After beloved facility closed during pandemic, new management revamped site to include more animals, interactive exhibits
By Sriya Reddy
With over double the number of animals and new interactive features, the Children’s Aquarium is preparing to reopen Friday, the first day of the State Fair.
Chris Davis, managing director of ZoOceanarium which took over operation of the aquarium in July, said that the idea behind the new additions is to allow kids and parents to get their “hands wet.”
“One of the things we’re really looking to do is to move it from a historical, institutional type aquarium into a modern-day aquarium,” Davis said. “And we believe the future of this type of facility is hands-on.”
The Children’s Aquarium opened in 1936 as a part of the Texas Centennial Exposition and closed in March of 2020 due to financial difficulties that worsened during the pandemic. ZoOceanarium, which manages the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station, officially acquired the building in July from the Dallas Zoo.
Davis is most excited about the sea dragons and the mahi mahi, two creatures that he believes will be crowd favorites. He said that it is rare for an aquarium to have mahi mahi, a green and aquamarine colored tropical fish that can grow up to four feet.
At the entrance, a tank of doctor fish greets visitors. These are small dark fish that love to snack on dead skin cells. Visitors can stick their hands in the tank and the fish will swim right up and say hi.
“Your hands are wet, and it’s so wacky and weird that you’ve got these little fish kind of nibbling in your hands,” he said.
Across from the doctor fish is a tank of archer fish, which spit water to knock their food out of the sky. Guests can hold food over the tank and watch as archer fish use water streams to secure their meals.
“The archer fish are another one you don’t see every day, where they shoot water and stuff. We were able to train those guys to shoot at a target,” Davis said.
Other opportunities for engagement include the digital aquarium. Kids can draw a fish and watch as an animated version of their drawing appears on the screen among other fish.
“Kids today, they love technology and they spend a lot of time on their phone,” Davis said. “What we’re trying to do when they come to the aquarium is get them off their phone, but we still want to accommodate that kind of desire for technology.”
Alongside the digital aquarium, guests will also be able to “mine” for fossils and gemstones on the aquarium lawn, feed stingrays, and learn about the creatures native to the Trinity River.
Davis also emphasized how the Children’s Aquarium made a point to reach out to the immediate community that surrounds Fair Park, including school groups. .
Although there are numerous additions, Davis said that this is only the beginning. He hopes to add more new activities to help kids learn more and get engaged with aquatic life.
“We’ve got a lot of other things in store,” he said. “In the next several months we’ll be doing a lot more technology and have a lot more cool animals.”
