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.
49 Reviews for Living Planet Aquarium
2
00 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!!
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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!
'12
0 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.
0 families found this helpful
"Wonderful indoor Aquarium"
The only reason that this did not get 5 stars is the price is high, but I imagine that it probably cost a lot to keep that place running. We went with discount tickets. This is a great placeto go in the winter when it's too cold to go to the zoo. I was amazed at the amount of fish and aquarium wild life they had from all over the world. Really cool exibits. The staff is wonderful. Plan on paying extra if you want to watch feedings
0 families found this helpful
"Aquarium"
Although we love to visit this aquarium, we didn't choose to buy a pass here. It's pretty pricey to visit as a family, so we usually wait until we get a deal online. We love seeing the penguins, otters, anaconda, and caiman. My boys especially love the "Superhero bugs" exhibit. Make sure you go on an off-time, try to avoid Saturdays or out-of-school holidays because the line can be out of the door to wait to come in.
0 families found this helpful
"Fun but doens't take long"
We went to the aquarium on free day and it was fun for my 4 year old. He loved the room the best without anything living in it! They have a room with a sail you can raise and some animal-related computer games. I though the aquarium was cute but we saw the whole thing in an hour and a half. I think once they move and expand it will be great.
0 families found this helpful
"Great!"
The Living Planet Aquarium seems a little small inside, but there is a lot to look at! The glowing jellyfish in the black lights is a big hit! You can also see a sting ray up close and touch a few sea creatures in the exploration area. If you have a birthday coming up-they rent great rooms surrounded by tanks of colorful fish! There are penguins and a huge sea turtle. You can see Nemo and his gang as well! Some of the rooms get a little crowded, but there is plenty to see!
0 families found this helpful
"Smaller then expected but lots of fun"
This is not a real large aquarium but it is perfect especially for younger kids that might get bored in a larger aquarium. They have four or five different area's in one of the main area's they have a large stingray tank and you can pet the stingray's. Another fun area is the Penguin Encounter. They have recently added some otters and it is fun to watch the three or four of them playing around like a bunch of kids. There is also a cool area focused around animal super powers with some cool littler reptiles and bugs. Something you don't want to miss is the giant Anaconda snake. You can look up on there website the schedule for the day and even see some of the animals being fed.
0 families found this helpful
"Meet the Otters!"
The Living Planet Aquarium is home to not only fish (including tropical and Utah-natives) but to penguins and adorable otters! Their "touch tank" provides everyone a chance to pet a sting ray, which seems to be a favorite. A great little indoor activity! If you live close by, consider the membership--you only have to go twice a year to break even.
0 families found this helpful
"Hands-on Exhibits are Great"
It definitely is a interesting place, but like other reviewers have said, not much for what you pay. If you plan on going quite a bit invest in a yearly pass. My younger kids weren't extremely interested in the exhibits, but did love the interactives ones, including touching the sting rays.
0 families found this helpful
"Fun for kids and for adults"
There were so many different exhibits and acticities, that all ages could enjoy it.
My baby was 9 months when we went. We had free passes and thought we might as well even if he can't do anything, we were so wrong. We helped him pet stingrays and star fish and he loved the eletric eel that had a light display attatched to the tank. They even have penguins and they will have otter's soon. There is a section for comic or super hero animals that glow or are incredible strong. I think older kids would love that.
There is also a learning center where kids can ask questions and learn from the staff but we didn't spend much time there because little kids can only handel so much fun before they need a nap.
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