The much-anticipated St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station is open and ready for visitors to explore! Make your way through the 120-square-foot underwater wonderland and see the more than 13,000 animals, 257 species and 44 exhibits at the city's newest attraction. Learn more about what the aquarium has to offer below!
Meet Our Animals
Want to dive even deeper into the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station? Our engaging animal encounters and immersive interactive programs will take your visit to another level. Whether you want to learn more about a specific animal or you're curious about where exactly all the saltwater comes from, we've got something to keep your interests piqued.
Explore all that awaits you at the St. Louis Aquarium.
Swan-dive a hand into the shallow waters of any (or all!) of our three Touch Pools to pet a shark, feel a stingray and touch other marine animals. These hands-on animal encounters should be experienced by all our guests—and it's free with every General Admission ticket or Annual Pass visit.
READ MORE: Animal Encounters & Interactives
St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station
The St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station will take you on an aquatic journey like no other. From alligator snapping turtles and personalized interactive experiences to zebra sharks and community-building activities, the aquarium has something for everyone. Explore what awaits you!
Shark Canyon is the largest attraction found within the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station. It offers views of 80 sharks and rays swimming in a 250,000-gallon environment with a J-wall that arches over the heads of visitors.
READ MORE: The New St. Louis Aquarium Takes Center Stage at Union Station
Sharks
At the aquarium’s Shark Canyon habitat, visitors can feel as though they are on the coast of New Zealand or Australia, observing sharks swimming through the water.
The 250,000-gallon tank — the aquarium’s largest habitat — is home to blacktip and whitetip reef sharks, sandbar sharks, zebra sharks and nurse sharks, along with rays and bowmouth guitarfish. Its biodiversity makes the gallery a hot spot for groups that gather at the J-shaped observation window to study the creatures.
Three times each day, divers descend into the tank to conduct an underwater Q&A with visitors at the window. One of the most common questions: Why don’t the sharks eat the schools of fish swimming around them?
St. Louis Aquarium’s sharks are fed more than they would typically eat in the wild, which keeps them from feasting on their friends. They eat multiple times every week.
READ MORE: Dive In: Every Week is Shark Week at St. Louis Aquarium