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zoOceanarium celebrates reopened & reimagined Children’s Aquarium Dallas

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Children's Aquarium Dallas

Families have been enjoying special activations such as swashbuckling pirates, a pancake artist and yoga with goats

zoOceanarium, specialists in a new generation of aquarium and zoological facilities, has taken over operations at the historic Children’s Aquarium Dallas at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas. The attraction closed during the pandemic but, after a period of transformation, the reimagined Aquarium was brought back to life during the State Fair of Texas in September 2021.

The Children’s Aquarium first opened in 1936, as part of the Texas State Centennial. It is set within Fair Park, an Art Deco park built to celebrate 100 years of the Lone Star State. Having been a popular fixture in the city for many years, the attraction was forced to close in the wake of the global pandemic.

Dallas-Childrens-Aquarium-Fair-Park

However, Dallas Councilman Adam Bazaldua, whose district includes Fair Park and the Aquarium, wasn’t giving up on the attraction’s future. He heard about zoOceanarium Group’s success with a historic site turned aquarium at Union Station in St. Louis and reached out to explore a relationship that would result in reopening the Children’s Aquarium with zoOceanarium taking over operations.

Rethinking a classic attraction

Touch-Tank-Childrens-Aquarium-Dallas

The company had a short amount of time to re-think the attraction’s exhibits before it opened its doors again in September 2021. To bring it up to date and engage Dallas families, zoOceanarium added new hands-on, hands-wet activities as well as fish not seen in the Aquarium before such as Mahi-mahi. The team has also activated the front lawn with new experiences to make a more welcoming entrance.

Outside, families can now enjoy a watery sluice, the Children’s Aquarium Dallas Mining Company, where they can pan for fossils and gems. The entrance has also been given a facelift, and now boasts colourful banners and a giant inflatable octopus, which the operations team nicknamed “Ocho”.

In a clear nod to changing times and the power of Instagram, the 1930s seahorse sculpture at the entrance has been repainted too, with one side covered in a colourful pattern and the other representing the Texas state flag.

On the front lawn, visitors will be able to take part in new activities. For example, the aquarium has already hosted a morning with Goat Yoga Dallas, a fun activation that helped to bring guests back to the site following the period of closure.

New activities & exhibits

“One of our challenges has been finding effective ways to let the public know that the Children’s Aquarium Dallas has reopened,” says Chris Davis, CEO of zoOceanarium Group.  “The bad news that the attraction closed during the pandemic had to be undone when we reopened.” 

Davis says visible activities will make people aware that the fun has returned to the historic Fair Park location. Another example is a recent event with Dallas’s Flippin Art Dude, who created a breakfast of customised pancakes in the shapes of favourite sea life, including a fish, turtle and seahorse. Plus, a Pirate Day let kids have fun with buccaneers, mermaids and a treasure chest scavenger hunt. Guests got into the theme by wearing their creative pirate costumes to the Aquarium. 

“In 1936, visiting the Children’s Aquarium was a much more traditional experience,” adds Davis. “Today kids expect and deserve an interactive relationship with their favorite places.”

Dallas Children's Aquarium at Fair Park
Photo by Ian Halperin

Inside, new hands-on experiences include a Doctor Fish exhibit in the attraction’s lobby, a new invertebrate touch tank and an Archer Fish exhibit where kids can feed the small “spitting” fish. A Fish Draw exhibit was incorporated to give kids a high-tech activity where they can create their personalised fish and launch it into a huge 3D virtual fish tank. The Children’s Aquarium Dallas is also the only attraction in the Dallas metroplex where guests can touch and feed Stingrays, always the most popular activity.

While the company continues to modernise the experience, it is committed to one of its core values; keeping it accessible to everyone.  In addition to being a sensory-friendly experience, the company has committed to sponsoring all Title 1 school kids across the Dallas Metroplex to visit the Aquarium. All Title 1 schools from the same district as the Aquarium have completely free entrance throughout the year. 

“We’re just beginning to activate the fun here at the Children’s Aquarium Dallas,” says Davis. “Families, field trip groups and home school students will always find something new happening here that will help them learn more about the natural world and appreciate the animals that live in our oceans, lakes and rivers.”

The zoOceanarium Group also operates the St. Louis Aquarium, Ropes Course and Mirror Maze at the St. Louis Union Station entertainment destination. In the wake of COVID-19, blooloop spoke to members of the team at St. Louis Union Station about how to reopen safely after the pandemic.

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charlotte coates

Charlotte Coates

Charlotte Coates is blooloop's editor. She is from Brighton, UK and previously worked as a librarian. She has a strong interest in arts, culture and information and graduated from the University of Sussex with a degree in English Literature. Charlotte can usually be found either with her head in a book or planning her next travel adventure.

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