While most of the paid attractions in Vancouver are quite often not worth it, the Vancouver Aquarium is definitely something that should be on your visit-list especially if you have kids. It is definitely nicer than the official "Zoo" and arguably more fun than Science World. The Vancouver Aquarium is also the first public aquarium in Canada (it opened in 1956) which conducts marine research, animal rehabilitation, and environmental conservation.
Location and Accessibility
The location is ideal - it is nestled at one corner of Stanley Park and easily accessibly by bus, walking or biking from downtown Vancouver. I would highly advise taking public transit to the aquarium due to the fact that the parking lot fills up, especially on the weekends. If you do find parking there, I would advise getting a day pass (~$15) instead of paying by the hour since you can easily lose track of time, and easily spend 3-4 hours in the aquarium. In terms of accessibility for wheelchair users, there are plenty of toilets throughout the museum, including accessible bathrooms for wheelchair users. You can also rent wheelchairs and walkers should you need it.
Ticketing and Membership
Even though it is a not-for-profit aquarium, the tickets are steep, at $45/person, but the aquarium has a lot to see in it. Children under 3 go free, and those aged between 3 and 12 years of age pay a lower amount. It is perhaps best to buy tickets in advance as they are slightly cheaper. If you reside in Vancouver, it might be a worthy investment to get an annual membership which costs around 73.5 CAD for the year and you get unlimited entry as well as priority access to special events. This is in fact an excellent deal, especially since the aquarium can be visited on rainy days as well and for those who don't know, it rains like 80% of the time in Vancouver.
We visited the Vancouver Aquarium during my birthday weekend, so my husband treated me there! It was one of the only attractions we hadn't seen in our four years in Vancouver and it was the last week for me and the kids in Vancouver before our imminent move to London. It will take atleast 2-3 hours with kids, and if you have patient kids, you can easily spend about 4-5 hours there. We maxxed out at 3 hours but still had a few exhibits we didnt properly see.
Food
There are quite a few food and snack options at the aquarium that aren't unusually expensive. You can enjoy the Courtyard Cafe and Bar for lighter snack and fast food options, as well as coffee. The coffee isn't anything to rave about but you will get caffeine in your system should you need it (we did because we visited while we were caring for a newborn - read disturbed sleep.) For finer dining options, there is also the Upstream Bar + Grill, an environmentally-friendly restaurant that uses compostable plates and cutlery. There is even another option, the Bicycle Bistro, which stays open until 6 pm every day.
Visit to the Aquarium
The exhibits are breathtaking and definitely get you excited about nature and marine life. The exhibits are not focused on purely Canadian marine life, but instead have tropical and other exotic wildlife which are marvellous. A few of the exhibits are:
The Tropics
This exhibit was our favorite. Even though one doesn't expect an exhibit from the Tropics on the Pacific coast, it is arguably the most colorful and interesting ones, especially for kids. This section is home to bright and flourescent colored fish, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals, including turtles, sharks, and jellyfish. You’ll get to see coral reefs and mangrove forests as part of this incredible exhibit that transports you far away from British Columbia and much closer to the equator.
The Graham Amazon Gallery
This is also a pretty cool exhibit where the focus is on the biodiversity of the Amazon rainforest, both in and out of the water. This exhibit is home to sloths, crocodiles, iguanas and so much more. You can even experience a thunderstorm simulation and get a sense of how intense the rainforest weather can be! There
Pacific Canada Pavilion
This exhibit focuses mostly on Canada’s native marine life. To be fair, it wasn't our favorite mainly because most of the Pacific fish we saw weren't as colorful or exotic looking. If anything, they looked creepy:-|
B.C.’s Wild Coast Exhibit
This exhibit is part indoors and part outdoors and you can view marine mammals here, namely otters, seals, and sea lions. You can also learn about Vancouver Aquarium’s amazing conservation efforts and what you can do to help protect Vancouver’s coastlines.
Wet Lab
There was also a wet lab in the aquarium where kids can put on gloves and feel the fish. Quite often, it might be in use by schools and there is a ridiculously long line -up. We unfortunately did not have a chance to check it out but if you aren't pressed for time, this is something to definitely check out.
Wondrous Jellies
Oh my word! Who doesn't love jellyfish! I would spend hours just staying at them as they grace. This Wondrous Jellies exhibit is home to a huge variety of jellyfish from all over the world, and seeing these colorful gelatinous blobs floating around is surprisingly relaxing when you know they can’t sting you!
Besides these exhibits, there is an exhibit on frogs and on Canada's artic as well as a few others. However, we had already spend three hours there and by that time, our toddler and newborn were spent. So we had to call it a day! However, this aquarium would be best enjoyed in a series of visits.
