Downtown Houston
If you love seeing colorful fish and marine wildlife then Downtown Aquarium will be a great treat. The exhibits are quite interesting and they even have a nice White Tiger exhibit and outdoor activities that are family friendly. In addition, they have a nice restaurant on the premises that has a great view of the aquarium fish.
The Experience
I came on a rainy Sunday afternoon and it was more crowded than I expected, but not impossible to maneuver. The exhibits are high quality and you will not be disappointed. Majority of the aquarium consists of exotic fish along with a few areas dedicated to Amazonian wildlife including tree frogs. They also have a nice sting-ray area where you can touch them or even feed them. The exhibit I was most excited for was the White Tiger and they had plenty of spots to view the majestic animal.
I only saw two tigers, but the exhibit was such a gift because white tigers are gravely endangered and very hard to see outside of major zoos. You can also buy a picture of one of the four tigers displayed if you choose.
The exhibition area ends at the gift shop, which is really nice, but extremely cramped for those who use chairs. Not the best exit for the aquarium because you will have to maneuver around shoppers as well. This was really the only problem that I encountered and had no trouble seeing all the exhibits, including the sting-ray exhibit. Unfortunately, I was not able to inspect the outdoor activities since it was raining during my visit.
The last area of importance was the Aquarium restaurant and this was quite a pleasant surprise. The restaurant is you guess a seafood restaurant and the overall atmosphere was amazing with the see-through fish tanks. They had a nice variety of aquatic life that you saw in the aquarium. There is plenty of seating and they had quite a number of tables that could accommodate a chair.
The food was quite good and the service was excellent, but beware this restaurant is very pricey. Personally, I recommend getting the fish platter or fried shrimp they were very filling and seasoned. Even though the restaurant is pricey, the atmosphere made it well worth the visit.
Accessibility
Overall, the Downtown Aquarium was a pleasant experience with excellent exhibits and a nice restaurant to boot. The accessibility of the attraction was exceptionally good with one minor issue involving the exit at the gift shop. Outside of that issue, the aquarium was well worth the visit and you will not be disappointed.
Accessibility: A-
Attraction: A+
Restaurant: A
Address:410 Bagby St, Houston, TX 77002
Phone: (713) 223-3474
Website: Downtown Aquarium