South Pacific Aquarium

Things To Do In Tacoma – South Pacific Aquarium

South Pacific Aquarium in Tacoma, WA

The South Pacific Aquarium in Tacoma, WA, is a great place to spend an afternoon. Located on the shores of Puget Sound and overlooking Commencement Bay, the aquarium offers visitors the opportunity to explore underwater cathedrals with more than 200 different species of fish and invertebrates. From viewing penguins to touching starfish, it’s hard not to feel like you’ve been transported into another world at this unique aquatic experience.

About the South Pacific Aquarium 

The South Pacific Aquarium opened in 1905 and is a fantastic place for families to visit. It features an otherworldly experience of the underwater worlds of the South Pacific through enormous tanks that feature over 100 species, from sea turtles down to tiny plankton. In addition, there are many exhibits featuring living coral reefs and massive life-size reef structures that you can walk inside of with sharks swimming above your head! 

On top of it, this aquarium also has an extensive collection of local northwest fish, including salmon, octopus, and eels! This fantastic attraction is sure to please anyone who loves nature’s beauty underwater or just marveling at how big our world is compared to us humans on land. You will be surprised by what

The South Pacific Aquarium in Tacoma, WA, is a great place to visit and learn about the underwater world of Washington State. Visitors can view more than 200 species, including marine mammals such as sea otters, dolphins, and porpoises; penguins; sharks; ray-finned fishes like basses and cichlids (a type of fish); urchin roe (fish eggs), sponges, and nudibranchs (sea slugs). Many creatures live or migrate through Puget Sound during their life cycle stages, making this aquarium very educational for children. On weekends visitors are welcome to touch some animals!

History of South Pacific Aquarium

The South Pacific Aquarium was initially known as the Aqua Theater. It opened in 1963, and its opening show featured a dolphin named “Flipper.” This aquarium is home to more than 200 species of marine life, including rare green turtles, manta rays, and sharks. Visitors can also feed some of our tanks’ inhabitants, such as hermit crabs, seahorses, and many types of fish; we even have trained otters here! The exhibits are constantly being updated with new exciting displays to enjoy. Some penguins live outside year-round now! We’re an indoor/outdoor facility, so you’ll see them on either side depending on the time of day you visit us South Pacific Aquarium in Tacoma, WA.

South Pacific Aquarium in Tacoma, WA, near Seattle, is a great place to explore with your family or friends. You can have an adventure from the moment you arrive as we have many shows and exhibits that are fun for all ages! We even offer birthday parties where attendees can swim, touch and feed our animals! In addition to visiting us here at South Pacific Aquarium, we’re also available year-round for events such as company picnics, school field trips & group tour outings; let’s not forget about weddings either. 

It has been one of the most popular aquariums ever since then. The main goal for this business is not only to provide fun experiences but also education about our oceans and what can be done to help them stay clean over time. The four significant habitats that you will find here include the Tropical Diver exhibit, Northern Inshore Waters Exhibit, Puget Sound Habitat Display, and the Open Ocean display, which features jellyfish tanks.

Facts About the South Pacific Aquarium

The South Pacific Aquarium has over 300 species of marine life and is home to a wide variety of sea creatures on display. You can see some suitable types of sharks here include the white tip reef shark, hammerhead sharks, and mako sharks. The aquarium also displays manta rays, one of the world’s largest fish, with wingspans reaching up to 24 feet across! 

You will even find out more about them through the interactive touch pools at certain times throughout your visit, where they encourage you to touch and even take selfies with the animals, including eels, sea stars, and much more.

South Pacific Aquarium also offers opportunities for visitors to feed animals like sharks, stingrays, and more. One excellent time to come is during feeding sessions, where they will bring in some of these creatures just feet away from your seat as part of an educational presentation about them.

One of the main attractions at South Pacific Aquarium is its famous exhibit called “The Great Underwater Cathedrals,” which won an award for best public display in 2014. This large tank stretches across 21 feet wide, and it houses over 500 different species, including some local Puget Sound fish, manta rays, sharks, small octopuses, and even seahorses!

What To See in South Pacific Aquarium?

The enormous underwater cathedrals of the South Pacific Aquarium will amaze you. The aquarium has a display of over 200 species and many large tanks with teeming life from around the world’s oceans and freshwater environments. 

You can get up close to some animals and see how they live in their natural habitat while also learning about them through interpretive signs at each exhibit. It is one of those places where adults enjoy as much as children do! A significant highlight is the touch pool that allows visitors to feel sea stars, urchins, anemones, horseshoe crabs, sea cucumbers, and even sharks & rays! There are many other exhibits such as jellyfish, seahorses; crabs; octopus; and lots more.

You can see some suitable types of sharks here include the white tip reef shark, hammerhead sharks, and mako sharks. The aquarium also displays manta rays, one of the world’s largest fish, with wingspans reaching up to 24 feet across! 

If you’re into dolphins, then this place may be right for you as there are many different dolphin shows put on during each day where visitors get to watch these intelligent animals swim around their tanks doing tricks like riding waves or sliding down slides! You will even find out more about them through the interactive touch pools at certain times throughout your visit, where they encourage you to touch and even take selfies with the animals, including eels, sea stars, and much more.

What’s in there at South Pacific Aquarium?

South Pacific Aquarium has many more different areas hidden within this aquarium, with much more incredible sea life swimming around you at all times. There is no way to take every single picture in one trip through here, which I’m sure visitors would understand if asked about taking multiple trips to see everything once and then come back again later on when time permits. If you have kids who love animals or even adults who enjoy being up close & personal with some of the fascinating creatures on Earth, you will enjoy everything this aquarium has to offer.

The first area is called “Underwater Cathedrals” because it consists of caves and caverns! As soon as you enter underwater cathedrals, your eyes will go wide, seeing all kinds of beautiful fish swimming around corners and up/down through different levels within these giant underwater tunnels full of life! 

You’ll be amazed at how these underwater tunnels are so big there is even a light shining down from the top. It’s fantastic to see all the different colorings and sizes of fish that gather around this spot in awe, just like we do when viewing it for ourselves.You’ll also see all types of fish you can’t find back on lands such as sharks, eels and rays! 

The second area of the South Pacific Aquarium is Tropical Reefs which consists primarily of saltwater tanks with reef-type ocean life swimming by/around you or laying about on various types of corals underneath your feet while looking up through clear glass ceiling for a fantastic view above. These tropical reefs also have areas where they keep sea turtles in their little ponds full of vegetation, allowing them a place to lay about and relax.

There is also an area where you can touch the batfish and the frogfish, unique to that section of the South Pacific Aquarium. It’s a lot of fun for kids to get to handle these creatures that are usually not available for touching anywhere else.

 

If you’re looking for a House Cleaning in Tacoma, you can book with us!

 

Next Thing To Do In Tacoma:

BPA Trail

 

South Pacific Aquarium

 

NW Maids Cleaning Service

Book a Cleaning in 60 Seconds