Dallas World Aquarium

On a rainy cold drizzly day in late January we were babysitting our two grand kids in Dallas and decided to escape the house to visit the Dallas World Aquarium. Wow - all four of us had a blast in this unique, interesting, and fantastic aquarium. What made the Dallas World Aquarium one of the best aquariums in Texas is that it is much more than just an aquarium - it's a zoo, a rainforest, a heaven for endangered species, a restaurant, an entertainment center, a wedding venue, a gift shop, and an aquarium.

Located in the downtown Dallas West End Historic District, the Dallas World Aquarium is a for-profit aquarium and zoo that aids conservation and education by housing many animals that are threatened or endangered as part of a cooperative breeding program with other zoos around the world. The aquarium opened in October 1992 in an old 1924 warehouse that was gutted and rebuilt on the inside and another adjacent warehouse was gutted and transformed into "The Orinoco - Secrets of the River" in 1997. Today the alley between the two buildings is the divide between freshwater and saltwater exhibits at the Aquarium.

Wilds of Borneo At Dallas World Aquarium

Just walking up the winding and twisting and turning series of walkways and bridges that takes you through the Wilds of Borneo which features Australian birds, fish and mammals on the way to admissions is impressive and fun.

Orinoco Rainforest

Once you get past admissions you take the elevator or stairs to the third level and enter the Orinoco Rainforest - our jaws dropped as we were immersed in a huge aviary and open rain forest with a 40 foot waterfall feeding a lake loaded with fish and turtles, birds free flying around and above you, an island in the middle with monkeys hopping from tree to tree, and more.

As we wound our way along the twisting path and across bridges we passed:

By now I'm getting tired from trying to keep up with the grand kids who are having a blast running from place to place and calling us ("Duke, come here quick and look at what I found) to join them as they learn something new from the interactive touch screens or discover some new exotic and colorful something!

I think next up (it got a little confusing with all the running around trying to keep up with the grand kids) was Level One of the Orinoco Rainforest which was all aquatic and was broken into several sections, the first of which was the River - a huge tank loaded with very diverse fish, turtles, stingrays, a huge manatee, catfish, and lots more.

From there we got to experience exhibits loaded with interesting, unusual, and colorful fish and coral from spots around the world like: Southern Australia, Fuji, New Guinea, British Columbia, Japan, Indonesia, and more. The path led us to the Cape of Good Hope and Madagascar where some of what we saw in a very well done natural looking environment included: black footed penguins from South Africa, yellow hornbills, a rodent called a Rock hyraxes, geckos, chameleons, big headed turtles, interesting looking sea horses, and colorful but poisonous frogs.

Mundo Maya At Dallas World Aquarium

We continued into the world of the Maya, one of the ancient cultures in the Western Hemisphere, which we learned dominated most of the area from Mexico's Yucatan peninsula to the rainforest of Guatemala. The Mundo Maya was alive with a very diverse and interesting population of fish, birds, snakes, reptiles, and more.

Some of what we saw and learned about (the interactive touch screens were everywhere in the Dallas World Aquarium and they were very informative) included: three-toed sloths, electric eels, caecilians, tamarinds, poison dart frogs, huge 18' foot white mean looking Orinoco crocodiles, screech owls, eyelash palm viper, blind cave fish, alligator lizard, scorpion, and vampire bats.

But by far our favorite in the mundo Maya was the glass tunnel through the Cenote (a natural pit or sinkhole resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath) which seemed to immerse you underwater in a 400,000 gallon tank with a variety of sharks, grouper, stingrays, and more. It was amazing to watch them swim over your head and beside you. And the Sawfish had cute little faces!

Just when I thought we were about done and ready for a drink and some food, the grand kids discovered Mundo Maya's Upper Level. This level was loaded with many species of colorful birds, large raptors, some unique and beautiful vegetation, fish, sea turtles, and a prancing black Jaguar.

Throughout each day you can watch some of the animals (like the otters, sharks, sea turtles, fish in the aquarium, penguins, and crocodiles) get to feed or listen to some educational and very informative talks like "Sloths for Kids" or "Jaguar conservation." During our visit we got to view and listen to the Grupo Pakal Performers dancing and chanting to music in authentic head dresses and outfits. The kids were amazed at the costumes, face and body decorations, and the two parrots sitting on one of the dancers head!

After chasing the grand kids around for a couple hours and covering every square inch and all of the exhibits, when we got to the exit, I couldn't believe my ears - "lets take the elevator to the top and do it again and see who can spot some new birds, fish, or mammals!" As tired as I was I couldn't say no. I must admit on the second time through each of the levels we saw quite a few new varieties of just about everything. Our biggest find was the cute and rambunctious otters which had suddenly appeared in their exhibit and they were having a blast. We also spotted some additional birds, reptiles, a jaguar, and a mean looking eel.

In addition to all of the fantastic exhibits, during your visit you can shop for a wide variety of gifts and souvenirs in the gift shop or after all that walking you can choose from two different places to reload on some good food - Cafe Maya (tacos, Yucatan Guacamole, Quesadillas, burgers, and more), Jungle Cafe (sandwiches, Nachos, hot dogs, etc.) or eighteen-O-one with international dishes from Mexico, Indonesia, British Columbia, Australia, and Fiji.

What a great time the four of us had. If you're in Dallas you need to add this as one of the must dos!