Loved it! A McCarthy aquarium project, love the design and experience. ❤️
Jonathan Leffingwell
Arguably the best aquarium that this East Coast guy has seen!
HaIlEy
I highly recommend this place! Employees were nice and had so many fish and even lizards, a sloth, and baby crocodiles. If you want a better look at the sharks or sea lions, I recommend the odyssey tour. It’s a good 15-20 minutes and gives a good view of the sharks, sea lions, etc. Though I do wonder what was wrong with this one sea turtle during the odyssey tour. It swam only using its arms and kept floating to the top. I just can’t tell if it has a condition or just swims like that. Most of the fish looked healthy and swam around. I wish there were other ways to see the sea lions at different spots. Other than that, place was great! If you make a video there and tag their TikTok, they will like the video and even comment! It’s great advertising. The best place at the Scottsdale boardwalk!!!
Rony Veska
Overall an excellent experience! I’ve been to the Monterey Bay aquarium and the Chicago aquarium and OdySea is in the same class. There were a number of species I hadn’t seen before. We especially enjoyed the revolving exhibit with close up views and an explanation of how the animals are cared for. Our only mistake was going on a Friday. It seemed to be field trip day in the Phoenix area schools, with large groups of kids guided by only one or 2 adults, along with many families with school aged children. The placement of the children’s experiential area in the center of the facility is a mistake. The kids got so wound up and over-excited from the activities that they were out of control for the last section of exhibits. Adult supervision was minimal by that time, from teachers, parents and aquarium staff alike. I like kids. I don’t blame them for being kids. I blame the adults who were supposed to be in charge, especially some aquarium staff who were watching a group of kids run wildly around an exhibit and did nothing.
Candy
Super expensive ($150 total just to enter for 2 adults and 1 child) but it is pretty great. The bathroom has a view into the aquarium which is very cool. The exhibits were very well done and the aquarium is spacious enough so you're not shoulder to shoulder. Plenty of interactive experiences and places to stop for food and drinks in the middle. The spinning room is included in the ticket price which was a nice surprise. The animals are so beautiful to watch. Facility is clean and staff was nice. Overall a good experience despite the high cost.
Pamela Grant (Amznfrknaz)
Be prepared to walk a little and to ooh and ahh over the underwater world.
Dustin D.
There was a dead turtle in the rotating room and then a room with no fish in it and we were stuck on the rotating exhibit. Bad bad bad. Unable to leave a message or speak to anyone on the phone about the experience. 2 thumbs down and sad about the turtle.
Toddlebear Thompson
Escalators are one way - just heads up if you like to backtrack. Definitely hit the restroom 1st thing, it's wild. Lots of great exhibits and clever use of space. One of the better aquariums I've seen and I've been to many across the US.
Mike G
I do not recommend visiting or supporting this aquarium. The tanks were far too small and overcrowded and the fish did not appear healthy or stimulated whatsoever. None of the tanks had real plant life, were eerily lit, and were depressing just to look at let alone be trapped in. The tanks did not even closely resemble a natural environment, leaving the fish or other animals with nowhere to hide except in sparse low-quality plastic plants. I can't say these are elements of an aquarium experience I specifically looked to evaluate, but we left feeling depressed for the animals being kept here.The last stop in the aquarium is a theater experience which we did not want to do (and you have to wait in 5-10 minute intervals to enter), we had to search for 15 minutes to find a single employee to tell us how to exit -- which was behind an unmarked black curtain.
This place is wonderful! We enjoyed all of it. We enjoyed the VR experience and the jellyfish. My husband and I are in our 60's and the only downside was avoiding the many many children running around. I had to use my walker and several times children would run into me. However I'm glad they enjoyed the aquarium too. We will be coming back again.
Someone Somewhere
Stop torturing animals. Let them back into the wild. Stop supporting animal abuse.
Offshore
The sloth though soooo cute!!!!
Travis G.
Wow!! This place is incredible! We weren't prepared for the sticker-shock for the ticket prices--but it was a great experience!
Rachel G.
Such an amazing aquarium, but giving it 4 stars because it's overpriced. We had a great time - our kids loved it, and the amount of things to see was spectacular. The downside is that it was $190 for us to just get in the door (2 adults, 2 kids). If you visit, make sure you go to the part at the end where you sit down and spin through four different attractions. That was truly one of a kind!
Take your family be a man
Loved it! A McCarthy aquarium project, love the design and experience. ❤️
Arguably the best aquarium that this East Coast guy has seen!
I highly recommend this place! Employees were nice and had so many fish and even lizards, a sloth, and baby crocodiles. If you want a better look at the sharks or sea lions, I recommend the odyssey tour. It’s a good 15-20 minutes and gives a good view of the sharks, sea lions, etc. Though I do wonder what was wrong with this one sea turtle during the odyssey tour. It swam only using its arms and kept floating to the top. I just can’t tell if it has a condition or just swims like that. Most of the fish looked healthy and swam around. I wish there were other ways to see the sea lions at different spots. Other than that, place was great! If you make a video there and tag their TikTok, they will like the video and even comment! It’s great advertising. The best place at the Scottsdale boardwalk!!!
Overall an excellent experience! I’ve been to the Monterey Bay aquarium and the Chicago aquarium and OdySea is in the same class. There were a number of species I hadn’t seen before. We especially enjoyed the revolving exhibit with close up views and an explanation of how the animals are cared for. Our only mistake was going on a Friday. It seemed to be field trip day in the Phoenix area schools, with large groups of kids guided by only one or 2 adults, along with many families with school aged children. The placement of the children’s experiential area in the center of the facility is a mistake. The kids got so wound up and over-excited from the activities that they were out of control for the last section of exhibits. Adult supervision was minimal by that time, from teachers, parents and aquarium staff alike. I like kids. I don’t blame them for being kids. I blame the adults who were supposed to be in charge, especially some aquarium staff who were watching a group of kids run wildly around an exhibit and did nothing.
Super expensive ($150 total just to enter for 2 adults and 1 child) but it is pretty great. The bathroom has a view into the aquarium which is very cool. The exhibits were very well done and the aquarium is spacious enough so you're not shoulder to shoulder. Plenty of interactive experiences and places to stop for food and drinks in the middle. The spinning room is included in the ticket price which was a nice surprise. The animals are so beautiful to watch. Facility is clean and staff was nice. Overall a good experience despite the high cost.
Be prepared to walk a little and to ooh and ahh over the underwater world.
There was a dead turtle in the rotating room and then a room with no fish in it and we were stuck on the rotating exhibit. Bad bad bad. Unable to leave a message or speak to anyone on the phone about the experience. 2 thumbs down and sad about the turtle.
Escalators are one way - just heads up if you like to backtrack. Definitely hit the restroom 1st thing, it's wild. Lots of great exhibits and clever use of space. One of the better aquariums I've seen and I've been to many across the US.
I do not recommend visiting or supporting this aquarium. The tanks were far too small and overcrowded and the fish did not appear healthy or stimulated whatsoever. None of the tanks had real plant life, were eerily lit, and were depressing just to look at let alone be trapped in. The tanks did not even closely resemble a natural environment, leaving the fish or other animals with nowhere to hide except in sparse low-quality plastic plants. I can't say these are elements of an aquarium experience I specifically looked to evaluate, but we left feeling depressed for the animals being kept here.The last stop in the aquarium is a theater experience which we did not want to do (and you have to wait in 5-10 minute intervals to enter), we had to search for 15 minutes to find a single employee to tell us how to exit -- which was behind an unmarked black curtain.
Restaurantji Recommends
This place is wonderful! We enjoyed all of it. We enjoyed the VR experience and the jellyfish. My husband and I are in our 60's and the only downside was avoiding the many many children running around. I had to use my walker and several times children would run into me. However I'm glad they enjoyed the aquarium too. We will be coming back again.
Stop torturing animals. Let them back into the wild. Stop supporting animal abuse.
The sloth though soooo cute!!!!
Wow!! This place is incredible! We weren't prepared for the sticker-shock for the ticket prices--but it was a great experience!
Such an amazing aquarium, but giving it 4 stars because it's overpriced. We had a great time - our kids loved it, and the amount of things to see was spectacular. The downside is that it was $190 for us to just get in the door (2 adults, 2 kids). If you visit, make sure you go to the part at the end where you sit down and spin through four different attractions. That was truly one of a kind!