Living on the Coast, our kids are completely obsessed with aquatic animals so when we heard an aquarium was coming to town, we we couldn’t wait to plan a visit!
The Mississippi Aquarium is pretty new and it came through for a pretty incredible family day! Between the exhibits and shows, exploring the grounds and interactive activities, there’s truly something for all ages to enjoy!
The aquarium has over one million gallons of both salt and fresh water and so many fun sea creatures to get acquainted with.
William and Clara loved the dolphins and I’m a sucker for otters. They also have alligators, an aviary exhibit, stingrays, and all different types of fish to see! One of our favorite moments was walking inside of the tank through the 360 tunnel and getting to see all of the different sea life up close.
The kids were amazed that we were walking through the tank and mom here loved that we felt so safe throughout our visit. They filter visits by time slots so it wasn’t overcrowded, there are mask requirements, hand sanitizer stations, and lots of friendly staff around to help.
Planning your visit
If you’re looking to plan a visit, my biggest takeaway for next time would be to plan it around their showtimes. As a newer aquarium, it’s still growing and the best way to make your visit count is to take time to take it all in. Check out their daily schedule here for showtimes or call before you pick the timeslot for your visit!
You can also stop at the Pelican Pointe Café for a quick bite with a water’s edge view and let your kids explore The Gulf Shop gift shop before departing! If you’re looking to get even more acquainted with the animals, check out the Sea Trek Experience (this is SO going on our family’s bucket list).
The staff were incredibly helpful and friendly, the grounds were spotless, parking was easy, and the location couldn’t be better.
After our visit we hopped across the street to Jones Park and let the kids play on the playground before heading to lunch right off of the beach.
We love to spend our days mostly outside experiencing what have right here in our backyard, and The Mississippi Aquarium let us do just that. If you’ve been looking to plan a visit, you absolutely should! We really had the most fun family day taking in our Coast!
Watch our full family day here:
