Admission to Greater Cleveland Aquarium: Adult $19.95 / Ages 2-12 $13.95 / under 2 years Free. Parking $0-6 (spacious outdoor lot and ample nearby street spots).
- Amenities: Handicap accessible / Coral Cove Gift Shop
- Open: Daily 10am – 4 or 5pm, closed Thanksgiving & Christmas
- Location: (Map It) 2000 Sycamore Street, Cleveland, OH 44113
- Phone: 216-862-8803
- Web: Click here
Greater Cleveland Aquarium opened in 2012 on the western edge of downtown Cleveland, just steps away from the Cuyahoga River. It’s located on the ground floor of a powerhouse constructed in 1892 to provide electricity to streetcars. Distressed brick walls, exposed ductwork, and reimagined coal chutes juxtapose Northeast Ohio industrial past with the Aquarium’s conservation focus.
The boutique Aquarium has had to be creative in adapting the historic brick building to meet the needs of its guests and its residents, so many of its exhibits are freestanding and offer 180- to 360-degree views. Experience highlights include the opportunity to touch stingrays in an 11,000-gallon touchpool, and the chance to walk in a 175-foot underwater seatube through a 230,000-gallon shark exhibit.
Each of the Greater Cleveland Aquarium’s immersive galleries is themed with regional décor, sounds, and even scents. In the course of a visit, guests are transported from a forested Ohio Lakes & Rivers Gallery to a weathered Coastal Boardwalk. With 3,000 animals representing more than 300 species, the Aquarium features both Northeast Ohio freshwater animals and saltwater fish from around the globe. Guest favorites include a spotted turtle, weedy seadragons, moon jellyfish, flashlight fish, live coral, archerfish, and a giant Pacific octopus.
Throughout the day, guests are likely to see scuba divers at work, exhibit feedings, and pop-up outreach animal encounters. For those who aren’t able to visit, the Aquarium offers live and interactive Educator-led online programming.
So, if you’re the naturally curious type who enjoys seeing a sea star’s tiny tube feet in action, watching a garden eel retreat into its burrow or examining the toothy grin of a sandtiger shark that’s gliding overhead, add the Greater Cleveland Aquarium to your list of must-visit Cleveland destinations.
