There were a few sections, like this one, which featured a variety of smaller creatures like frogs, lizards, snakes and spiders, at the Dallas World Aquarium in Dallas.
Photos by Ayumi Davis, Sentinel Editor
DALLAS — I always loved aquariums growing up, marveling at the fish and sea creatures wandering about in massive tanks while I devoured the information plaques to fill my brain with numerous facts. So when my friend invited me to go to the Dallas World Aquarium, it was a no brainer to visit.
Now, the name Dallas World Aquarium is a bit misleading. The aquarium is like a jungle in the middle of the city, tucked away in a giant building. It contains fish, birds, mammals and more from around the world for patrons to ooh and ah over.
A shoebill stork stands on a rock at the Dallas World Aquarium in Dallas. It’s surreal to see in person because of how massive this bird is.
From three-toed sloths, penguins and a shoebill stork to poison dart frogs and even a manatee, there’s a wide variety of animals to encounter. The building is winding, taking you up and down and around to view all the animals, and filled with so much greenery for the birds to enjoy. There are even some habitats that are open, giving patrons the opportunity to see birds flying overhead.
They have electric placards that rotate information about the animals in each exhibit, but you can scan a QR code to read more. Personally, I’ve always enjoyed reading the placards and didn’t really like having to scan the QR codes for more information.
A cotton-top tamarin sits on a branch in its exhibit at the Dallas World Aquarium in Dallas. The aquarium has a variety of animals beyond aquatic creatures, like the tamarin.
Beyond that, this place was awesome. It was super cool seeing all the animals beyond the aquatic creatures. I loved how many different types of birds there were, like the shoebill stork. That thing is massive and is known for the gunshot-like sound created from clattering its beak together. There was also a harpy eagle. Its exhibit was huge so it was hiding high up in the back, but even from afar, it was hard not to see its imposing figure perching above.
The manatee was, of course, tubby and super cute floating around. It was understandably one of the most popular aquatic animals in the aquarium so you may have to fight to take a picture with this peaceful creature.
Housed at the Dallas World Aquarium in Dallas is a single, and very popular, manatee in its large tank with tons of other fish and water animals.
My friend and I made it a game to try to find the lizard, frog, snake or spider hiding in each of their little exhibits. It put into perspective just how good these animals are at hiding (or how bad we are at finding because a lot of these little guys were right in front of our faces).
I couldn’t believe the variety of animals housed in the Dallas World Aquarium. For those in search of an interesting excursion, the aquarium is definitely a place to check out.
The Dallas World Aquarium in Dallas features several tanks that show fish from different places around the world, like Japan and Sri Lanka. There is even a large tunnel tank that has sharks.
While my friend and I went in full, the aquarium does have a couple of cafes and a restaurant for those who get hungry while looking around.
My friend and I paid the adult admission of $34.95 each, but children are cheaper. Those with military ID can purchase tickets for themselves and a guest for $28.95 each. Keep in mind, patrons must also pay for parking, but we only paid $10.
The Dallas World Aquarium is open 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. For more information, visit dwazoo.com.