Best Aquariums in the USA
8 aquariums • Updated August 2026
The best aquariums in the USA for a family day out. We have rounded up 8 aquariums, from Shedd Aquarium to family favorites across California, ranked by what actually matters with kids: age suitability, ticket value and how easy they are to get to. Compare the top five below, then browse every aquarium by state. Need a different angle? Try our other things to do in the USA.
Editorial oversight by James Morgan. AI-assisted, human-edited. Our editorial standards
Aquariums in the USA: what to expect
the USA has 8 aquariums we would happily take our own kids to. Aquarium of the Pacific is the one most families start with. Drift past glowing jellies and head out on a whale-watching boat to meet the Pacific up close in Long Beach. Birch Aquarium at Scripps is the other name that comes up again and again. Walk a fictional California mountainside and meet the marine life of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at this hands-on La Jolla aquarium. Clearwater Marine Aquarium rounds out the pick of the bunch. Meet rescued dolphins and seals, and Winter the dolphin's inspiring story, at this rehabilitation-focused aquarium. Also worth your time: Monterey Bay Aquarium, New York Aquarium, Texas State Aquarium and Shedd Aquarium.
None of these venues publishes a fixed family ticket price on this page, so check the official site for current admission before you set out. Age guidance is worth reading first at Shedd Aquarium (ages 6+).
The aquariums on this page are spread across California (3), Texas (2), Florida (1) and Illinois (1), so it is easy to pair two into one trip.
All aquariums
8 aquariums across the USA
Aquariums
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Monterey, California
Stand inside a towering Kelp Forest and watch playful sea otters off Monterey Bay.
Aquariums
Clearwater Marine Aquarium
Clearwater, Florida
Meet rescued dolphins and seals, and Winter the dolphin's inspiring story, at this rehabilitation-focused aquarium.
Aquariums
New York Aquarium
Brooklyn, New York
Sharks, sea otters, and penguins headline this oceanfront aquarium on the Coney Island boardwalk.
Aquariums
Aquarium of the Pacific
Long Beach, California
Drift past glowing jellies and head out on a whale-watching boat to meet the Pacific up close in Long Beach.
Aquariums
Texas State Aquarium
Corpus Christi, Texas
A Corpus Christi aquarium where Gulf conservation comes alive through a hands-on kids' discovery center.
Aquariums
Birch Aquarium at Scripps
La Jolla, California
Walk a fictional California mountainside and meet the marine life of Scripps Institution of Oceanography at this hands-on La Jolla aquarium.
Aquariums
Shedd Aquarium
Chicago, Illinois
A Chicago landmark on the lakefront where penguins, stingrays, and freshwater wonders come within arm's reach.
Aquariums
Moody Gardens
Galveston, Texas
Walk through a rainforest pyramid and an aquarium pyramid at one Galveston Island destination.