Our Adventures with a Baby Turned Toddler at Aquariums Across the U.S.

What we loved, and what was missing, on several family visits to the aquarium

Some babies love puppies. Others love teddy bears. But for our baby girl, it’s all about fishies. It’s hard to say why she’s so delighted by shiny scales and flippy fins, but we’re pretty sure our family trips had something to do with it. Before she turned one, we visited three aquariums and several zoos, and we’ve kept that up as she nears her second birthday. With each aquarium, I’ve done my best to scope out amenities and evaluate our experience. That said, some of our adventures pre-date this blog, which means a few details are missing. I plan to update these details as we return to the aquariums in the Midwest (near our home base), and add new details as we visit more. Here’s what I’ve gathered so far.

St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station

This Octopus at the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station was a sight to behold when we visited in March of 2023!

We visited our first aquarium as a family, the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station, when our daughter was about seven months old. She was too young to appreciate everything, but she was definitely enthralled by the movement of the small, tropical fish in their tanks. As a mom, I’m always on the lookout for a spark in my daughter’s eye — a sign that something has caught her fancy. This was especially true before she started gesturing and talking. The fish at the St. Louis Aquarium definitely created a spark, and that spark inspired several more aquarium journeys to come. Here’s a rundown of our time at the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station: 

What We Liked: This aquarium was just right for our family, in terms of size and scope. It wasn’t too big, and it wasn’t too small. You won’t find larger animals, like dolphins and seals, but you will find sharks and other ocean wildlife. We also enjoyed the unique entrance — a simulated train ride, in keeping with the “Union Station” theme. Lastly, the parking here was a plus. It was paid parking, but we easily found a spot close to the door. 

What We Didn’t Like: We’re a family of vegetarians, and the menu at the nearby 1894 Cafe wasn’t great. There was an alternative, the Soda Fountain, but the wait was much too long without a reservation. If you’re looking for on-site options beyond concession basics, I would recommend making a reservation at the Soda Fountain

Baby/Toddler-Friendliness: The inspiration for this blog hadn’t yet hit for this visit, so some details are a bit fuzzy. That said, the aquarium’s website specifically mentions a private nursing room located in the women’s restroom on the first floor. I know I pumped during our visit, and I don’t remember running into any trouble. Likewise, I don’t remember any trouble changing diapers. After I pumped, we took turns baby-wearing using our Infantino convertible carrier. This allowed our daughter to face forward and see all the fishies. I’m sure we also brought our stroller along. The aquarium’s website recommends leaving strollers behind, but they aren’t prohibited. 

Favorite Animal: I’m a sucker for an octopus (suction cup pun entirely intended), and the octopus at this aquarium was in full splendor! Think Ursula from the Little Mermaid, but bright pink — quite a creature to behold.

Clearwater Marine Aquarium

I love visiting coastal zoos and aquariums, like the Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater, Florida.

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium, located in Clearwater, Florida, was part of our daughter’s first big adventure traveling by air and seeing the ocean. She was roughly nine months old. During this visit, we noticed that she was particularly enchanted by the Clownfish, and that proclivity hasn’t gone away. We’re definitely a “Finding Nemo” family, at this point. Here are the details about our aquarium visit in Clearwater: 

Parking: The roadway from our hotel on Clearwater Beach to the aquarium was a bit congested, but once we arrived on site, parking was straightforward. There was a fee, but it wasn’t outrageous. 

What We Liked: As a Midwesterner, I always appreciate the spacious, open-air vibe that accompanies so many coastal attractions. This was no exception. The fresh air was nice, but there were also spots to duck indoors for some air-conditioning. Turtles are a favorite of mine, so I especially enjoyed Turtle Cove. 

What We Didn’t Like: This is one of the largest aquariums we’ve visited, but from my perspective, the variety of animals didn’t live up to its size. I enjoyed the spaciousness, but some of the space seemed under-utilized. This could just mean the aquarium has room to grow, and I’m all for ensuring the animals have enough space. Overall, this complaint wasn’t a major factor in our experience. I’ll go into more detail about baby-friendly amenities below. 

Baby/Toddler-Friendliness: I emailed ahead of time to ask about family restrooms and nursing spaces. Someone replied right away to let me know about two family restrooms on the third level of the aquarium. However, there is no dedicated nursing space. I don’t remember running into any trouble pumping or changing our daughter’s diaper, but as with Union Station, I wasn’t yet tracking details for my blog. I do recall that we had no trouble navigating with a stroller, although we used our Infantino carrier throughout most of our visit, so our daughter could see everything. Aside from the lack of a nursing room, this aquarium met our needs. 

Favorite Animal: Along with the turtles, the standout exhibit for us was, of course, the Clownfish! I just re-watched the video we took of our daughter reaching out excitedly toward the tank, and it was definitely a magical moment. To this day, she gets excited when she spots clownfish pictures or toys. 

Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay

I didn’t expect to find a Komodo Dragon at the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay!

The Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay, located inside the Mandalay Bay resort along the Las Vegas Strip, was full of surprises. You can read all about our experience at Mandalay Bay and across the Las Vegas Strip in an earlier blog post, but I’ll mention some highlights here: 

Parking: There was a large parking garage on site, and it was pretty straightforward. We walked to a lot of destinations along the Strip, but we did end up driving to Mandalay Bay. That said, you might want to consider walking, if you’re staying at a nearby resort. 

What We Liked: This aquarium had a surprisingly wide variety of animals for its size and location! I was expecting something small and basic, but I feel like our experience was more or less on par with other aquariums we’ve visited. Piranhas are just one example of the unique animals you’ll find. 

What We Didn’t Like: I really don’t have any complaints about the aquarium itself, aside from the lack of baby-friendly amenities that I’ll describe below. The price of admission is a bit high ($29 to $36 for adults as of May 2024, depending on whether you want a timed ticket). This is on par with other aquariums, but those other aquariums usually offer hands-on activities for kids or other auxiliary experiences that were mostly absent at this location. 

Baby/Toddler-Friendliness: Mandalay Bay Resort offers very few baby-friendly amenities. There is one restroom on-site at the aquarium with a changing table, so I would recommend taking advantage of it. Aside from this restroom, I confirmed in 2023 that there are not any family restrooms or public lactation spaces on site at the resort. This aquarium is also more compact than others, so it’s slightly harder to navigate with a stroller, but we didn’t run into much trouble. As with the other two aquariums I’ve mentioned, we carried our daughter forward-facing in our Infantino carrier to make sure she could see! 

Favorite Animal: I was quite surprised and pleased to see a Komodo Dragon! You don’t find these giant lizards at most aquariums. I love reptiles, so I definitely paused to admire this unique specimen. 

National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium

Our daughter usually prefers Clownfish, but this Lionfish at the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium definitely won a place in her heart!

The National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium is located right in our home state of Iowa, along the Mississippi River in Dubuque. Iowa lacks the variety of exciting attractions you might find in a more populated state, so this aquarium is definitely a standout. My husband and I visited several times before our daughter was born, and we took her for the first time as a toddler just a few weeks ago, in May of 2024. We enjoyed an outstanding visit, even on a rainy day! Here are the details: 

Parking: There’s plenty of free parking right on site. We’ve never run into any trouble finding a spot. Arguably, the parking situation is better here than at any other aquarium we’ve visited. 

What We Liked: There are two distinct sections focused on freshwater and saltwater creatures. Between them, you can duck outside and visit the raptors that are housed on-site. There’s also a maker space for kids and some surrounding, hands-on exhibits located to the left of the entrance in the freshwater half of the aquarium. Generally, I appreciate this set up. Our daughter enjoyed the hands-on exhibits, which included a variety of science-oriented activities, and the toys in the maker space. She also loved the fish tanks that were on her level. When we entered, she walked straight up to the first tank she saw and stared in awe for almost ten minutes, pointing excitedly at the freshwater fish. 

What We Didn’t Like: My only complaint on our last visit was the rain. Obviously, the aquarium can’t control that! However, there are a few outdoor exhibits that we missed, including the birds (which are among my favorites). It’s also worth noting that you won’t find any larger animals at this aquarium, like seals or dolphins. But this makes sense at a Midwest aquarium, particularly one that’s focused on the nearby river. 

Favorite Animal: Our daughter’s newest discovery on this trip was the Lionfish! When we visited the gift shop at the end (I’m a sucker for gift shops), I gave her a choice between a stuffed Clownfish — her standby favorite — and a stuffed Lionfish. She chose the latter, and she’s still excited to play with him at home! 

That’s all, for now! I plan to update this post periodically, so keep an eye out! 

Surprising Creatures and Familiar ‘Fishies’ at Mandalay Bay’s Aquarium

The variety of interesting animals makes up for the elusive amenities

Family Restrooms: No
Diaper Changing Stations: Yes
Lactation Space: No
Stroller-Friendly: Yes
Overall Child-Friendly: Yes
Time Spent: Roughly 2 hours

Wildlife might be hard to spot in an arid, urban place like Las Vegas. But at the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay, you’ll encounter animals both familiar and peculiar. I was tempted to review the aquarium on its own, rather than lumping it in with the less baby-friendly Mandalay Bay Resort, where it’s located. But, since you can’t extricate one from the other, a side-by-side review makes the most sense.  With everything taken into account, this stop on our family trip clocks in at #5 in my ranking of baby-friendly spots in Las Vegas.

As long as you plan diaper changes and feedings carefully, the Aquarium at Mandalay Bay is a stop you don’t want to miss. It’s family-friendly, with a surprising variety of creatures. The trouble we ran into during our trip in May of 2023 involved finding a changing table outside the aquarium and a lack of family restrooms and lactation spaces. Planning ahead will help you avoid these obstacles.

Since our family of three was traveling with a group of extended family, all with different priorities, we almost skipped this stop. But I’m so glad we didn’t. Our 10-month-old daughter loved every minute, and it definitely exceeded my expectations. We encountered surprises ranging from a Komodo Dragon to an octopus to a tank of piranhas, along with plenty of familiar favorites, like tropical fish, sharks, and turtles. 

Our family, parents and baby alike, could stare at the octopus tank for hours. We were thrilled to find one at the Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay!

Our daughter has grown to love “fishies” and aquariums. We made a point of visiting several before she turned one, and her passion even inspired us to throw her an undersea-themed birthday party. It would be hard to pick favorites among the aquariums we visited, but this one stood out in terms of its unique animals and its size relative to its context. We expected a quick walkthrough with the basics, but that was not the case. At the same time, it wasn’t too big to manage. 

This is another spot where we appreciated our Infantino Flip 4-in-1 Convertible Baby Carrier. A stroller would work fine (we brought ours along to stow our diaper bag and my pumping supplies), but our daughter appreciated the opportunity to see the animals up close. She’s been known to reach out and try to grab the fish! 

I’m an animal lover, and I have a special place in my heart for creepy crawlies, including reptiles of all kinds. This giant Komodo Dragon was my favorite animal encounter at the Shark Reef and Aquarium at Mandalay Bay Resort.

All of that said, we never did find a diaper changing station outside the aquarium — and we regrettably passed up our chance to use that one. This changing table is located en route inside the aquarium. A helpful employee actually pulled us aside to let us know about it. At the time, we didn’t need it. But, knowing what I know now, I would recommend taking the opportunity, especially if you plan to spend more time at the resort beyond the aquarium.

To be fair, we did not check every restroom on site. I didn’t have this blog in mind yet, and we didn’t want to waste our time ducking in and out of restrooms. After checking a few, we moved on to the next stop.

Before we left, I called the resort and confirmed that there aren’t any family restrooms or public lactation spaces at Mandalay Bay. We planned around this disappointing circumstance, and I didn’t try to pump while we were there. For this reason, I didn’t get a close look at the restrooms with this purpose in mind.

Next door, the Luxor does have a family restroom, although it was closed when we visited. Luxor also has changing stations in at least some of the men’s and women’s restrooms. If the Luxor is the next stop on your list, it might be worth waiting.

All-in-all, if you come to Mandalay Bay prepared and stay for a short time, this Vegas stop is both doable and lovable. Scope out your favorite animal, and take the opportunity to let your little one discover theirs.