The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium has been on our Utah bucket list for some time. We were finally able to go recently with our sweet 2 year old nephew. Ben and I like to take each of our nieces and nephews out on a “date” once a month. Each kid gets their own month and we have found that they really look forward to our outings. Anyways, the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium was a great expedition for our cute little group.
How to Get to
the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium:
The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium is located just off of I-15 in Draper, Utah. You will take exit 291 on either North or Southbound I-15. Head west off of the exit and at the first light, you will turn right. Follow that road around and you will come to the aquarium on your right.
There is a large parking lot with plenty of spaces, but they are not necessarily very close to the entrance. Once you get inside, they will take your picture against a green screen that you can purchase at the end of your visit. After your picture, you will go to the front desk where you can purchase your tickets.
What You Will See and Do at the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium:
The cool thing about the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium is that it is so much more than an aquarium! There are two levels to the aquarium. On the main levels there are three areas with an additional exhibit on the second floor. Two of the exhibits are on both the first and second level with easy access ramps for strollers.
Journey to South America
The Journey to South America exhibit is the first exhibit on the right as you enter. This is one of the exhibits that covers two levels. We would suggest coming back to this exhibit after viewing the other first level areas. As you wander this exhibit you will find many animals you would normally find at an aquarium: fish, turtles, and other amphibians and reptiles. Some of our favorites were the electric eels and the gators. We also loved seeing the poisonous dart frogs. Our nephew really liked them because they were so fun to spot in the exhibits. We also saw parrots and toucans. There is also a rope bridge that we had fun walking across as well as large dart frogs that kids can climb and play on.
Discover Utah
In this exhibit, you find all things Utah. Everything in these exhibits are animals that are found naturally in Utah. Our favorite animals in this exhibit were the river otters. They were so fun to watch! We could have stayed there forever watching those sweet critters.
ocean Explorer
This exhibit is where you will get your stereotypical aquarium experience. Filled with the animals you would see in Finding Nemo, you really feel like you are under water. They have sting ray and star fish petting pools as well. They were so fun! We also loved going to see the sharks. You walk down a small hallway with the tank of sharks, sea turtles and fish swimming all around you and over you! At the end of the hall there is also some seating where you can view the animals in the tank.
Antartic Adventure
This is the second exhibit that covers both floors of the aquarium. The main level has jelly fish and information about antarctic exploration. On the second floor, you walk into the penguin exhibit. Our nephew absolutely LOVED the penguins. He could have sat there all day. We were lucky enough to to be there during a feeding. There was a cute girl who talked to us about the penguins and answered questions from the audience.
Expedition Asia
This is the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium’s newest exhibit. And it was our nephew’s favorite. He loved seeing the leopards. In fact every time we see him he asks us if we are taking him to the aquarium to to see the leopards. There were also some very interesting animals like the Binturongs (also known as a bear cat). We watched those for a while too.
Sum Up:
The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium is a great place for people and families of all ages to go to. There are so many fun animals to see as well as lots of information to learn. Adults are $19.95, Teens are $16.95, Children 3-12 are $14.95. There are also discounts for students, seniors and military as well as memberships available. Our favorite must see animals are the penguins, sharks and the whole South American exhibit.
