Loveland Living Planet Aquarium

 The Loveland Aquarium was recommended to us by a friend that lives in the Salt Lake City area.  We went with no expectations on a hot summer day and were pretty much immediately taken aback upon walking in.   With larger than life animals suspended from the high ceilings, and a flow that carries you cohesively through each of the different exhibits, the entire day was surreal.  Ocean Explorer, Expedition: Asia, Penguin Research Station, Discovery Utah, Journey to South America, and Deep Sea Lab were all out of this world amazing. Every corner of each exhibit took you straight into that part of the earth.  The Journey to South America exhibit felt like a teleportation into the Amazon. With three levels of tropical flora and fauna dangling from the ceilings and winding up the walls and banisters, and mist being pumped into the large room, I felt like a jungle explorer.  The exotic animals felt too close for comfort, but most of them made everyone squeal with excitement. We saw penguins hopping around, a leopard peering at us through trees, massive sharks and turtles swimming over our heads, and thousands of other birds, fish, and species I've never even heard of.  The information was all digestible and fun to take in, there was a touch pool full of stingrays you could pet, and a 4D movie theatre. There were young children everywhere loving the experience as much as the adults were. Butterflies landed on our arms and heads in the butterfly room, jellyfish hypnotized us, and river otters stole our hearts.  We spent two hours in the aquarium but could've spent the whole day there.  

When we thought we were done, we ended up spending a ton of extra time in the awesome gift shop looking at the fun stuff and learning from one of the employees about the massive new expansion project being dreamt up for the next few years.  We can’t wait to go back for more! Highly recommend getting out of the summer heat or winter cold with this special activity.  

Note: There are changing tables, family restrooms, and breast feeding rooms.