of neighbors in the jungle including some eels, lizards, chameleons, turtles and of course, the sea horse! The sea horse is one of the best animals ever!
Escape the jungle and head to the back to the sea for the Pirate Life. Explore Shipwreck Island and engage your senses from the deep blue sea as you pretend you are in a sunken ship. See family favorites like the Clown Fish (Nemo!) and the Blue Tang (Dory!) and learn about new ones like the Antennata Lionfish. When the pirate life has left you looking for dry land, it’s time for the boardwalk …
Better than any plank you’ll ever walk, the boardwalk is lined with games and activities including water tables, crayon etching, mermaid visits, parrot sitings, photo opps and more! You guys! Water tables at the aquarium is genius! At the end of the boardwalk is a koi and duck pond, plus a seating and snack area. There’s a DUCK POND.
THROUGH SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11TH ANNUAL PASSES ARE 50% OFF WHEN YOU USE THE CODE VFEGVIP AT CHECK OUT! This is an exclusive offer for Vegas Family Guide Readers! A family of five can have access to SeaQuest Interactive Aquarium for one year for only $69.98! A larger family can still access the aquarium for a year for less than $100 with this offer!
If you still need more details visit the Layton, Utah location that opened a few weeks ahead of ours and see that rave reviews and experiences that have been had there already! Don’t wait for prices to increase!
These are the top questions we’ve been asked about the new aquarium and the answers:
What are the tokens? Tokens are used for additional experiences such as feeding the animals? Expect to use 1 token per person, per feeding experience. For example if you have 2 children that want to feed the ignuanas, each child will need to have a token. If those same 2 children also want to feed to Lorikeets, they will need another two tokens. Token can be purchased now at a special price here.
How long is an average visit? An average visit to the aquarium is about 1.5 hours depending on how interactive you’d like to get with the animals.
Can we bring in food or drinks? Yes you can bring in food and drinks.
Is there more information on the babysitting? Babysitting is not currently being offered at the Las Vegas location at this time.
Are we allowed to take photos? Photos are encouraged.
How many species of animals are there? More than 300 species are currently represented the aquarium in Las Vegas
How many gallons of water are in the tanks? More than 100,000 gallons of water fill the tanks in the aquarium
Is there free Wifi? Yes!
Is there a nursing area? There are two family bathrooms inside the aquarium and mall-adjacent areas outside the aquarium
Vegas Family Guide received compensation in exchange for writing this post. Although this post is sponsored, all opinions are our own.
