This Family Guide to visiting the Aquarium was sponsored by Loveland Living Planet Aquarium as part of an Influencer Activation for Mom It Forward Media. As a frequent visitor to the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, all opinions expressed in this guide are my own.
With summer upon us, there is only so much time you can stand to be cooped up at home with all the kids. No, thank you. Summer is a time to get out there and make memories together.
Since I don’t have to work around school schedules, I have more freedom to go on adventures with the kids. We love to visit various destinations around us in Northern Utah, SouthEastern Idaho, and Western Wyoming.
From science museums, animal zoos, national parks, and one of our favorites; the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium located in Draper, Utah right off I-15.
The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium is more than an aquarium. It is an explorative, hands-on, adventurous learning experience. Our entire family from adult to toddler love exploring the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium.
Yes, even the teenagers love it! And if you homeschool, this is a place you definitely want to add to your curriculum! It is a favorite destination for all my homeschooling Mom friends.
And summer is the perfect time to get your family out of the house and visit the aquarium! But when you are a family visiting the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, there are a few things you’ll want to know.
What you need to know about the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium
**Warning: this is an image heavy post, containing lots of photos from our day at the Living Planet Aquarium. And this is only a small fraction of the photos I took that day. So be prepared to see a lot of our favorites from our day.
The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium is a non-profit organization, dedicated to inspiring people to explore, discover and learn about Earth’s diverse ecosystems.
They not only have the Aquarium destination in Draper, Utah, but they also have amazing outreach programs that visit 2nd, 4th, and 6th-grade classrooms to support Utah science curriculum.
But the real magic happens when you visit the Aquarium together as a family. There is so much to do, see, touch, feel, and experience!
10 Tips for family visits to the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium.
When you visit the Loveland Living Planet aquarium as a family there are a few tricks that will help make your experience amazing.
- Arrive early. The Aquarium is one of the top destinations in Utah. And it is a favorite destination, especially in the summer! Because of this, it can often get rather crowded if you visit during peak hours.
Our family doesn’t do well with crowds, so we love to visit first thing in the morning right as it opens. We explore, participate in the Butterfly habitat experience without waiting in long lines, and so much more!
By the time it starts to get crowded, that is when our kids are ready to leave. So it works perfectly for us. - Bring your water bottle. There are water fountains scattered around the aquarium where you can stop and get a drink. But you may find, that’s not quite enough. Especially when you visit the Journey to South America attraction.
This section is one of my favorites. But, it is hot and humid. And we all get extra thirsty the longer we stay.
So we always take a water bottle with us and fill it up at the drinking station. Then we can stop and drink whenever we need. But while water bottles are welcome, leave the outside food & drinks at home. The Aquarium has a full-service cafe. There, you can buy smoothies, pretzels, muffins, or entrees like sandwiches, soups, and kids meals. - Plan for a 3D/4D movie. One of the things you will want to put on your “must see” list is the 4D theater. This thing is amazing! You get a complete 4D experience. With short educational and fun movies that simulate air, water, seat vibrations, and scents.
Admission to the 4D Theatre is included with all Memberships and General Admission tickets. They have a schedule listed on the 2nd floor. Take note of the times when the movie you want to see is playing and then plan your route through the aquarium from there. But if you miss the movie, don’t worry. They play each movie multiple times, so chances are, you’ll be able to catch the next one. If you happen to have a sensory sensitive child, you will want to use your best judgment on this activity. Sometimes Miss Jade really enjoys it. But sometimes it is too much for her SPD. So we know going in, that one of us parents may have to take her out shortly after it begins. So we plan that ahead of time, while the other parent stays with the other kids (who absolutely love the experience). - Plan your route before you arrive. There is a great list of daily activities you can participate in if you plan ahead of time. Things like penguin feedings, animal encounters, science experiments, shark talk and more! Click HERE for the Daily Activity Schedule. Decide what you want to do/see before you even arrive, so you don’t miss it.
- Experience 5 ecosystems. Speaking of planning ahead, the aquarium features 5 different ecosystems you can enjoy.
- Ocean Explorer: Here you will embark on a journey through a 40 foot Shark Tunnel, visit the stingray touch pool, and discover ocean species from around the world.
- Expedition Asia: Here you will be greeted by species native to southern Asia, as well as giant fish, and Clouded Leopards.
- Antarctic Adventure: Here you can explore the deep sea lab, bask in the glow of sea jellies, and waddle with the penguin experience.
- Discover Utah: Here you begin at the beautiful slot caverns of Southern Utah and meet native Utah species, as well as enjoy the friendly North American Otters.
- Journey to South America: an ecosystem that features tropical plants and animals. This section is hot and humid, so plan accordingly. We often start here, so that we can enjoy it fully before the kids become too hot and tired. You will find tropical birds, the butterfly experience, exotic fish, reptiles, and a 17-foot waterfall.
- Ocean Explorer: Here you will embark on a journey through a 40 foot Shark Tunnel, visit the stingray touch pool, and discover ocean species from around the world.
- Bring your Camera, but leave the flash behind. You will see amazing things at the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium. But more than that, you will have amazing opportunities to capture your family in the moments. Definitely bring your camera, extra SD cards, and maybe even an extra battery or two. But be sure to leave the flash at home as flashes aren’t allowed.
- Let’s talk about Strollers. If your child is small and doesn’t walk, a stroller is a great choice. And yes, you can maneuver a stroller through the entire aquarium except in the movie theater. Although it can be a little more difficult when there are a lot of people there. There is also a stroller parking spot on the 2nd floor by the movie theater, but no lockup. So keep that in mind. They also have strollers that you can rent for $5 if you get there and decide you need one after all. Our first time visiting, we had Miss Rose in a stroller, and it was nice because she couldn’t walk far without tiring out. But since then, we leave the stroller at home now. She won’t stay in it very long anyway. She wants to actively look at all the exhibits and the stroller just hinders her engagement.
- Mother’s Lounge. If you have a baby, you’ll be glad to know that the Living Planet Aquarium has a mother’s lounge on the first floor near the Shark exhibit.
- It’s ok to touch. Where at a zoo, you often see signs saying “Don’t touch”; here at the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium you will be met with various stations that let you have a hands-on experience. At the animal meet and greet you have the opportunities to touch/pet various reptiles.
In the Journey to South America, you can enjoy the magical experience of butterfly kisses, as these mottled, colorful creatures lite upon your hand.
And in the Ocean Explorer, you will have the opportunity to touch stingrays and more. So don’t be squeamish, it is an experience like no other. Trust me. It always takes me a good 10+ minutes to talk myself into it, but I’ve never once regretted petting those stingrays.
- Let the fun take you away. Don’t worry about time. In fact, put the watch away and turn off the phone (unless it’s your camera). Be completely present and let your kids be your guide as to when it is time to leave. This is an amazing hands-on experience that they will love.
So don’t rush it. Likewise, once the kids are done and worn out, don’t force them to keep going. Save the rest for another day when they are rested and can fully enjoy the experience. This is another reason why you will want to make sure you visit the favorite ecosystems FIRST, and not just going in order. It’s ok to go against the flow.
And in the Ocean Explorer, you will have the opportunity to touch stingrays and more. So don’t be squeamish, it is an experience like no other. Trust me. It always takes me a good 10+ minutes to talk myself into it, but I’ve never once regretted petting those stingrays.
How to Save Money at Loveland Living Planet Aquarium
If you are a one time visitor to Utah, regular tickets will be just the thing for your adventure through the aquarium. But if you live close enough to the aquarium that you’ll visit more than twice a year, you’ll want to consider purchasing an annual membership.
Why?
Because you can save so much money with an annual membership!
Courtesy of Loveland Living Planet Aquarium
For our family size (2 teens, 1 military veteran, 1 adult, 1 child, 1 toddler-free) a trip to the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium is about $86. And when Miss Rose turns 3 in September, that will go up because she will no longer have free admission.
But a family Annual membership is only $189.95 for our entire family. That gives you unlimited visits to the Aquarium for one year, invitations to exclusive Member-only events, Aquarium discounts, free access to Tuki’s Island: Play & Party Center; and much more!
That is the equivalent of our family visiting the aquarium twice a year! Which do you think is the better deal? Spend $185 and go as many times as you want, whenever you want, or spend about the same amount and only go twice a year? That seems like a no-brainer to me.
It’s More than an Aquarium.
The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium is more than just another aquarium. They host several events throughout the year like Pacific Islands Weekend (June 8 – 11) and Shark Week (July 22 – 28). And even around Halloween they dress up the exhibits and have trick or treat stations throughout the exhibits. My kids LOVE this one!
And you can also book the Tuki’s Island Play & Party Center for birthdays, team parties, family celebrations, and more.
Miss Jade’s 2nd-grade class recently went on a field trip to the Living Planet Aquarium. Even though we had just gone as a family, she still loved every second of it. She never tires of the Living Planet Aquarium.
Miss Rose, (our 2-year-old toddler) keeps asking when we can go back to the fishies. She would have us go back every day of summer if she could. It was hard to pull her away when it was time to leave. The teenage boys got tired before our toddler did!
And while the Living Planet Aquarium already hosts over 4,000 animals on display of 650 species; it is at capacity. So they are expanding to create the living science center, that will be hosted on 9 acres just south of the aquarium location.
The Science Learning Center will feature a Conservation Center, new animal exhibits, STEM-based science classrooms, high-tech laboratories, a Science Entrepreneur Center, and much more.
Check out how you can help make this science learning center become possible HERE!
Also stay connected with the Living Planet Aquarium to see what’s happening next:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelivingplanetaquarium/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/LivingPlanetUT
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovelandlivingplanet/
Website: www.thelivingplanet.com
Did you wonder why so many pictures of the Penguins? Because they are Miss Rose’s favorite and she insisted on seeing lots of pictures. She asks to see the Penguins every day since we visited the aquarium.
