Greater Cleveland Aquarium

I’ll start off by saying wow is this place expensive, yes, I get it uptake of a place like this is VERY expensive too. Which is why I’ve only come on discounted days because it’s just not big enough or time consuming to pay almost 20 dollars.
Regardless the place is very nicely taken care of I just really wish it was bigger. The shark tank is my favorite and the tunnel underneath it is even cooler. The staff are very friendly and informative!

If you ignore the entry fee ($ 19.95 for those over 12 and $ 13.95 for kids 2 – 12) this isn’t a bad little aquarium.
I’d say there are three «wow» exhibits.
The first is obviously the giant shark tank in which you can walk through a tunnel surrounded on three sides by sharks and other sealife swimming by. The second is a low, topless tank in which you can walk up and touch manta rays as they swim by.
And the third, my favorite, was the jellyfish tank that is set about 15 feet straight overhead and light by … I guess you can call it mood lighting. I could have spent all day giving myself a stiff neck watching the ethereal creatures gently float around while catching the changing lights.
The aquarium does seem quite small but as I walked to our car (oh, yeah, you have to pay for parking, too) I was going over what was missing and I couldn’t think of anything — Eels, piranhas, octopus, barracuda, sea horses, turtles and tortoises were all there. Maybe a couple more larger exhibits would have been nice featuring just different kind of fish that you usually don’t see.
I’m giving it 3 stars but I would say the children who were there would have given it 5 stars based on all the excited shouts and pointing. The parents who had to pay the admission price? Not so sure.

Descent… for $ 20 for each adult seems much but understandable.
You get vouchers (2 free kids and 2 hotdogs now or future visit) at the ticket desk. You also have the option to apply today’s admission for a membership if you decide to at the end of your visit.
A couple of the highlights, the Tube/​tunnel is really cool. Not all aquariums have it and it’s not very often you get sting-​rays and sharks swim above you.
Jelly fish display, though small, still really neat; Placement of the display is also in a good spot.
Manta ray encounter is fun, to get to reach-​down and touch them is pretty cool.
There’s a small section where you can touch starfish, sea urchins, hermit crabs and even have cleaner shrimp crawl all over your hands.
Finally, across from the tortoise display, there’s a swamp display. We were there during feeding time and it’s pretty neat to see them all be very active.
Down-​sides? Tortoise display wasn’t kept well, all the tortoises kept stepping on their own poop. Also, they look miserable walking around in concrete floor and fighting for the heat lamps.
It is fairly small, but it’s really awesome how they transformed the space and turned it into an aquarium.
Finally, the staff… not much to say. A few were friendly and making an attempt to interact. But most of them were there for security-​like purpose, so you don’t deface the place or steal something.
Over-​all an okay experience. I can see going back and taking the kids. Not something I’ll brag about like Baltimore or Atlanta’s aquariums, but really nice for Cleveland to have an aquarium.

I visited once again while I was home for Christmas and enjoyed this spot even more than I remembered. This time I brought my parents, brother, and sister-​in-​law since I think this is a must for Clevelanders.
I’ll be the first to admit that this isn’t your typical large city aquarium. This isn’t Shedd in Chicago or the other large aquariums you’ve been to before. I can’t imagine that Cleveland was trying to be those places. This is how Cleveland does aquariums. It is true to the area and still a great asset to the city. I still think that the price is reasonable for what you get as well.
They have added and changed a few things since my last visit. Now they have an African Tortoise exhibit. Guests can pet the shells of the animals and get up close to see them moving around. The kids in the area seemed to really be enjoying this. There was also an area for kids that I don’t remember from my last visit. The overall size of the aquarium has grown since they first opened as well.
The best part of the way exhibits were built was the consideration to making exhibits look natural. The tanks aren’t floor to ceiling glass monstrosities. The tanks are open and have green and other natural elements around to help them blend. The tanks that are closed were built to look like they are part of a tree. There was definitely an attempt to make this more aesthetically pleasing than the usual aquariums.
I still feel pride for my hometown when I visit this beautiful aquarium!

As an avid marine aquarist, I usually enjoy public aquariums. But Cleveland’s just plain sucks, I’m sorry to report. If you went to Cabella’s, you’d see 80% of the fish they have at the Cleveland Aquarium, without the overpriced ticket (plus parking). The majority of the exhibits cater to the low-​hanging fruit crowd… stuff that kids and people who don’t know any better like. Most of the exhibits are common freshwater animals you’d be just as likely to see on the menu at a seafood restaurant.
The big Wow exhibits are the stingray display and the obligatory walk-​under-​the-​sea acrylic tube display. Yawn. The staff are mostly twentysomethings, seemingly chosen more for their cheap labor rates than for any knowledge about the animals on display. There’s very little attention spent on providing any kind of learning experience to the patrons. It looks exactly like they asked the guy who built the Zoo’s rainforest building to throw together a building with some fish in it. Only it’s not even that good.
When compared to the Shed Aquarium in Chicago or the National Aquarium in Baltimore or the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, you’ll definitely find Cleveland’s version to be the poor white cousin. It’s like comparing the Memphis Kiddy Park to Cedar Point… a place where you can take your easily amused 3 – 4 year old and be done in an hour, but don’t look at it as anything more. If you’re truly interested in seeing interesting marine life, take your family to one of the local high-​end aquarium stores instead and save the fifty bucks.

I really want to like this place. But I’m on the fence. It’s actually cool but, I’m not sure how cool. First off, it’s not cheap. And it’s not that big. We covered the whole thing in just over an hour.
That said, admission was on par with the Tampa and Baltimore aquariums. But the size and attractions were not.
C’mon CLE! Make me proud again!

I was very impressed to discover this gem! The building itself is pretty cool — tanks are built right into the beautiful brick work. I was amazed at the variety of fish they had. The tortoise exhibit was fantastic. I also loved getting a manicure from some shrimp! The shark exhibit is breathtaking. You walk through a tunnel and watch them swim over your heads! I had a great time. Lots to look at and lots to learn. The staff was friendly and very knowledgable ! I will be back.

A little over priced if I do say so myself. Impressive though. I went here on my birthday this year and the woman let me feed a stingray. The weirdest feeling ever but so cool! Love this place

Not terrible. Not necessarily worth the asking price of (roughly) $ 20.00 per person, but still a good bit of enjoyment. We were in and out in about an hour and a half — Maybe two hours (at the most). It wasn’t too crowded, and the staff was very eager to share their knowledge on the particular sea life that they had on site.
They have several tanks full of various fishes and sea life, as well as various «ponds» with turtles, stingrays and a few other fish. Naturally, they also have a massive shark tank, and you’ll definitely see some sharp teeth coming your way in that thing.
It was a pleasant way to spend a few hours in Cleveland. Those with kids should definitely check it out.
***SIDE NOTE***
A lot of the sharks had wounds on their snouts We found out that this happens one of two ways. Either the sharks bang their snouts into the glass of the aquariums during the night (when it’s dark), or bite each other when they bump into each other. It was rather sad to hear from a staff member that the aquarium often has a vet on site to tend to wounds of the various fish.

I really like what they did to the powerhouse to keep it alive. This is a very nice small sized aquarium perfect for my kiddos attention span. Their website wasn’t kidding when it said that it would take 1.5 hrs to get through. I’m glad I had kid passes though because I feel the price is a little steep for small children.

I have been wanting to get to the aquarium since it opened, so today being my twin grandchildren’s first birthday, was the perfect excuse. I went with an open mind. Because we went on a weekday morning, we had the place to ourselves. Of course the one year olds weren’t as interested as the adults in the party, but still, was nice to let them get out of their strollers and get up close and personal with the exhibits.
I love the building and the way they kept the integrity of the brickwork and architecture so think the flow is creative and unique, going from exhibit to exhibit.
The staff were all very friendly and helpful. It was so nice that there was someone in every room to answer our questions and educate us on the exhibits. This is a major plus.
I would definitely return and there was some construction going on so looks to be more exhibits coming. It is small, but well done. I think small children would love seeing the jellyfish above them and walking through the shark tube.

Just… no. Don’t go here. Yes it’s cute and a nice change of pace for Cleveland, I’ll give them that. However, it’s not worth the price to time ratio. Essentially, they are charging $ 20 for you to have 30 minutes worth of aquatic life to look at. What’s worse is that all the wildlife they have to offer I can pretty much just see in my local dentist office. Due to this, I see no reason to make my way out here again. If anything, I’d maybe go back for a special event if they ever hosted, but I don’t even know when that would happen…

I went for the first time today and I enjoyed my visit. There’s a lot to love about it:
LOCATION: What a terrific idea to put the Aquarium in the old Powerhouse building! It seems a bit odd at first to look at a display of Lake Erie fish in the same spot where I listened to the Dueling Pianos at Howl at the Moon Saloon. But the Aquarium uses to space to good effect. It’s nice to see the Powerhouse building put to good use — it was always one of my favorite places in the Flats — and it’s fun to have a destination to visit in the Flats again.
EXHIBITS: The Aquarium features a wide variety of fish from around the world, with a lot of good educational content to support the displays. The Shark Tunnel is the best! We walked through it three times. And the Stingray tank was very cool.
STAFF: Everyone that I encountered was friendly and helpful. There was someone at many of the displays to answer questions or just chat.
A few drawbacks:
COST: Yes, it’s quite expensive and the $ 6 parking is a real pain. I wouldn’t mind the cost if there was a bit more to the experience. Perhaps the Aquarium can build out some displays in other areas of the Powerhouse, or hold outdoor activities when the weather is nicer. The riverfront location is terrific so if they can incorporate that into the Aquarium experience, it would be ideal.
FOOD: I don’t expect gourmet dining. But the Nautica Café is dismal. The food is terrible and overpriced. The actual space is a mess. It’s a shame because the Rock Bottom Brewery used to be in that space and it was a nice, casual dining environment. They didn’t even bother to do something nice with the Café. They just closed off most of the dining area and jury-​rigged a snack bar-​type setup. It’s embarrassing. A better restaurant would create a better overall experience for the Aquarium.
Overall, the Aquarium is a cool place and I would definitely recommend it. But eat before you go or plan on eating somewhere else!

Was here during a food donation event in the front. The shark exhibit is my favorite! So much to see and I liked seeing the South American arowanas! A lot of fun and all near downtown CLE! Friends of water and fish lovers? They have a gift shop :)

Love love love! We almost didn’t go because it’s 20.00 a person and we kept hearing it wasn’t worth it, but it was worth it! The shark tank was amazing! You can walk through a tunnel and they swim right over you. We were taking shark selfies! They have a really nice touch tank and an amazing jellyfish display. It’s a very relaxing place. The staff are knowledgable (ask about the poor turtles). We had a great time today. Even our 8 month old liked it.

Too expensive. Nice but small aquarium. Only takes an hour to get through. Staff friendly & helpful

I love the aquarium. I love the location. I love the building. I love the way that it is set up. That said, and everyone else saying – it is a bit expensive. Understandably, because it is not subsidized like the government. I’ve purchased a membership for the last few years and definitely feel like I get my money’s worth out of it. Members get free parking as well.
I love the way that the tanks are set up. They use the provided space in an amazing way. There is something new every time I go, a great variety of animals in beautiful enclosures. I could watch the lion fish all day, and the octopus too, and the sharks. The shark tunnel is just amazing.
The membership is worth it. The aquarium is beautiful and creatively put together.

This is a nice little aquarium located right at the flats district. It’s the only one of it’s kind in Cleveland. As far as aquariums go though, this is not at par with the likes of the New England Aquarium. Think Mandalay Bay hotel aquarium in Las Vegas, which is similar in size.
I echo the sentiments of most reviewers regarding cost and the flats still looking shady. Overall, I think it is an impressive effort, I love it, would love to see it going and would be more than glad to support it.

On the quaint side for aquariums but still enjoyable on a rainy day. A bit pricey @ $ 19.95. No aaa discounts, no student discounts.

Do my eyes deceive me? Is this the same aquarium that I went to right after it opened?!
It is! And I must say, it’s better than ever.
The first time I went to the Greater Cleveland Aquarium, I had completely hyped it up for myself. It had just opened, I was overly excited to go, and I had sky high expectations. I walked in, and was admittedly a little disappointed by it. It was a little shorter than I expected, for one. And there were children everywhereeee (okay, I went on a weekend, what was I expecting?)
Last night, I went back for a work event. I walked in and was greeted by a woman who told me where to go and invited me to tour all of the exhibits on the way. She was extremely friendly, and even got me a map.
Then, I walked through the aquarium. Oh my goodness, stunning. I should disclose that I’m the type of girl that gets SUPER excited to go to the zoo, so I clearly love animals. But aquariums have a particularly special place in my heart. So serene, so interesting, so beautiful! The Greater Cleveland Aquarium is no exception.
This was a Thursday night, and there weren’t many people there at all. There was no wait to get in. Someone else who worked there (everyone was so friendly!) told me that this is how it is on most weekday nights. If you want to go and not be inundated by children, I’d say a weekday night is the time to go.
I do think there were more exhibits than the last time I went. I saw some things that were definitely not there last time. A woman I was walking through with said that she takes her kids there frequently, and she recognized some new things even from the last time she’d been. The fish all seem very interested in you and social in general, which makes for a really cool experience.
My favorite part was (as I suppose it is for most people) the petting tank! There was this one baby sting ray that kept letting me pet him, which basically made me want to rethink all of my life goals and become a sting ray petter for a living. They feel like liquid velvet, and are super cute and social. There are also sharks in the tank that you can pet; it seems like they come to the surface less, but I aspire to do it one day!
I went over to the shark tank and there was a woman who worked there and was willing to explain everything about the tank, and even things about herself. She didn’t have a biology background, but was passionate about animals and found her calling at the Cleveland Aquarium. She proceeded to tell us about the large grouper who had just gotten stitches (and the process involved in vets fixing injured fish), the nurse sharks who don’t need to swim to get oxygen and really just lay around all day, how you can dive with the fish, and why the sharks don’t eat all of the other fish in their tank. I won’t say any spoiler alerts; you’ll just have to go for yourself to find out what the answers are! She really took the time to answer all of our questions and share her expertise with us.
At the end of the night, I wanted to leave the aquarium without going all the way back through the work event (real talk) and a couple of the ladies who worked there personally walked me through to the alternate exit at the gift shop. So nice!
Overall, I had a wonderful experience, and I’m disappointed I hadn’t been back earlier. I love the Greater Cleveland Aquarium and will be returning very soon!