National SeaLife Centre Birmingham Review

My family loved it. Was a perfect day out.. Thank you to all the staff very helpfull

It was very crowded on the weekend and there isn't much to see and do, you can go through the whole place in around an hour and see everything with the kids if you ever get past the crowds.

Better than I remember when i was younger. Such a great place to take younger children. Great for adults too.

Great to see the fish, lovely experience for the younger kids if over a little to quickly. Santa visit poor. Gets an expensive day out if your paying for parking etc for only couple of hours max

Had free return tickets from a previous visit ( which was excellent) couldn't find a way to pre book this online, arrived to find it fully booked. Unhappy 8yo.

Loads of information available and the tanks are large which gives me comfort! Good conservation programmes.

Great place to take the kids so much to see. the under water tunnel is great and the 4d cinema is fantastic defo recommend

The place is very nice. Not really busy. Enjoyed looking at the penguins. The place also has a soft play area and the gift shop is not that expensive. Also i got to see an octopus and loads of different sharks. For a family of 4 i used two Kelloggs vouchers to gain entry.

Amazing place, plenty to see, really interesting, set in a lovely part of Birmingham. Although there is no dedicated parking, there are a couple of car parks close by. Wheelchair and pushchair friendly. Very child friendly (we went with a 4 month old)

Very expensive for what it is. Had a nice couple of hours here with a 2 year old. Costs too much for what is available. Gift shop prices were surprisingly reasonable.

My little boy enjoyed himself. It did feel a little small and like you're in a constant line and not free flowing.

Lots of fish here. There was a lot of it closed due to refurbishments, but other than that it was good.

It was cold inside, but thoroughly enjoyed it walking around and looking at the different things. Wish there was a coffee shop in like at the deep too. Staff very friendly and helpful

Takes abt 90mins tops to go round. Some interesting stuff but not enough to justify prices. Feel sorry for some of the fish, seals in small tanks.

Can get rammed in parts. Esp if you hit a cluster of buggys.

Overall, left feeling a little hard done by

Briliant. See all sea creatures, Sting Rays, Turtles Nettles. And..... a great animated movie too.

great place to see lots of different sea life species. fair entry price. not too expensive.

Lots of depressing exhibits from a biologist standpoint. The penguins never get to see the sun, and no structures shade them from the artificial lights if they would want. The living area is incredibly small.

As for aquarium tanks, they crowd a bunch of large fish in a 4 foot shallow tank. It should be at least 4 or 5 meters, like other aquariums have. Low budget is no excuse.

Lastly, the coronavirus measures were not enforced in the least. People were packed like sardines throughout. Definitely not worth 22 pounds a ticket...maybe 13.50

The staff were very friendly, and animals were pretty cool hence the two stars. However, they have a long way to go in improving exhibit areas for the animals.

Our visit was ok... quite expensive for the experience!
People were crowded around the viewing glass throughout, so found ourselves being quickened by people waiting behind us!
Crowds arent the greatest either if you have a push chair!

It's lovely and clean and my 2 young child love it here, can spend a few hours and at the end is a little soft play

Really enjoyed it,staff were brilliant answered any questions you asked.

Great attraction. The theming of the centre is excellent, staff are brilliant and the kids loved it. 4 stars because of the price - it is best if you can get some Tesco vouchers to help with the cost.

Fantastic place to visit. Fun for the whole family.

Took our daughter on her second birthday. It was magic for her. Lego land was big let down after Sea Life.

Such an amazing place to learn more about the ocean and understand how we can help to save the beautiful creatures you get to see inside!

Had a great time visiting here. Arrived as soon as it opened and beat the crowds. Was there for the feeding time of the sharks and the penguins. Great talks from the staff and a lovely variety of creatures to be seen. For a small building it is layered to make the most of every little space. Gift shop has a small selection and prices are rather high as to be expected.

Nice place to spent couple of hours. Not as big as I expected though

Brilliant day out loads to look at some beautiful species of sea life on display in quirky tanks and hypnotic lighting ,lots of quizzes and tasks to do for children in case looking at fish isn't quite their thing , nice little 3d cinema display to break the day up ,decent food with good eating facilities ,gift shops slightly expensive but all in all a must do in Birmingham.

Small, but great fun for children, amazing species staff are polite and helpful :)

Great attraction, takes about 2 1/2 hrs, book in advance for good discounts.

Great for toddlers. Prebooked online for cheaper tickets

Really great place to visit, well-laid out with great exhibits. Very expensive for somewhere it would be hard to spend much more than an hour.

Babygirl loved this place, so much to see and do and learn. I would suggest going mid week outside of holidays in order to fully see and have the best experience. The photos are a bit expensive

Great collection of species but should add more turtles and other species of the sea too.

Fantastic morning out. Really enjoyed it. 4D cinema is only good if you have young kids though.

Had a great day out here with my friends and their young children, lots to sea (pardon the pun) it was great showing the children all the fantastic sea creatures and learning abit for myself, when we went it was rather busy and it did feel a little claustrophobic at times. The tunnel is the best bit, I would recommend having a look in advance of the feeding schedules and talks times and planning your visit around this. There are pubs and bars just across the canal so you can get refreshments once you ve been stamped you can go in again later in the day. I wouldn t pay full price to get in, but you can get loads of offers if you have a look online. I would recommend it s somewhere you should go to at least once.

Liked it but quite an expensive trip. Didnt take us long to walk around. Felt safe with good procedures in place.

Enjoyed our visit here. Not over crowded. Lots of hand cleaning facilities. Friendly staff.

Really good experience, really nice surrounding area as well

Noisy as was summer holidays and full of children who push past you constantly tripping you up. Would probably be better term time. Although having been to a non sealife aquarium I can only recommend it more so than this. The animals don t seem to want to move and show signs of not being entirely happy with their environment.
As for the tunnel it was impossible to stop to take in the fish swimming above your head due to people shoving and a constant herding mentality. Again could be down to the fact it was the summer holidays.
Not very well sign posted throughout it can at times feel like you have to fend for yourself
In my opinion the best part about the whole day was the penguins and that was short lived.

It's a good day out and worth the money but for your own sanity try and aim for a day when it won't be full of children. Even a couple of strollers about are enough to entirely clog up all of the walk ways and the "Finding Dory" theme seemed a bit forced. One major plus is they've got Otters and a selection of Rays so that's me happy.

The Penguins were our highlight. We enjoyed a great day out and our 2 year old was over the moon and so excited to watch the P. P. p. P PENGUINS! THANKS SEA LIFE

Bit of repair work going on. Otters closed off. Doesn't seem like a lot of variety of fish/ marine animals. Turtles and penguins highlight.

Really good day out with the family lots to see and do

Good place to see sea creatures. Grandchildren liked the day.

Great day very interesting and the behind the scenes option is really interesting.

A good range of sea life. The tunnel through the water is great as you get to see all of the animals around you. On the downside its all over pretty quickly and always really busy plus there's no cafe on site.

The first visit for my 18 month old granddaughter was wonderful! She was mesmerized and wanted to get in with the penguins. We found it very busy and quite crowded which didn't help ,but staff were friendly and helpful and the sea life was wonderful! Will definitely come again but not midmorning on a Saturday. Thanks for a wonderful introduction to underwater world for my gorgeous granddaughter!

What a sweet place! Lots to do for kids and adults alike!!!

The place is really awesome, it has various types of fishes and other sea life creature.

The place was overall alright. There could have been more activities though. Overall the experience was good and some great underwater species were present.

There are penguins! I love animals in general so this was wonderful. I was actually working on this day trip support someone with moderate learning disabilities. From the get go staff were wonderful and helpful to myself and the person I was supporting. They didn't just talk to me, they spoke to him and showed interest in what he was saying which pleased him so much. (this might seem an odd thing to write, but you will be surprised how many adults with learning disabilities get talked over it down too.) The staff were wonderful. It was easy for us to find out way around, although it did get a bit busy around 2pm. There was lots of places we could just stop and look at the fish while we waited for the crowd to clear. The gift shop was just filled with toys and trinkets for children. Overall we had a wonderful time. I'm definitely planning on going back. Highly recommend for all careers and support workers. All areas are easily wheelchair accessible.

Tanks where filthy, the 4d cinama was decades outdated, no water sprayers and glasses where smugged and scratch to the point you could not see well

Nice place, got a fair amount of sea life to see, walked around the place in about an hour and half.

A nice place to visit with children. The place is quite small and if busy you can feel a bit rushed along.

i love it! i love the animals and the little seahorses as the males carry the babies! 10/10 would recommend to everyone <3

Went as an adult, decent price but remember to book the day before. 4D cinema recommended

Very good experience but I think it needs more variety ...gift shop was good..prices ok...could do with an under water cafe...maybe a mermaid..

Was a fun experience penguins were very energetic on the day we went it's good for kids and it's pretty cheap as well

Quite short for the price (We had a voucher so not bad for us) but a great, fascinating couple of hours for those into the natural world. Been so many times since I was a child. The Underwater tunnel at the end is mesmerizing, I simply don't understand how people pass by it so quickly while I stand and watch around me.

Bit over priced but was lovely for a visit for little one

Very interesting, well organized and child-friendly place! If you have a kid with you, don't miss the 4D movie, it is included in the ticket's price. The gift shop is a bit expensive, but you have the opportunity to buy things the earnings of which go to ocean saving thrusts! :)

Was very disappointed you are pushed round and out the door very quickly the penguins are in a small pen with no natural light they need yo seriously consider there ethics

Not the biggest place in the world, took less then an hour to walk round, but it is well laid out with lots of different sea life to
admire.

The Sea Life Centre was by far one of the best places I've been. I've been to quite a few sea Life Centres but this one was well worth going to. The kids would love it as well as the adults I thought it was amazing

Most of the Staff are Very Polite and Welcoming. Had a Wonderful time with the Family.
A Variety of Fish, Penguins etc.
Olivia at the Photo kiosk was Extremely Polite, also the Girl in Reception Elex? A Big Thank you to them!

We went with high hopes unfortunately these were unfounded. It took just 40 mins of casual walking to complete this tour, the otter exhibition was nowhere to be seen, the 4D cinema was closed. Whilst traversing the stairway to continue the tour I found the lack of signage confusing leaving me unsure if I was entering a restricted area or not. With such a high ticket price I would expect more from a national attraction.
No restaurant on site. Over priced vending litter the tour.

Disappointing

Despite social distancing markers in place this was not enforced, same with mask wearing and as such families got too close many an occasion. Seems like too many people were let in at my time slot as well, otherwise was an lovely day out.

Quite limited in its space and what it has. The octopus was good though.

A fun place for any age! A lot of sea creatures to see and learn about. Fair prices too.

Alright for the most part and fun for kids, but overpriced for the experience. You can be through it in 45 mins.

Brilliant for conservation and making people aware of things they may not have been aware of

Fab for the kids. Knowledge is power so get them out there to find out what's in the big blue and inspire them to look after it. Its great fun particularly the tunnel.

Good and interesting place for kids and adults, has a 4D cinema which was fun

Great place for all the family and staff were amazing.

A lot of it was closed due to work which I understand very good service and a very good place to visit

Nice place to visit... Everything is pretty much aimed to kids but you can spend a couple of hours here even as an adult

A Birmingham must! Great for all ages and many places to sit and eat your own food whilst walking around. A wonderfully interesting experience

Good for the kids but pretty overpriced. 4D cinema was good but the rest can be seen in 25mins.

Great place to go on the family outing. Unfortunately they were renovating when we visited but gave us tickets to come back for free in the next 12 months. Great customer service