Guide to Explore the Las Vegas Aquariums

Las Vegas Aquariums

You may be surprised to find that Las Vegas is home to some pretty cool aquariums.

While Las Vegas aquariums are few and far between, what our city does offer residents and locals is a not miss if you are looking for some indoor family-friendly things to do.

Well, one is sort of outdoors…!

Click here to view Things to do in Las Vegas With Kids.

The Tank at Golden Nugget Las Vegas

I would love to swim with sharks, but only if I’m 100% safe. Is this possible? In Las Vegas it is!

The Golden Nugget Las Vegas Shark Aquarium with a water slide allows you to swim with 5 different species of shark house in their 200,000 gallon aquarium.

This is a 3 story pool, seriously!

It’s full of exotic saltwater fish (300 is the last count) and sharks. The pool we swim in is a heated pool, making it a year-round attraction. This makes the “Shark Chute” aka the water slide, that goes through the 3 story shark tank crazy fun and comfortable!

Can’t get enough of the sharks? The Golden Nugget Las Vegas has a Shark Tank Tour just for you!

The Golden Nugget knows how we love Sharks so they offer a Shark Tank Tour for those super curious visitors.

The resident Marine Biologist will be walking you through the inner workings of their 200,00 gallon Shark Tank. This is a great educational tour. Your guide will not only go over the complexity of how the tanks are taken care of at The Golden Nugget Aquarium, but enough info on sharks to make Shark Week look boring. At the end of your tour, you get to take a souvenir shark tooth!

There are 2 pools at the Golden Nugget, The Tank, and The Hideout. The Hideout is for 21+ hotel guests only. The Tank is the 3 story pool with the Shark Chute (am I the only giggling at that?).

Everyone wants to swim with the sharks but always fears that it won’t be as safe as they would like. At Golden nuggets aquarium Las Vegas, your dream of swimming with the sharks without getting hurt can come true. Just slide down the water slide and there you’ll have 5 species of sharks waiting to swim with you in a 200,000-gallon water tank. The pool has three stories and is a luxurious one. It also has a variety of saltwater fish with up to 300 different species. This pool attracts tourists from all over the state all year because it is heated when the weather goes cold. All this makes this pool and the amazing water slide fun and super comfortable.

The management and staff at the Golden Nugget know how much people love sharks and that’s why they offer a special tour of the shark tank for those curious people who have thousands of questions in their minds. The Golden Nugget’s resident marine biologist will act as a guide for you on the tour of the 200,000-gallon tank till the end and will answer all the questions asked about the sharks or other fish. So, this tour can also prove to be educational. The Biologist won’t be talking about the tanks and how they take care of it but he will surely give you enough information about sharks that you’ll be able to narrate a documentary on sharks. You can also take a shark tooth with you as a souvenir at the end of the tour.

Tickets are $30 per person and the tour begins at 1:30 pm on Wednesdays only. You can order tickets online or at the hotel desk.

Golden Nugget Shark Tank Hours

Swimming: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Pool Viewing: 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Shark Chute: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Hot Tub: 10:00 am – 7:00 pm
Bar Service: 10:00 am – 10:00 pm
Cabana and Daybed Services: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

Our favorite way to watch the sharks is while eating! Las Vegas if full of amazing places to eat, not to mention unique. The Golden Nugget is no different! You can view the Golden Nugget Shark Aquarium from their restaurants:

The Grotto Italian Restaurant – Offering a view of the Shark Aquarium pool.
The Chart House – This underwater view of the Shark Aquarium lines the bar wall, which is easily seen in the restaurant as well.

Golden Nugget Shark Tank Tips and Tricks

If your visiting during the busy season, consider renting a lounge chair.
Keep your valuables in your room, in the safe.
Use as many towels as you need, as you want, or desire… It’s FREE! Even better then that, they launder them!
There is no sand at this pool, but I like the kids to wear water shoes to keep from slipping.
Make sure to let the sunscreen soak into the skin before the bodies hit the water. The slide will get super slippery as the day progresses for this exact reason.
The hottest time of day in Las Vegas is from 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Servers will come to you with a menu of food and drinks available, please don’t forget to tip them.
Kids are not allowed at the poolside gambling tables.

The Mirage Aquarium

Just behind The Mirage’s counter is this beautiful aquarium located. Most of the space will be covered by guests and hotel employees helping the arriving guests. So, you’ll have to create some space of your own and as soon as you manage to stand right in front of the glass, enthralling scenes are guaranteed. There is no live coral in the Mirage aquarium which is home to over 1000 coral reef fish. Rainbow goby are the most popular of them all because they are full of colors and very pleasing to the eye.

The aquarium also has the ‘Percula Clown Fish’ and ‘The Blue Tang’ fish for all Finding Nemo fans. These fish are also very popular because all kids want to see ‘Nemo and Dory’ swimming right in front of their eyes.

The Mirage Aquarium has fish from all around the globe; Australia, the Marshal Islands, Tonga, Hawaii, the Red Sea, The Sea of Cortez, and the Caribbean. The capacity of the tank is 20,000 gallons and there is a 4-inch acrylic glass between the fish and the tourists.

When you get enough of the aquarium ( Which is nearly impossible), you can visit the arboretum that is tropical jungle themed to take some splendid family photos

Here are some tips to have a great time at this aquarium

Don’t turn back after looking at a huge crowd with the intention of coming back after a few hours because, at The Mirage, crowds come in waves. So it’s much better to just wait for one wave to leave rather than to leave.
Look for the cutest of the fish ‘The Dog Face Puffer’. You certainly won’t regret waiting for a glance because they are the cutest.
Disable the flash function on your camera – it just bounces right off the acrylic leaving you with a big white burst in your photos.
Turn off the flash of your camera before capturing photos of the fish and to get better results, press your camera or your phone against the glass.

These were the best aquariums in Las Vegas. If you still haven’t decided where to go, just visit these amazing places and it’s a guarantee that you’ll be stunned.

Mirage Aquarium Overview

We may be stretching the concept of “aquarium” here for the sake of sharing this cool and FREE attraction. The fact of this is, it is a super long aquarium. Is it an aquarium in the sense you go for educational experiences and see numerous exotic species of aquatic life? Sorta. Did I mention it’s free?

None of the coral in the Mirage Aquarium is live. The indoor coral reef is home to approximately 450 fish from 85 different species of finned and gilled glory. These fish species were all selected for their adaptability to the environment and compatibility with other species. My favorite is finding the rainbow gobys, these little guys look like a tie-dye explosion and spit sand.

Of course, pointing out the numerous “Dory’s and Nemo’s” in the tank is a must. The fish geek in me feels the uncontrollable urge to point out that Dory is a Blue Tang and Nemo is a Percula Clown Fish. Phew, I feel better.

The Mirage Aquarium Attraction is home to fish from all over the world; Australia, Tonga, Marshal Islands, the Red Sea, Hawaii, the Caribbean, and the Sea of Cortez. The tank is 20,000 gallons and behind 4-inch acrylic.

Once you’re done with the tank display, take some time to walk about in the tropical jungle-themed arboretum. Perfect for family photos!

Address

The Mirage, 3400 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89109

How to Get to Mirage Aquarium

The Mirage Aquarium Attraction is located behind the Check-in/Check-out desk of the Mirage. Although most of it has friendly staff to help check guests in, there are plenty of areas you can stand right up to the glass.

Hours Open

The Mirage Aquarium is open 24 hours a day.

Fees

Free

Other Notes About Mirage Aquarium

If you arrive to a crowd, don’t leave. The people traffic here comes in waves, wait it out.
Find the Dog Face Puffer, they have the cutest personalities!
Disable the flash function on your camera – it just bounces right off the acrylic leaving you with a big white burst in your photos.
If you want to capture photos of these gorgeous fish, turn off your flash and lightly press the camera against the acrylic.
To take photos of your family in front of the fish, also turn off your flash and adjust your exposure. *Or just take the phone, hope for the best, and edit it when you get home!
There are mermaid statues and places to sit in the Mirage that make you feel like your in the rainforest.

Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay Overview

If you’re looking forward to having a great and fun time with your family and kids all at one place then Shark reef at Mandalay Bay is the place to go. When you sign up for a tour to shark reef, you’re actually signing up for 14 exhibits at once. You’ll get to pet and feed a large variety of fish and rays.

2,000 animals in 1.6 million gallons of water at Shark Reef Aquarium

Address

3950 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89119

Hours Open

Sunday – 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Monday – 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Tuesday – 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday – 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Thursday – 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Friday – 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Saturday – 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Fees

$20.00 for adults.
$18.00 for people over 65.
$14.00 for children (age 4-12)
Free for Children of age 3 and under.

Events

The exhibits you can attend are:

Explore Sea Monsters Revealed Exhibit
Dive With The Sharks
Stingray Feeding
Sea Turtle Feeding
Shark Ray Feeding
Underwater Proposals
Birthday Parties

Silverton Aquarium Overview

Just off the Strip, the Silverton Casino is located within the renowned Bass pro shops attached to it. But that is not even the best thing about this casino. The casino has a 117,000-gallon aquarium that has a live mermaid show having the Vegas uniqueness. The aquarium is cylindrical in shape having 2 five hundred gallon jellyfish aquariums lined with LEDs inside them.

If you’re not a big fan of mermaids, then at 1:00 pm or 4:30 pm, you can always head over to the tanks and watch the divers feeding stingrays. A guide just outside the tanks will be there just to answers your questions regarding the stingrays.

Divers’ suits have built-in speakers so that they can take the audience’s questions regarding the fish or the aquarium. They also share information and enthralling facts about their profession and the aquarium. For example, the aquarium’s workforce takes thirty-two hours per week to make the tank spotless.

People always ask the question “ Do the bigger fish try to eat the smaller ones?” So to answer this question- the food provided to the fish is ample.

Address

3333 Blue Diamond Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89139

Hours Open

Open 24 hours.

Fees

Admission to the Silverton Aquarium is free.

Events at Silverton Aquarium

Interactive Sting Ray Feeding

Daily at 1:30PM and 4:30PM

Mermaid Swims

The mermaids are highly qualified scuba divers certified by the highest of authorities related to scuba diving.

The tank has hookah ports to provide mermaids sufficient air.

You can attend this FREE show on:

Thursday | 12PM – 1:15PM, 2PM – 3:15PM and 5PM – 8:15PM
Friday | 12PM – 1:15PM, 2PM – 3:15PM and 5PM – 8:15PM
Saturday | 12PM – 1:15PM, 2PM – 3:15PM and 5PM – 8:15PM
Sunday | 10:30AM -12:45PM, 2PM – 3:15PM and 5PM – 6:45PM

Mermaid School

Highly popular and fills quick, the mermaid school is held on the weekend from 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM.

Information from their website:

As part of the magical 90-minute experience, children ages 7-12 are transformed into a famed Silverton mermaid and swim in the casino’s 117,000-gallon aquarium, along with thousands of tropical fish and rays. Each session includes:

A mermaid “warm up” class
Swimming in the aquarium with a mermaid tail
A behind-the-scenes tour of the aquarium and the sea life that lives within it
A certificate of completion
And, of course, the experience of a lifetime.

Classes are $175 per child. All equipment, including goggles, is provided. Participants need only bring a swimsuit and towel.