Downtown Aquarium

Reviews

• AR

  Albert Rich

  5 days ago
  1.0
  The aquarium is small on one level; but worst than that is the parking. You receive a parking slip went you drive in to park. The parking slip has a barcode for you to pay the parking fee. After scanning the barcode, a pop-up of a Media Program displayed. After canceling the image, (no parking fee displayed) I received a bank notification that $49.99 was charged to my account. I had to call and request a refund, and was told that I also had to cancel the subscription. I'm still waiting on my refund. Don't scan your ticket to pay, use the machine at the exit. Fraudulent tickets.
• LF

  Lisa Flores

  5 days ago
  3.0
  My family and I came down from Dallas to go to this aquarium after we seen all the TikTok videos. I had called to verify they were going to be open and the hours and I verified again when I got there to make sure we would have enough time to get through everything. 3 hrs should be sufficient, right? Wrong! The decor of the place is absolutely beautiful although it could be better (there is always room for improvement) but they do have some interesting tanks. The interaction with the stingrays was probably the best part until the splashing got water in my charging port. That was entertaining and we learned your pocket isn’t enough of a barrier. Took us about 45 minutes but they get ya with the gift shop at the end of the aquarium portion. We went to the restaurant where our server wasn’t the most attentive and we watched people that came after us get their food and leave before us on top of having to wait a half hour for the check and to pay. We had to walk our check to the front and as to pay. At that point we had 40 minutes till closing. Should have been ample time to get through the rides, there isn’t many and they don’t last more than 3 minutes each. We go outside and we see one still going but they had already closed the entrance down and all the other rides were already closed down. Kind of odd being that they don’t close for a while. There was no explanation, just lines closed and then employees walking off. There was a group just standing in a circle talking so I asked them if they were closed and I was told they were. Kind of disappointing to come from so far, be told that EVERYTHING would be open until 9 pm and then wasn’t. If I had known they were going to close I would have just paid for the aquarium portion and not the rides. So, if you go here; do the rides first and then the aquarium before heading to the slow restaurant. Plan on everything being shutdown by 8:20 and not the posted hours. Couldn’t go to the front to ask about a partial refund or anything because they were already gone and doors were locked. I’d probably go again just to make sure it wasn’t just an off day but not anytime soon.
• SG

  Sarah Gordon

  Jan 2, 2026
  5.0
  A Magical Birthday Under the Sea! 🐠✨ We had a fantastic time celebrating my daughter’s birthday at the Houston Downtown Aquarium! If you’re looking for a venue that combines a great meal with a built-in "wow" factor, this is it. The Highlights: * Atmosphere: The dining room is stunning. Sitting right next to the massive floor-to-ceiling tanks was mesmerizing—watching the sharks and rays glide by while we ate made the celebration feel truly special. * The Food: Everyone at the table was impressed! The seafood was fresh and the service was professional. * Value: While it’s definitely a "tourist attraction" price point, it felt completely worth it for the experience and the convenience of having the exhibits right there. It was the perfect spot for a memorable family birthday. We walked away with great photos and even better memories!
• DW

  Daisey Washington

  Jan 1, 2026
  1.0
  Came down for vacation and thought to take my kids here and im disappointed in thought it was going to be more to the aquarium but its literally like have fish tanks in your house and walking around and then the two girls at the front desk just kept talking not asking if I needed help then the one girl finally took my info for a ticket. Like it cost 50 dollars for a 15 min walk thats a scam the aquarium in jersey and Baltimore is way better and worth the money this place gotta do better and add more stuff for the prices. Then they have the nerve to have an all day passes which is Unnecessary because the aquarium isn't that big 🙄 Im so disappointed bro. Then what get me is the staff is rude and werid for no reason I do not recommend this place. Its crazy cause I dont really leave reviews because this place pissed me off. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY !!!!!
• AN

  Abigail Negrete

  Dec 16, 2025
  1.0
  My family and I dined at your restaurant on Thanksgiving Day, and unfortunately, we did not receive good service. Our server, Myles, rarely checked on our table, did not ask if we needed refills, and never checked back after our food was delivered. Because of this, he did not realize that my mother never received the plate she ordered until after the checks were brought out. After we had already cleaned up our table, my brother asked for the checks. Myles only brought my brother his check and did not provide checks for the rest of our table, which caused additional confusion and delays. When it was finally time to process payment, he mentioned that he had lost his laundry card on our table, which further delayed the process. Additionally, the gratuity was never explained to us. We were not informed that gratuity was already included in the total, so we added the suggested tip on the tip line. As a result, we were charged double gratuity. Legally, the amount charged should reflect the total that was written and authorized, which is not what occurred. I know exactly what I wrote, and my entire family was overcharged. I called on December 2nd and received a response from Stephen Howard on December 3rd, stating that he was working on the refund. Since then, I have been monitoring my accounts and have seen no refund, and neither has my family received their refunds. I left a voicemail last week and did not receive a callback. I called again today, December 16th, and left another message with an employee. To date, there has been no refund, no update, and no return call. I am extremely disappointed with the lack of follow-up and communication. I am hoping this can be resolved promptly, as we would prefer not to move forward with chargebacks through our banks. The amount we were charged does not match the amount we authorized. If employees are going to be stretched thin on Thanksgiving Day and reservations are going to be overbooked, it would be better to remain closed than to provide poor service. At the end of the day, employees are still doing a job, and guests should not be negatively affected due to staffing issues or overbooking decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions About Downtown Aquarium