Quite something to sea: New aquarium dives deep
Anew attraction will open this weekend at Southwest Plaza mall, whose tenants hope will bring in more potential customers.
On Thursday, during a sneak preview, the attraction did just that. The line for the 20,000-square-foot SeaQuest Interactive Aquarium snaked, appropriately, out the door of the Littleton mall. SeaQuest officials estimate that Saturday’s grand opening will attract 400 to 500 people, based on openings at other locations. This is the fourth aquarium nationwide for SeaQuest.
Part of the attraction is the convenient location.
“The biggest thing is not having to schlep down to Denver to go to the (Downtown Aquarium),” said Daniela Hogel, waiting in line with her children.
Admission is $14.95 for people ages 12 and older, $12.95 for seniors and military, and $9.95 for children 11 and under. Visitors can explore representations of everything from the Amazon rainforest and the frigid waters of Iceland to the open ocean of the South Pacific.
SeaQuest lets patrons interact directly with the animals while learning about conservation and sustainability.
“”Every time you walk in here, you learn something,” said Grace Maxwell, one of SeaQuest’s guest-services employees at the Littleton site. “I feel like SeaQuest hits all age groups. And not only can we teach people about (the animals), but they can interact with them, which I think definitely enhances the experience.”
Within each miniature habitat, animals
from the region greet patrons. For an additional cost, customers can feed nearly any animal they encounter along their journey. Some of the sea creatures visitors might meet include river otters, sting- rays, reef sharks, eels, a giant octopus and sturgeon.
SeaQuest hasn’t limited visitors’ experience to the water. Within the various enclosures that house 1,200 exotic creatures, customers also have the opportunity to interact with parakeets and lizards, as well as meet Sampson the Burmese python, Merlin and Houdini the hedgehogs, and a sloth who will be named by the winner of SeaQuest’s social-media contest after the grand opening. Marine biologists, along with bird and reptile experts, are available to answer questions and run animal shows throughout the day.
Beyond the typical aquarium interactions, SeaQuest also offers special amenities. For $29.95, customers can take a 45-minute snorkel in the South Pacific tank with the sharks and stingrays. During the day, SeaQuest will host birthday parties in their SeaQuest Bay, and after-hours groups can camp out next to the large tank as part of the “Sleep with the Sharks” experience.