Seattle Aquarium

The Seattle Aquarium opened on the downtown waterfront on 20 May 1977 and is run by the nonprofit Seattle Aquarium Society. It now spreads across three buildings: Pier 59, Pier 60 and the Ocean Pavilion, which opened in August 2024. One ticket covers all three, and you can go back and forth as often as you like on the day.

Pier 59 focuses on local waters. Window on Washington Waters is a large tank recreating the rocky reefs and kelp forests of the Salish Sea, with salmon, rockfish and anemones, and divers give talks there several times a day. Pier 60 holds the marine mammals, including sea otters, harbour seals and northern fur seals, and the Underwater Dome, a 360-degree viewing room surrounded by Puget Sound fish. The Ocean Pavilion turns to the tropics, with The Reef, a huge habitat for sharks and rays, and The Archipelago, with a mangrove forest and coral lagoon.

The aquarium is open daily from 9:30am to 6pm, with last entry at 5pm. Tickets are sold for timed entry, so reserve your preferred time online; walk-up tickets can be limited. Children aged 3 and under go free, and reduced prices apply for ages 4 to 12. Keep your QR ticket handy, as it is scanned each time you enter Pier 59 or the Ocean Pavilion.

Animal talks and feedings run throughout the day, and they are worth planning around. Sea otter talks are usually in the late afternoon, harbour seal talks in the morning and afternoon, and marine mammal feeding around midday, though the timetable can change. Allow two to three hours to see all three buildings and catch a couple of talks.

The aquarium is very well suited to families. Habitats and restrooms are wheelchair accessible, wheelchairs can be borrowed at Guest Services, and it is certified as sensory inclusive. The Seattle Aquarium Café on the second floor of Pier 59 is open daily from 10am to 4pm, and Barney's Snack Shack near the Underwater Dome opens Friday to Sunday. Water bottle filling stations are available, so bring a reusable bottle.

Pike Place Market is directly up the hill, reached by the Pike Street Hillclimb, and the Seattle Great Wheel is a short walk south along the waterfront. Accessible parking is available at the Hillclimb Garage and the Pike Place Market garage.