When my kids were babies, one of our favorite activities was taking the bus downtown to the Seattle Aquarium. They loved seeing the tropical fish up close (so much closer than the animals at the zoo!) and dipping their hands into the touch tanks to feel the anemones and urchins. On Thursday, the Seattle Aquarium debuted a nearly 50,000-square-foot expansion. The new Ocean Pavilion includes three new habitats: a massive reef ecosystem, an archipelago with a mangrove forest, and a set of habitats with tropical fish from the Coral Triangle.
The wow factor: Ocean Pavilion
In all, the Ocean Pavilion includes more than 100 species and 3,500 tropical fish, invertebrates and plants. The new building features tot-height viewing windows, interactive opportunities and spaces designed specifically for kids. The expansion increases the Aquarium’s square footage by 50 percent, but it feels much bigger than that. Inside, the lofty ceilings and open spaces are inviting and modern. The building was designed by Seattle’s LMN Architects, with exhibit design by New York-based Thinc Design.
Old and new perspectives
I took my now school-age kids to revisit our old stomping grounds, the original Seattle Aquarium, and to see the expansion. Here’s what they want other kids to know: “The new aquarium is very pretty. Go see the old part first so you can say, ‘Oooh, that’s nice.’ Then go to the new part, and you can say, ‘Oooh, that’s even better.’” They’re not wrong. The original part of the Seattle Aquarium opened in 1977. Pier 59 is the long green building where you’ll find the touch tanks, giant Pacific octopus, and Pacific Northwest habitats, along with a toddler play area and nursing pod added in 2022. Next door at Pier 60, you’ll see the resident harbor seals, other mammals, and sea birds.
Experiencing the Ocean Pavilion
After visiting your old favorites, head across the sidewalk to the new Ocean Pavilion. At the entrance, look up. You’ll see sharks, rays, and maybe even a diver or two through a circular window above your head. Aquarium tickets aren’t cheap, and I love that everyone gets a free peek even if they aren’t going inside.
Through the front doors, glass salmon made by Lummi artist Dan Friday leads you down a hallway to the main exhibit space. The star of the Ocean Pavilion is a 530,000-gallon reef ecosystem, home to an Indo-Pacific leopard shark, spotted eagle rays, and other fish native to the waters around Indonesia.
The Reef and interactive education
The Aquarium continues its popular diver talks in the Ocean Pavilion. Visitors also get an up-close view of staff feeding the rays from a third-floor walkway. This huge reef has five viewing windows, the largest window 23 feet tall. The multi-story reef ranges from 7 feet to 27 feet deep, and you’ll see different species at different heights.
A fish with a Marimekko polka-dotted belly swam by — what was that? Instead of printed labels, the Ocean Pavilion offers touch screens to identify the fish. The search function is totally user-friendly: tap to sort by shape, then color, and then the menu pops up with pictures of the possible fish. (The fish with the polka-dots turned out to be a clown triggerfish.)
One Ocean Hall: A space for everyone, especially young children
The next area, the atrium, features videos projected on the walls, staircases, and even the floor. One Ocean Hall is a 360-degree theater: One minute, you might be underwater in a coral reef, and the next minute, you might be standing in a kelp forest in Puget Sound. “It’s our one-world ocean that connects us,” says Nicole Killebrew, the aquarium’s interpretation program coordinator. “The feeling of being immersed is really resonating with people.”
One Ocean Hall, photo courtesy of Seattle Aquarium
The aquarium has a library of 24 films shot specifically for this space, which can be queued with the touch of an iPad. One video is about releasing shark eggs hatched in aquariums into marine protected areas. The Seattle Aquarium is part of the ReShark species recovery program.
While the atrium is big and open, the “At Home in the Ocean” gallery behind the atrium is cozy and intimate by design. The seahorses and lionfish we loved from the original Aquarium have new homes here, and the viewing windows are set at child height. There’s even a crawl-through tunnel here, with rainbow-hued lights and video screens. Use the touchscreen to pick a topic you’d like to learn more about — say, bottlenose dolphins — and lay back to watch the video. It is a really special space, designed just for kids.
Elliott Bay shimmers just outside the Ocean Pavilion’s picture windows, bringing home the big message: we have one world ocean that connects all of us. Kids, it’s up to you to help conserve it.
Learning opportunities
Upstairs, the Discovery Lab is used for hands-on education activities, like studying specimens under microscopes and touching a shark jaw. Behind glass walls, you can watch the aquarists caring for the animals. This is the same idea as the Burke Museum, which wrapped glass walls around its labs so visitors could see real scientists in action. Talk about working in a fishbowl!
From the second floor, the archipelago and coral tanks are open and at waist height. It might be tempting to reach over the thick acrylic wall but remember, these are not touch tanks, and it’s a long way down if you go for a swim. (The touch tanks are all in the old Aquarium building.) There is, however, faux coral for you to feel in a nearby display. Faux coral is surprisingly rubbery and functions the same as natural coral, as a habitat for fish.
What’s next
Planning for this expansion took over a decade, and construction broke ground four years ago. The Ocean Pavilion is now open, so the project is done, right? Not at all. The tanks look a little sparse, and fish are still being added. The mangrove trees are still growing. The reef, which currently holds 550 fish, will swell to a population of more than 1,000. The coral reef is seeded with baby corals propagated from parents in the old Aquarium and will eventually fill out their new habitat. Once the dust settles at the Ocean Pavilion, the Seattle Aquarium will turn its attention to the older buildings at Pier 59 and 60. They’re up next for renovation as part of a 20 to 30-year plan. “This is just the beginning for us,” Killebrew says.
Changes to Seattle’s waterfront
Construction on the waterfront feels like it’s been going on forever. Here’s some good news: the end is getting closer and will be worth the wait. The last piece of the Viaduct came down in 2019, clearing the physical divide between downtown and the waterfront. In October 2024, the rooftop garden on top of the Ocean Pavilion will open, so people can walk from Pike Place Market, across the top of the Aquarium, and down to the waterfront. The rooftop will be a free city park with native plants, public art, and amazing views.
“It’s going to transform the waterfront,” Killebrew says. “It’s going to transform downtown Seattle.”
Know before you go
- The Seattle Aquarium’s new Ocean Pavilion opened Aug. 29, 2024
- Where: 1483 Alaskan Way Pier 59, on the Seattle waterfront
- Hours: 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., with the last entry at 5 p.m. Open 365 days a year, including holidays.
- Admission: Tickets for visitors 13 and over range from $40.95 to $48.95. Youth tickets 4 to 12 range from $24.70 to $29.45. Children 3 and under are free. One ticket gets you into all the parts of the Seattle Aquarium. The Seattle Aquarium uses a variable pricing model. Admission is higher when demand is higher. To save money, buy tickets in advance. If possible, pick a weekday and buy at least two weeks early. The aquarium strongly recommends purchasing a timed ticket in advance online so you don’t wind up waiting at the entrance for a day-of time slot.
- Getting there: The nearest parking garage is the Pike Place garage. You can find cheaper options if you don’t mind taking the stairs. I used Spot Hero to sort garages by price and snagged a 3-hour parking reservation for $10. You can also skip the expensive parking altogether and take public transit downtown or the free Seattle Waterfront Shuttle Service if you’re already downtown (service ends September 15, 2024).
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