5 Great Exhibits to See at the Seattle Aquarium in Washington

Our family was in Seattle last month, and spent several days visiting a number of local attractions. The Seattle aquarium was one of the places we visited, and even though it was terribly crowded, there were some real cool exhibits that everyone in the family enjoyed.

If you are planning an afternoon of sightseeing at the Seattle Aquarium, then you won't want to miss this five great things to see:

The Tidal Touch Pools look just like real coastal tide pools you might find along a rocky shore, but are chocked full of tiny sea creatures that you might not ordinarily see in one easy-to-access location. The Seattle Aquarium version of the tide pools contain crabs, starfish, sea cucumbers, anemones, and more aquatic life that visitors can actually touch. The Tidal Touch Pools are located in the main exhibit room.

The Moon jellies exhibit looks like a piece of public art at first glance. But as you approach this 8 foot archway, it begins to look alive with dozens of shimmery jellyfish that travel up and over the arch. Most of us never get this close to jellyfish in real life, which is why the moon jellies is an exhibit you won't want to miss.

The Sea Horse grotto: if you visit the Seattle Aquarium in the late afternoon, than you'll find it quite difficult to see this fascinating up-close look of a sea horse colony. The Sea Horse grotto is one of Seattle Aquariums most popular attractions, and is definitely worth squeezing in past the crowd for a look at these cute little sea ponies.

The Underwater Dome is out the doors to your right, past the shore birds, and down beneath the ground. The Dome is a massive fish viewing room in the shape of a snow globe and guests standing in the center of this dome get a fish-eye's view of life beneath the water. There's a wide variety of fish to view including sturgeons, sharks, and sting rays, information cards that can help you identify what you're looking at, and lots of comfortable seating. This is one attraction you absolutely do not want to miss.

Marine Mammals display is located on the right as you exit the underwater dome. It's not a large exhibit area though does contain both river and sea otters, harbor seals and northern fur seals. Visitors can get a very close look at these adorable sea mammals which are quite lovable and highly entertaining.

The Seattle Aquarium is located on Pier 59, 1483 Alaskan Way, in Seattle, just a couple of short blocks form the ferry terminal. Hours are from 9:30-6:00 daily, with the last ticket sold at 5:00 pm.