Sea Life Aquarium Grapevine, Texas

Ticket Prices

Tickets: Admission is $20 for adults, $16 for children ages 3 to 12, and free for kids 2 and under.

Phone Number: 877-819-7677

Aquarium Details

The 40,000 square foot aquarium is home to more than 5,000 sea creatures. The Grapevine location is the 35th Sea Life Aquarium worldwide. The estimated cost of the facility is $15 million.

Some of the features of the Sea Life Aquarium include:

* 360 degree underwater ocean tunnel
* Interactive rock pool where you can hold a crab or touch a live starfish
* Giant green sea turtle
* Common octopus
* Seahorse
* Clownfish
* Cownose Stingray
* Shark Walk
* Shipwreck exhibit

There are roughly 14 different rooms or scenes throughout the aquarium (more details below). There is a quiz trail in each scene to help add knowledge about the aquatic life as you go along.

Scene Details

Freshwater Streams and Lakes

From the introduction room, the doors will open to reveal a green and wooded landscape surrounded by freshwater streams and glimpses of blue Texas lakes. Famous largemouth bass, along with channel catfish, golden shiners and many other species are encountered here.

Coast

From streams and lakes, guests will move to the coast, starting with the Galveston shoreline showcasing its piers and dockyards. Here they will be assailed by the sights and sounds of a busy marina. Deep display tanks will open a window beneath the surface to reveal some of the many sea creatures flourishing here on the ocean’s margin. Special fun quiz trail elements here and throughout the journey will keep younger visitors engaged and help them learn as they explore.

Mangroves

Following the coastline towards the border with Florida, visitors will next explore a habitat fringed with dense mangroves, where strange creatures like mudskippers and prehistoric horseshoe crabs thrive. Even the ebb and flow of the tides will be recreated here, with gentle waves rippling across the surface of one of the larger display tanks.

The Lagoon

From the mangroves, visitors will next head out to a palm fringed lagoon bathed in the deep pink wash of a tropical sunset. Graceful rays will glide through the water in tight formation, and will be viewed side on, from a jetty over the surface or from secret child-only caves.

Feature Exhibition

From the lagoon, visitors will next encounter a special feature exhibition, its content a closely guarded secret. Once all has been revealed and enjoyed, guests will emerge into a scene reminiscent of the set of an Indiana Jones movie.

Temple of the Seahorse

A labyrinth of stone carved walls and arches, the Temple of the Seahorse will be adorned with ancient imagery. Display tanks built into a series of ornately carved stone columns will house some of the marine world’s most endearing creatures – seahorses from across the globe.

Shipwreck

From carved stone to rotting timber, the journey will move onto a sunken shipwreck, where slatted timber portholes and bubble windows will offer views of amazing corals and dazzlingly colorful tropical fish.

Ocean Tunnel / Tank

Escaping the shipwreck, visitors will find themselves at the truly breathtaking climax of their journey — a 360-degree walkthrough transparent tunnel surrounded by sharks, rays, coral reef fish and a magnificent sea turtle. With marine life all around them, visitors will feel like they are the ones who are enclosed and on display as the creatures swim free and watch the strange humans in their acrylic tube!

Ocean Cave

Beyond the mighty ocean tank visitors will take a diversion into an eerily glowing cave network where they will discover a selection of some of the strangest ocean dwellers, the jellyfish. Here they will have the chance to take a rest on a convenient rocky shelf and enjoy another view into the ocean tank.

Clownfish Kingdom

No sub-marine exploration would be complete without an encounter with those lovable clownfish, made famous by the Pixar creation Nemo. Here visitors will visit with Nemo and his chums, as they populate a giant cylinder tank within a sea-bed setting.

South American Rainforest

The journey continues and will move visitors far south of Texas to the South American rainforest. Here they will find flesh-stripping piranhas, poison-arrow frogs and a host of more fish and animals within the hot and humid Amazon.

Galapagos Islands

The next leg of the journey will take guests far across the waves to the shores of the isolated Galapagos Islands. Here they will have the opportunity to explore a series of rock-pools with the help of SEA LIFE’s marine experts.

Sub Aqua Adventure Playzone

Adults will have a moment to catch their breath while the children expel some energy in the fantastic Sub Aqua Adventure Playzone. Here they will be able to climb, slide, bounce and dive and even make their own fishy stencils.

Glass Floor Auditorium

At the end of the experience, guests will have time for one more look at the sharks, and this time they will need courage as the path will open up into a unique auditorium with glass floor panels. The challenge here will be to stand on a film of glass and peer into the blue depths below as sharks patrol just inches underfoot.

Video Preview

Here is a short video from inside the 360-degree tunnel.  This area is simply not to be missed.

The Sea Life Aquarium in Grapevine Mills Mall is an underwater fantasy land.  It is an experience.  No amount of words or photos will do it justice.  You really have to see it for yourself to get the full experience.

For more information visit www.visitsealife.com/grapevine.