SEA LIFE Kansas City
SEA LIFE Kansas City
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About
SEA LIFE Kansas City Aquarium will transport you into an amazing underwater world! Come nose to nose with sharks and prepare for astonishingly close views of everything from humble starfish, seahorses and graceful rays. To get any closer you'd have to get wet!
Duration: 1-2 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
1,246 reviews
Excellent
407
Very good
422
Average
280
Poor
113
Terrible
24
Rose K
Des Moines, IA11 contributions
Feb 2021 • Family
We added this on to our legoland ticket as a cheap add on. We went in with limited expectations and those were blown away!! It is a great aquarium and I appreciated the peacefulness of it-they had lovely music playing with water sounds and dimmed lights. It was lovely to sit and just relax while watching the fish. We loved the turtles, rays as well as the knowledgeable and friendly staff at the touch pool. We had fun completing the pj masks challenge as a family to get a prize at the end!
Written February 15, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jillian T
Tulsa, OK38 contributions
Apr 2012 • Family
If you've been to any other aquarium that you thought was pretty good, then you'll be disappointed by this one. First a few tips: buy your tickets online right now while the "new" wears off. I heard a woman in line who didn't say they's been waiting in line for 1 1/2 hours on a Sunday before noon. Second, don't be expecting too much. It was very crowded, which I expected, but the design of the building made it much worse than it would have been. The corridors are rather small, and there is a bottleneck effect when you go through the tunnel. It is very narrow and there was a line to get in that took about 15 minutes to clear. It wouldn't have been so bad, but there wasn't a way to avoid that area. Once you're in, you have to follow a particular path. Other aquariums I've been to are wider and don't have a set path so that you can enjoy it own your own and avoid very large lines and crowds if you choose. The kids cave was nice for the little ones, but it was very small, so if you're 4 year old wasn't listening to you that afternoon, then you had to literally crawl in and check on your child. I actually saw serveral parents doing just that. One parent thought she'd lost her child because he was still in the cave and either couldn't hear his mom or wasn't listening. The tank that is in front of the kids cave was poorly designed for the cownose rays that were living in it. It does not have flat sides, the curve outward like a tube and the cownose rays that I saw had sores on the frontside of their faces where they kept hitting the side of the tank. It looked like if the tank was flat on the sides, there fins would have hit first, causing them to not run into the tank with their faces. That was actually a sad moment for me. It was the first time I actually felt sorry for a fish. The aquarium in Jenks, Oklahoma is much, much better and the Aquatic center at the National Zoo also tops this aquarium. Save your 50 plus dollars and visit the zoo or something else.
Written April 23, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lakorsk8
Kansas City, MO19 contributions
Apr 2012 • Family
If your only other aquarium visit has been to a Bass Pro shop you will consider the Kansas City Sea Life aquarium a great experience. Otherwise you will walk away thinking you must have somehow walked through the wrong door and missed some of it. Single day tickets are $20 at the door. Buy your tickets online to save a little on the price. The venue was busy. We were there on a Friday afternoon when we thought everyone else would be at the Royals home opener but we were sadly mistaken. We had to wait in line to get in (line moved quickly) but the waiting continued on through most of the aquarium. The exhibits are clumped together so everyone is backing into or stepping on the toes of visitors who are looking at other exhibits. The walkways going to each exhibit are narrow. Be prepared to plaster yourself against the wall to allow for strollers to pass. There are several viewing bubbles that are great for picture taking opportunities if you happen to be the only one in the aquarium and are not opposed to crawling on all fours to get to some of them. The tunnel that goes through the main aquarium has a small viewing walkway which causes a backup in the dark and narrow tunnel leading to the main aquarium. If you are even the slightest bit claustrophobic you may find your wait a bit of a challenge. Overall the temperature inside the aquarium was on the warm side. There is one room of exhibits that compared to the rest of the exhibits was ballroom size. Use that area to cool off and enjoy the wide open space. There are no refreshments areas inside of the aquarium, which considering the price of admission, is probably a plus. Outside of the aquarium there are ample places to purchase food and drinks. You will receive 3 hours of free parking if you have the aquarium validate. Once Lego Land (next door to the aquarium) is open, if you buy a ticket to both venues you will get 6 hours of parking free with validation. Those who are bringing children and want to round out their visit with some additional water fun, directly outside of the aquarium, there is a square fountain that has a total of 97 different water jets (sprouts) for the kids to play in. There are tables and chairs around for parents who don’t want to play in the water themselves. The water feature is free of charge.
Written April 19, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amanda W
2 contributions
Mar 2023 • Family
They had sold so many tickets for the time slots that the crowds were horrendous. The spaces and hallways between the different rooms were tiny. Everything was one way which is fine, but everything was so cramped you could not see much or move along if you were done. The single line was moving so slowly there were many periods we were just standing in one place in between aquariums and rooms with a 3 year old but not having anything to look at. The design did not allow you to move forward if your child got upset, so there were many screaming kids who were trapped in the small space without a place where parents could go. We took every opportunity of space opening some to move through the rooms, so we probably missed some things, but the small spaces and screaming children did not justify waiting to see them. The price was high and the facilities were small. Even with the number of people we were through in less than an hour.
Written March 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hannah B
Carbondale, IL43 contributions
Jul 2020 • Couples
Me and my boyfriend went. It was okay. For example, it was small and it didn’t take to much time for us to look through everything. If you are looking for a place to pass time I’d recommend it. Staff was friendly. Some acted like they hated their jobs.
Written July 30, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SeptemberChill
Grand Haven, MI29 contributions
Aug 2022
We researched the hours of operation, which showed closing time is 6pm on a Saturday. We showed up at 3:01 pm, intending to buy tickets, and they were literally locking the entrance doors. Very disappointing! Had we known this, we would have bought tickets online in advance, as apparently if we would have done this, they would have still let us enter. Seriously poor customer relations!
Written August 24, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fr0mtheheart
kansas city23 contributions
Apr 2012 • Family
$65 for a family of four, with a discount coupon, for 15 minutes of edutainment. I thought my husband just hadn't stopped to read the displays when he told me that's how long it had taken earlier in the day. It's new and there are some interesting things to see, but nothing spectacular, and there is very little information about what is in each tank - and that's if you can get to one of the few small digital screens. It was not crowded when we went, but maybe if it had been, it would have at least taken 1/2 hour. We won't be back.
Written April 18, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bealll95
Olathe, KS230 contributions
Apr 2012 • Family
I really thought this was neat and I think it's very cool to have an aquarium here in KC. The kids loved and went back to the touch tank to do it a second time. There are some significant problems with Sea Life. It's way too short for the money. No, you're not being forced to move forward, but there is generally a line forming behind you so even if you're really enjoying an "attraction" there are tons of people lining up behind you so, you feel obligated to move on. We bought annual passes and have to say we so far are disappointed, but withholding final judgement until after we see Lego. It's broken up, BUT generally it's a line that slowly moves through the exhibits like it would be in a haunted house or so. The tunnels are way too short and the biggest attractions. Everyone gets stuck at the first super short tunnel and doesn't realize that there are 2 other longer (but not long enough) tunnels right behind the first one. After we stood in line for the tunnel for about 10 minutes a staff member walked through and said there are two other tunnels and to feel free to push forward to the next tunnel. Very cramped quarters the whole way through. They have a play place like a Chick-fil-A would have at the end that the kids enjoyed. They do have a quiz that the kids really enjoyed. The touch tank would be better if they had someone regulating kids in and out every 3 minutes or so. That way there wouldn't be soo many kids trying to wiggle their way in to feel the animals. Bathrooms... ONE! Really!?!?!? This is for families. And it's at the very beginning. Need one at the end. We will continue to go back, but Sea Life REALLY dropped the ball. We will not continue to be members to both in the future. If Lego rocks we will just get Lego passes. If Lego sucks... then they will have lost possible 10 year patrons.
Written April 19, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
IowaSunshine
Council Bluffs, IA8 contributions
Jun 2022 • Friends
Do not purchase these tickets through this website! They won’t tell you that they’ll add the combo ticket with out refunding you even though I didn’t add a combo ticket to my total. I spent double the price and wasn’t allowed to go to Lego land with out children. Does this website say anything about Lego land?! No it did not! I’ll never use trip advisor for anything on vacation again!!!
Written July 8, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kalota S
126 contributions
Jan 2019 • Business
I visited Sea Life because we were in town for the EASA Conference 2019. We walked next door from our hotel to explore some possibilities for our students. We had a great time. This is a great learning environment for children and adults alike. There is a small pool where you can touch and learn about small sea life. Children travel along a path and after learning about and watching the aquarium life, they must collect stamps along the way. At the end of the tour that you take at your own pace, you present the brochure with all collected stamps to receive a free prize. Sea Life is located right next to LEGO Land and both are attached to the mall. This is a great experience and very educational. The facility is clean and the employees are friendly and accommodating. At the end, children are able to design there own fish and release it in the wild (digitally). Enjoy!!
Written March 3, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks again for an awesome review! It seems you guys have an absolute blast which we love to see!
Best fishes,
Ed
Written March 12, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Is there a play area at the end of your visit to the Sea Life Aquarium?
Written August 3, 2024
How long does it typically take to walk thru the attraction?
Written January 5, 2017
Depends on the ages of the people w/you. My husband and I spent about 2 hours. I would say kids would be done in an hour or an hour and a half.
Written January 6, 2017
While we do feature sharks, sting rays and octopus; SEA LIFE Aquariums around the world do not feature any marine mammals such as whales.
Written July 15, 2016
How many floors are there? Upstairs,downstairs? Do you need to go in any elevators?
Written March 8, 2016
Just one floor. You don't need to take an elevator.
Written May 29, 2016
is this an all day needed type park like sea world or should we plan for half day ?
Written August 22, 2015
This is not a water park. It's an aquarium. And you will not need more than 1/2 day-if that long-see answers to the question about how long it takes to go through this place
Written May 21, 2017
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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
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