Downtown Aquarium
The basics
Several ticket options are available for the Downtown Aquarium including aquarium only, food and drink packages, 4D film experience combo tours, and interactive “Zoologist for a day” tours. Save on admission with the Denver CityPASS, which also includes discounted tickets to other popular Denver area attractions.
Kids won’t want to miss the mermaid shows, the hands-on hermit crab exhibit, and the immersive 4D nature film experience. The aquarium also features storytime for young children, summer camps, and up-close animal encounters A full-service restaurant with floor to ceiling aquarium views and an upscale bar serving tropical cocktails is also available.
Things to know before you go
- The Downtown Aquarium is a fun, family-friendly attraction in downtown Denver.
- Purchase the Aquarium Exhibit Value Ticket, which includes a meal and 4D experience ticket, to save money.
- Arrive early for the Mystic Mermaid shows to ensure a good seat in front of the glass.
- The Downtown Aquarium is both wheelchair and stroller accessible and strollers are available for rent.
How to get there
The Downtown Aquarium is located in northwest Denver close to the Denver Children’s Museum and Elitch Gardens. The aquarium is easily accessed by car via Interstate 25 and downtown Denver; pay parking is available at the museum. Bus 10 stops directly in front of the aquarium.
Trip ideas
When to get there
The aquarium exhibits are open seven days a week from morning to evening with extended hours on weeknights. The aquarium restaurant and lounge opens daily mid-morning. Weekends are busiest so visit midweek if you can to avoid the crowds.
Downtown Aquarium Denver Mermaids
Watch mermaids swim amongst the fish during the aquarium’s Under the Sea shows. Divers in mermaid costumes free dive into the tanks and perform a show choreographed to music. This family-friendly, interactive show is performed several times daily during the summer months and on weekends the rest of the year. Children can meet the mermaids out of the water after the show.
- Elitch Gardens Theme and Water Park
- Children's Museum of Denver at Marsico Campus
- Lower Downtown Denver (LoDo)
- Larimer Square
- Denver Center for the Performing Arts
- Denver 16th Street Mall
- Hard Rock Cafe Denver
- Denver Firefighters Museum
- Denver Mint
- Denver Civic Center Park
- Denver Art Museum (DAM)
- Colorado State Capitol Building
- Molly Brown House Museum
- Denver City Park
- Denver Botanic Gardens