On Tuesday my daughter and I took advantage of her day off from school to take our first visit to SEA LIFE Michigan.
Disclosure: SEA LIFE Michigan provided my daughter and I with complimentary ticket in exchange for social media and this post. All opinions are our own.
SEA LIFE Michigan
SEA LIFE Michigan is a small aquarium located at Great Lakes Crossing Outlets. They have over 250 species of sea creatures. There are turtles, rays, sharks, seahorses, jellyfish and so much more. The aquarium is separated into 12 different exhibits. Your aquarium visit starts with a group photo and then a short movie about the aquarium and their efforts for rescue, breeding, and protection.
My daughter and I really enjoyed our visit to the aquarium. It took us about 45 minutes to go through the aquarium once. We both enjoy the Touch Tank. The Jellyfish display was very neat. You could push a button to change the light color and see how the jellyfish changed.
I loved that there were tablets next to the tanks describing the sea life in them. You can get so much more information than just a static sign.
On the downside, my daughter and I both felt that there were too many rounded aquariums. The curved glass made it very tricky to focus on the objects inside especially with the lighting in the aquarium. She commented that her eyes were bothering her after looking at a few of them.
Before leaving, my daughter and I shared this Facebook Live video of the aquarium.
When you arrive, you are given a list of the times for special events throughout the day. We made time to attend the feeding of the rays.
Kids Activities at SEA LIFE Michigan
Sea Life Michigan is geared towards kids. There are several places where they can crawl into cut outs in the aquarium and it looks like they are right in between them.
When we checked in, my daughter received her Dive Passport. Throughout the aquarium, there were 9 dive stations where she could emboss her passport. She needed a little help at the first station aligning the passport, but then she was able to use the remaining stations alone. After completing the passport, she received a medal in the gift shop.
SEA LIFE Michigan includes a play structure for the kids. The structure is for kids up to age 12 and under 4’7″. My daughter is only 11, but is 4’10” so she skipped the play structure.
Plan Your Visit to SEA LIFE Michigan
SEA LIFE Michigan is in Great Lakes Crossing Outlets in Auburn Hills. They are located in Zone 7 near Rainforest Cafe and the AMC Movie Theater. The Rainforest Cafe is a great place to have a meal before or after your visit to the aquarium.
SEA LIFE Michigan opens at 10a daily. They close at 6p every day except Saturday when they are open to 7p. The last admission is one hour before closing time.
When booked online admission is $22.99/(age 3+) on weekdays and $23.99 on weekends/holidays, and free for children under 3 (ages 0-2). Booking online allows you to select a day and time for your visit to reduce your wait time. Online booking is particularly important on weekends, summer, and school breaks.
Great Lakes Crossing Outlets also has a LEGOLAND Discovery Center and Peppa Pig’s World of Play. Combo tickets to SEA LIFE Michigan and LEGOLAND Discovery Center or to all 3 are available. We skipped the LEGOLAND Discovery Center on our visit (and Peppa Pig was added later). We have been told that it is better for preschoolers and young elementary than tweens like my daughter.
