Great Lakes Aquarium Review

On the small side for aquariums. Certain species repeated in multiple tanks... Also a little pricey. But good place to learn about the great lakes ecosystem.

Great day of exploring and learning for adults and kids

Awesome place for a family to take kids. Lots to do! Very good learning and reaching place.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit here, and actually learned some interesting information. I highly recommend going here to all ages.

Its okay, nothing to blow you away. My 6 year old said "is that it?" After we went through the entire aquarium so he wasn't too impressed either

Got splashed by a sturgeon. And watched them get fed. Got to touch a sturgeon as well. Pretty awesome experience.

We loved it. Very interesting and infomational. Loved petting the Sturgeons....

Big building, but seemed a little run down. Some of the interactive kids displays didn't work and videos were turned off. Plus, the river otters weren't even out.

I feel like it's beating a dead horse here; the place is good, but way overpriced. If you get a coupon book from any local hotel you'll be paying $14 a person to get in, for 1-2 hours of entertainment. It's about what you pay for a movie if you get a drink/popcorn, but it's more that I'm used to to see a non-profit exhibit.

In terms of total types of fish, the place may be the largest aquarium to focus on freshwater, but it feels smaller than almost any other aquarium I've been to. Not to only dog on the place. Our son had a ton of fun, there are a lot of interactive parts, and it's in Duluth so you should't be expecting the San Diego freaking zoo.

Worth a one time visit if you're looking for something to do and you're from out of town.

Great experience and wonderful opportunity to learn more about the natural wonders of our Great Lakes and beyond.

Fun, informative, and many interesting exhibits. Loved the interactive exotic fish feeding with the aquarium staff. Relaxing and enlightening. Great for an indoor activity for kids.

Just fine. The place is under reconstructions when we went there. Nothing much to see.

I have been here twice since the doors opened and I always feel that this Aquarium is small and not worth the money that they charge. I do love the interactive water model of the Great Lakes system.

We had a blast, the staff was super knowledgeable about the tanks and wildlife. We touched jellyfish and sturgeon.

Great well kept aquariums. Focused on Great Lake's marine life with additional examples from other aquatic ecosystems around the world.

The history and formation of the Great Lakes as well as representative fossils were a part of the introduction to the exhibit (upstairs). Literally starting at the begginning.

The exhibit finishes with a pair of playful otters in their own exhibit or sleeping in their private den from time to time.

I remember when this opened years ago and everyone in town was criticizing it before it even opened. Now I finally got a chance to check it out and it aint bad but way too pricey. 40 bucks for the kids and I and there aint much to see. Frankly I say save your money.

They let me jump in the tank with all the fish to feed them and it was super cool.

Needs major renovation. Restrooms were filty. Very nice staff though. Did enjoy getting to pet the sturgeon.

We were about to take the family but then we saw the ticket price....nope.

Wonderful time with family !!!
Grandson's first visit !!!!

We always have so much fun when we visit. Great educational fun for kiddos.

Loved it! I took my 3 and 5 year old kids there and all of us loved it. The staff were exceptional, all of them being kind, welcoming, and knowledgeable. The admission s fee is a little steep, but well worth it. If you have young kids be sure to have a change of clothes handy, they will likely want to play with a water exhibit and will get wet. We spent about 2 hour there and it held my kids' attention the entire time.

It was fascinating to be able to see fresh water and salt water species in tanks close enough to make comparisons. The layout was such that you shouldn't miss anything. Also, the gift shop prices were very reasonable.

Great time for the children and very educational for the adult as well. Make sure to pay attention to the special event board. You can go and come as you please for that day, there is a very nice park near by as well.

Fun place to take the kids on a cold, windy, or hot day. New touch exhibit for Sturgeon is neat. Lots of viewing areas for kids of all sizes.

Was here for a wedding. Had a great time exploring.

Buy the membership if you live nearby. More than one visit and it pays for itself. Grand kids love this place.

Awesome place to explore. Spendy though!!! You can touch large sturgeon in a tank. The kids couldn't get enough of that.

Learned quite a bit, however it was not worth the $17.50.

My nine year old son absolutely loved the aquarium!! Totally worth the $10 we spent on admission.

Love these minnesota family museums !!! So many things to learn through interactive displays

This is well worth the money. There are a ton of interesting exhibits and informative programs.

It's a little small, but it's a lot of fun. Lots of great lakes fish to observe to remind me why swimming in lakes absolutely terrifies me. But there's a shark, and sharks are cute. There's also a sturgeon touch tank, and if you've never touched a sturgeon, boy it's really something.

They also have an otter exhibit, and otters are energetic and adorable, but the lazy bastards were busy being asleep and adorable, so I guess my hopes were dashed ever so slightly. But I can't be mad at otters.

With the backdrop of the big lake, it's good for an hour or two, and your tickets are good all day, so if you want you can come back later. And the gift shop has Dippin' Dots. So there.

Outstanding, slightly small aquarium. Great focus on science, geological and biological, and significant respect paid to native peoples of the Minnesota region. Great variety of fish and aquatic life, and some less aquatic animals like birds. We went on a Monday and were able to see a training/feeding with a crow named Freeway and a pair of otters named Ore and Agate. The staff were super helpful and very friendly, and indulged our questions for as long as we needed. Great attraction for kids with lots of opportunities to touch fish and play with some "toy-like exhibits"

Really nice display of fish and other regional species. A little pricey for what you get I think, but really cool touch pools of sturgeon and moon jellyfish. Great for kids for sure.

We had a blast!!!! A little pricey but, spending time with family and learning about our amazing world...... PRICELESS!!!

Despite the covid restrictions and the interactive stuff was shut down, still a very fun place to visit and see all the fish and wildlife.

Great family fun - lots of activities to keep the kids and adults engaged.

Familiar animals you can find outside mixed with unique exibits from all over the world. Primarily freshwater exibits showcase Trout, Discus fish, Ducks, and a massive electric eel among many others. Also has a few salt water exibits mixed in because what aquarium doesn't?

It's great. Variety of animals. It is not just seeing, also experiencing (such as petting certain fish, dwarf sharks, ...). On Tuesdays they organize activities for young children (2 - 3 years old).

My 5 year old loved it! Very interactive. Its 2 levels and there's seating outside to check out lake views.

This is a great place to bring the family. It was a lot of fun. I will be bringing the family here again.

A total Northwoods gem! My husband is from Duluth but it took us having a child to make us go to the aquarium together. I highly recommend you go immediately - kids or not! Loads of great exhibits and interesting marine and terrestrial life. My toddler really enjoyed feeding the fish, like REALLY enjoyed. They also have a huge model of the locks and great lakes that they use as a huge water table for kids. Anyone at any age can participate. Staff is very knowledgeable and friendly. OTTER INFO: Otters are only out for short periods of time as they are largely nocturnal. If you are going for the otters I have heard that 3pm/early afternoon is the best and only time.

As someone who loves to visit aquariums, I was excited to add a visit to the Great Lakes Aquarium to the itinerary for our visit to Duluth. Given the fact that we were visiting while weather is still cold, it was a perfect activity.

Unfortunately, the aquarium was experiencing some power outages throughout the day, which threw a wrench into our plans for the day. These things happen, and we tried back three times before power was finally restored.

Sadly, upon paying for parking and admittance, I was disappointed with the aquarium compared to others I've visited. It is quite small, and there is not as much to see as expected. I did enjoy that many of the fish were local, but expected more.

I think it would be an enjoyable activity for children, perhaps on a rainy day in Duluth. However, personally, I felt it was disappointing for the cost. While I've returned to other aquariums multiple times, I do not think I would return to this one at their current price now that I've done it once.

Great place to take the family. Some displays are not working.

Fun for little kids.. Not all that great tho for the price

Great place for families. Fun things for all ages. Staff vary knowledgeable and friendly.definite to do when visiting Duluth.

A short but sweet aquarium with tons of information about the great lakes region. The exhibits have plenty of viewing space. The Covid-19 rules are reassuring with marked pathways, viewing spots and plenty of hand sanitizers. They have strollers for kids under 3 that you can use for free.

A good place to hangout for about 2 hour to watch fishes.

Great place to take kids or any one interested in wild life.

A little expensive but definitely lots of activities to find inside. Great for a family outing on a dreary day.

I love this place! There are a lot of aquatic animals to interact with, and the information is very interesting. The price is a bit higher but definitely one of my favorite places. Also Crush is one of my favorites! Watching animal enrichment and feedings is also a great part of the experience, and Crush getting fed is an amazing experience.

Interesting place to bring kids. The price was a little more than I was hoping to pay.

Our family really enjoyed the aquarium, it's the perfect thing to do on a winter day.

We had our marriage here and it was perfect! They were super accommodating with indoor and outdoor options, worked well with our caterer and other wedding services, they were responsive and affordable.

The aquarium itself is also friggin cool!!

Great place to walk through with the kids. My girl scouts troop enjoyed it.

I was able to pet a jellyfish!
My husband and I went by ourselves, next time we will bring the grandchildren. Very welcoming and family-friendly.

Lots of great features! Have been to several aquariums, and this is awesome ( great price too )