Agree wholeheartedly with the last reviewer. So so crowded - just one extremely slow line. We didn’t even make it past the 2nd level - had to get out. Many display cases and animal enclosures so small especially for very large birds and fish. Felt so sorry for the tiny sloth right next to public and loud children. Not an experience I would ever repeat - a waste of $60 . Main concern welfare of animals.
R. S.
Very short experience. For $30 I don’t think it’s worth it. Not to mention a lot of the exhibits were so small for many animals. Also concerning there are so many people so close with the sloth and no staff member to protect them from touchy visitors. Be prepared for the whole experience to feel like a long line at an amusement park if it’s busy. Also it was raining outside when we went and THE WHOLE building was leaking. Doesn’t seem safe for humans or animals. Prepared yourself for 70% birds and 30% aquatic life.
Qiu Zhang
For those people who rated high for this place, have you ever been to a real zoo/sanctuary? This so called aquarium is just sad. They are purely a private for-profit show which doesn’t care about animal protection or welfare. The cage, the light, the food and stimulation are so poor that all birds just look depressed. I am sad that they were somehow bought and sent to this miserable place.
Dylan Heinz
Too many birds
Htpest
Was very busy when we visited on Tuesday afternoon. Quite a few of the exhibits were empty. Overall for the ticket price its a good value as you see more than just sea animals here. I spent about three hours here. Its a good place for a rainy day or to kill time.
Laura Wroblewski
I never thought I’d see a depressed fish, but there’s a first time for everything.I deliberately visited the aquarium because I didn’t want see zoo animals. The Minnesota Zoo sits on 485 acres, so the animals have wide spaces to stretch out in, they can hide if they’re tired of kids screaming at them all day, and the birds can fly. This felt like walking around petco with small animals and birds in tiny enclosures and tanks. A small cuttlefish, which is a very social animal and needs to be with others of its species, floated by itself in a barren tank. 3 turtles had to share about a 1-gallon box of water and not all of them could fit so one was the loser who got in last.Also am I the only one who could not process how marching band batons were the only thing separating the flamingos from being shark snacks?? Are flamingos that dumb, or is that literally how DWA manages their flamingo population?
Gary Gibbs
Truly enjoyed our visit. We were pleasantly surprised by the variety of both animal and fauna species at DWA. DEFINITELY did not expect to see some of the things we saw. We were expecting sea life, but also got a huge variety of tropical birds and mammals. Cannot wait to revisit!
Marie Esmeralda Brate
It was a beautiful experience as you enter. There were so many land animals and birds which was amazing but I was hoping to see more aquatic creatures. Once we reached the aquariums we were underwhelmed because we had just seen all the beautiful tropical themed animals. I was sad that I did not see the manatee and my son kept asking for it. We saw the whole aquarium in less than 2 hours. I recommended getting there early so that you can be there before the crowd.
Nancy Berry
Had so much fun looking at the aquatic life and birds. Recommend for all!
Ravi M
great place. Different style aquarium from what I'm used to seeing. This was our favorite tour site in Dallas at the time of this writing.
One of the absolute best Aquariums I have been to. I really loved the many different animals from the rain Forrest all the way to the end.
A. Van
My first time experience in such a unique aquarium. It has 3 or 4 levels, not very big, just built up instead of out, and nowhere near the water front. But they have "saw" fish looking sharks, and Lesser bird of Paradise, a very exotic bird. I love the Okinawa Aquarium in Japan and the Long Beach Aquarium. I will need to visit the Atlanta Georgia one as it was highly recommended. I don't know what was the occasion, but it was crowded and lots of little kids running and screaming (several school buses loaded with little kids - toddlers and elementary schools??? I thought I was being smart and went on a weekday, was I wrong!
Steven Jenkins
This is not an aquarium! There are some fish at the bottom but they are much more of an afterthought. They let as many people in without violating their fire code. You'd think with all those ticket sales they could afford some more signs letting you know what animals you were looking at. There are lots of cool things to see but it was very much ruined by being packed in so tightly. Don't buy the pre-paid parking. The pre-paid lot was full when we got there. I had to put my name on a long list of people seeing refunds for that portion of their ticket. The other parking lots are only a few steps farther away and are the same price.
Agree wholeheartedly with the last reviewer. So so crowded - just one extremely slow line. We didn’t even make it past the 2nd level - had to get out. Many display cases and animal enclosures so small especially for very large birds and fish. Felt so sorry for the tiny sloth right next to public and loud children. Not an experience I would ever repeat - a waste of $60 . Main concern welfare of animals.
Very short experience. For $30 I don’t think it’s worth it. Not to mention a lot of the exhibits were so small for many animals. Also concerning there are so many people so close with the sloth and no staff member to protect them from touchy visitors. Be prepared for the whole experience to feel like a long line at an amusement park if it’s busy. Also it was raining outside when we went and THE WHOLE building was leaking. Doesn’t seem safe for humans or animals. Prepared yourself for 70% birds and 30% aquatic life.
For those people who rated high for this place, have you ever been to a real zoo/sanctuary? This so called aquarium is just sad. They are purely a private for-profit show which doesn’t care about animal protection or welfare. The cage, the light, the food and stimulation are so poor that all birds just look depressed. I am sad that they were somehow bought and sent to this miserable place.
Too many birds
Was very busy when we visited on Tuesday afternoon. Quite a few of the exhibits were empty. Overall for the ticket price its a good value as you see more than just sea animals here. I spent about three hours here. Its a good place for a rainy day or to kill time.
I never thought I’d see a depressed fish, but there’s a first time for everything.I deliberately visited the aquarium because I didn’t want see zoo animals. The Minnesota Zoo sits on 485 acres, so the animals have wide spaces to stretch out in, they can hide if they’re tired of kids screaming at them all day, and the birds can fly. This felt like walking around petco with small animals and birds in tiny enclosures and tanks. A small cuttlefish, which is a very social animal and needs to be with others of its species, floated by itself in a barren tank. 3 turtles had to share about a 1-gallon box of water and not all of them could fit so one was the loser who got in last.Also am I the only one who could not process how marching band batons were the only thing separating the flamingos from being shark snacks?? Are flamingos that dumb, or is that literally how DWA manages their flamingo population?
Truly enjoyed our visit. We were pleasantly surprised by the variety of both animal and fauna species at DWA. DEFINITELY did not expect to see some of the things we saw. We were expecting sea life, but also got a huge variety of tropical birds and mammals. Cannot wait to revisit!
It was a beautiful experience as you enter. There were so many land animals and birds which was amazing but I was hoping to see more aquatic creatures. Once we reached the aquariums we were underwhelmed because we had just seen all the beautiful tropical themed animals. I was sad that I did not see the manatee and my son kept asking for it. We saw the whole aquarium in less than 2 hours. I recommended getting there early so that you can be there before the crowd.
Had so much fun looking at the aquatic life and birds. Recommend for all!
great place. Different style aquarium from what I'm used to seeing. This was our favorite tour site in Dallas at the time of this writing.
Restaurantji Recommends
2 time here. It's a great place.
Overpriced place, lots of animals missing.
One of the absolute best Aquariums I have been to. I really loved the many different animals from the rain Forrest all the way to the end.
My first time experience in such a unique aquarium. It has 3 or 4 levels, not very big, just built up instead of out, and nowhere near the water front. But they have "saw" fish looking sharks, and Lesser bird of Paradise, a very exotic bird. I love the Okinawa Aquarium in Japan and the Long Beach Aquarium. I will need to visit the Atlanta Georgia one as it was highly recommended. I don't know what was the occasion, but it was crowded and lots of little kids running and screaming (several school buses loaded with little kids - toddlers and elementary schools??? I thought I was being smart and went on a weekday, was I wrong!
This is not an aquarium! There are some fish at the bottom but they are much more of an afterthought. They let as many people in without violating their fire code. You'd think with all those ticket sales they could afford some more signs letting you know what animals you were looking at. There are lots of cool things to see but it was very much ruined by being packed in so tightly. Don't buy the pre-paid parking. The pre-paid lot was full when we got there. I had to put my name on a long list of people seeing refunds for that portion of their ticket. The other parking lots are only a few steps farther away and are the same price.