Living Planet Aquarium
add photosThe Living Planet Aquarium is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, dedicated to cultivating public interest in the environment, conservation, and the enhancement of our planet and its creatures through adoption, education, research and recreation.
Activities include daily animal feedings, presentations, story time and exhibits.
Cafe & gift shop onsite.
57 Reviews for Living Planet Aquarium
3
00 families found this helpful
"Loved the Entire Experience"
We visited the Living Planet Aquarium, and my kids didn't want to leave! There was a large pool where you could "pet" some sharks and stingrays, watch them feed the animals (the octopus was amazing!). The anaconda measuring stick was super cool! There were fun activities and such a wonderful variety of touchable items that helped the kids learn about different creatures. We would HIGHLY recommend this facility!!!
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0 families found this helpful
"want to touch a sting ray?"
I was a little hesitant at the sting ray display. You are encouraged to reach down into the water and stroke the sting rays as they pass. It was fun for me and my boy. I enjoyed a close-up look at a squid, while my son was a little scared. Fun place to see some exotic animals.
0 families found this helpful
"Small "
This is a pretty good aqarium. They are buiding a larger one because the aqarium they are at is too small. One portion of the aquarium is about Utah, another portion is typical aquarium fish. In the middle is a great attraction. You can pet manatay's as they drift by. The other half has a penguins and it's very weird how they built it. You can only see when they go into the water. So weird. After the penguins is a bunch of reptiles and insects. They do have bird shows and they are really fun. Show different birds and insects. I bought a year membership and my kids are 9 and 5 and they were so bored with it I think we only went twice that whole year. It's very expensive too. Tip: DO NOT go on a Saturday morning. It's so packed that it is not fun at all. The place is just too small.
0 families found this helpful
"I love the Penguins!"
My family has annual passes to the aquarium. The passes are much more economical if you plan on attending more than 3 or 4 times per year. My son loves the interactive displays including sound buttons and the coral playground. Our family's favorite animal exhibits are the penguins and otters. I am very excited about the opening of the new location in 2014 as the Sandy location is a bit small and dated.
1 family found this helpful
"We Love This Place!"
This is a very small aquarium, but they have made fantastic use of the space, and you can tell management is always looking for ways to improve the experience. The exhibits are clean and well maintained, and they have two great hands-on areas where kids can touch sharks, rays, crabs, sea stars, etc. Also, their season's pass is the best value in town. For less the $25, you get access to the aquarium for a year! The staff is also friendly and knowledgable.
0 families found this helpful
"Small but tons packed in"
So I was pleasantly surprised by this little aquarium. It's kinda impressive what they were able to squeeze in to such a small space. We took our one-year-old and my two nieces (one a little bit older and one little bit younger). I thought there was plenty to see for the little ones and it was the right size for us because they were tuckered out and ready to go by the end.
Great place to spend an afternoon (you might find though that for just a few hours, admission is a little steep).
0 families found this helpful
"Fun for kids"
Definitely fun for kids. I wouldn't say it was amazing, it is a old grocery store after all. Fun fish for the kids to see and learn about. I definitely wouldn't pay full price to go there. Not worth the money to me. But the kids sure love it. The otter's are especially fun to watch.
0 families found this helpful
"Great Potential"
My kids and I all love the Living Planet aquarium and visit often. We try to visit during the week because it seems like the weekends get very busy.
When I first vistited the aquarium I was very surprised at how small it was. In the last few years they have added several new exhibits, including the penguins and otters which are great. The aquarium is moving to Draper in the future and I can't wait to see the expansion.
0 families found this helpful
"Ready To Get Irritated??"
Are you looking for a reason to really RESENT the human race?? Do you not get enough of overcrowded stores or rude Utah drivers who drive slow in the fast lane or go around honking relentlessly??
If so, then by all means, go ahead and visit this place!
First I must say, that me and my sons ARE animal LOVERS and the animals here are fascinating, and ADORABLE, (IF YOU CAN MAKE IT THROUGH THE CROWDS TO ACTUALLY SEE THEM!!)
And, IF I was basing this review on what this aquarium offers and displays as far as the penguins and otters, I would be giving it FIVE STARS easily,
But..........IF you can't stand RUDE and inconsiderate UTAH people, do NOT come here EVER on a weekend, EVER!!!
I took my son here on a nice Saturday afternoon expecting to have a pleasant time with him, spent $16 to get in the doors and then $13 in the restaurant, another $13 in the gift shop buying him a cute FOSSILIZED shark tooth necklace. so.....I spent a total of $42 and i EXPECTED to have a decent time with my son for that LARGE amount of money. I also expected for my son and myself to be treated politely and decently by the other UTAH patrons, for him to actually be able to enjoy the otters and penguins, for when he waited his turn to see the animals, he would be able to see them without getting shoved out of the way, or elbowed out of the way by some piece of crap who obviously have parents who NEVER taught their children ANY manners!
I probably have the most polite boy in ALL OF Utah!
In fact I am POSITIVE of it after our trip here today! So MANY PARENTS just letting their kids BUTT in lines, without waiting their turns, elbow other kids to make their way to the front of the lines, so many strollers demanding the RIGHT OF WAY and pushing others out of the way, just so very many people here that have never learned manners!
Even though me and my son were at the otter and penguin exhibit and we waited our TURN, other parents let their kids PUSH AND BUTT THEIR WAY IN FRONT of my small ten year old! I was FURIOUS, TO SAY THE LEAST, I teach my sons to wait their turns,to say PLEASE AND THANK YOU, to never butt in lines, BUT THEN COME HERE TO This! And every decent common manner I have ever taught my son is regarded as a joke, here (just like on our Utah freeways) the motto is the biggest brats win (I am including the parents they teach their children to do this)
Even though me and my children support worthy causes, help out shelters, help out homeless animals, and would love to see the animals here at this facility taken well care of by the fee we paid here today, I really expect A FULL REFUND BECAUSE this was such a miserable experience for us, and for others, if you look around on the web for other reviewers you will see so many others are sick of the rude behavior allowed to go on here at this facility!
Even kids in our grade schools who are being attended to by their teachers on a field trip have never portrayed the rude behavior I saw between the children here with their IMMATURE and rude parents today. What a total robbery!
For this Aquarium to stay successful, they really should HAVE RULES about all of this kind of behavior! If someone butts in line, or can't wait their turn they should be ASKED TO LEAVE THE AQUARIUM immediately!. I feel robbed and violated by all the rude people here! i am so upset for the horrible way these POOR excuse for parents allowed their brats to treat my son and others! What happened to MANNERS UTAH???? What a JOKE our state is!!
0 families found this helpful
"Great and growing"
We love the Living Planet Aquarium. They have a wide variety of displays that can keep the little ones interested for several hours. My kids could pet the sting rays along for at least a half an hour. They have different types of displays, including a native Utah display and fun animal super hero one. They are continually growing and should be opening at a new facility in 2013. For being in a dry, land locked state this is a pretty great aquarium!
0 families found this helpful
"Living Planet Aquarium"
We LOVE LOVE LOVE the Living Planet Aquarium and go there often. We purchased a 1 year membership (babies are free) and go there at least once a month. They just opened the otter exhibit which is so fun and also have a "petting zoo" for sting rays which the kids LOVE! They have a little cafe for food which is okay, but definitely worth going to!
'120 families found this helpful
"Great deal with a membership!"
The aquarium is a great deal IF you buy a year-long membership, otherwise it is pretty pricey. When we had a membership we went twice a month and my sons loved it every time. There are enough animals and fish to keep you entertained and feel like it was worth it to go. My son loved the "little alligators" and sitting on the giant frog sculpture. He also loved being able to touch the different sea life in the open tanks. Watching the penguins is always fun. And we love the little play area next to the sting rays. (Food is overpriced, though, as it always in at attractions.) We will be renewing our membership because it is definitely worth it! Bring a stroller for the little ones!
**since I first reviewed this they have added Otters at the aquarium and my son LOVED them. They have a crawl-through space that you can stand up in in the middle of the otter enclosure. So fun!**
0 families found this helpful
"happy mommy"
My kids really enjoyed the different exhibits and the interaction with the different aquatic species. They stayed busy and slept well when we got home. This great for a ride the Traxx and have lunch and activity place but bring friends too so that everyone has fun.
0 families found this helpful
"happy mommy"
My kids really enjoyed the different exhibits and the interaction with the different aquatic species. They stayed busy and slept well when we got home. This great for a ride the Traxx and have lunch and activity place but bring friends too so that everyone has fun.
0 families found this helpful
"Entertaining, but cramped and too busy"
We got a membership to the Living Planet Aquarium when they first opened in Sandy, and we loved it because it was rarely busy, and sometimes it seemed like we had the whole aquarium to ourselves. Once the penguin exhibit came though, it just became too busy. Some days were frustrating when there were so many kids running around and blocking the exhibits, making it so that my kids couldn't see anything and I had to be extra protective so they didn't get lost in the crowds. On less busy days, the aquarium is wonderful. The exhibits are facinating, and the variety of animals is great. The stingrays and the sharks are a big favorite with our family. I think once they move the aquarium to a bigger building we will consider getting a membership again; until then we're going to avoid the crowds!
0 families found this helpful
"Just ok!"
We went there with my 4 year old and my 1 year old and they lost interest after about 20 minutes. I felt like the price was really high for what you get. I know they are planning on expanding, but for now, I feel like it is not worth the money to get in. I would wait on this one!
0 families found this helpful
"Doesn't hold a candle to other aquariums (but only one here)"
It's the only aquarium you'll get, so if you're really looking to go, this should be good. But if this aquarium were in a coastal state, I'd be generous giving it 2 stars. It's a renovated grocery story. It's got some little tanks with little fish. There's a fun petting tank and a few tanks with neat stuff in them. But overall my wife and I weren't impressed.
THOUGH....we went back in early 2009 and I hear they were working on more renovations. So, check out other reviews too.
0 families found this helpful
"Exotic fish and free touch tank"
The first part of this aquarium makes you think it is going to be pretty lame...it's local fish. They are cool to watch but it's like trout and brine shrimp. There is an open marshy area with bullfrogs so that is pretty cool. My 1 year old and 3 yr old liked climbing on a giant bullfrog statue. The opposite side is where it gets really fun. There are giant amazon fish and penguins. My 5 year old could have watched the penguins forever. Make sure you plan your trip around the time to watch the penguin feeding. The sting ray tank is really cool because you get to reach in and touch them. My 5 year old thought she was so brave.
0 families found this helpful
"Great Aquarium"
Since we're not in Monterey, we don't have the most impressive array of aquariums around. But this one is a pretty good one! They're in the process of changing locations to a much bigger building, which is good. It's small and cramped right now. They have penguins, a new otter exhibit, rainforest critters, and lots of fish. You can touch a manta ray and watch them eat, too. It's fun, just a little overpriced in my opionion.
0 families found this helpful
"aquarium"
My kids love this place! They have just brought in an otter exhibit, but I think the stingrays are still our favorite. They have a great penguin exhibit as well. I think the layout is good for leading kids through. We have been to birthday parties here also and they do a great job.
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