I visited the Aquarium at Highline College -- it's a small but super lively marine lab and teaching space. I really love the beach and the views in Des Moines, so stopping by on a chilly Saturday morning right before fall felt perfect. You get to see all kinds of marine creatures like crabs, starfish, sea worms, fish... They even let visitors touch the tanks (though you really shouldn't touch the animals -- it scares them). A lot of kids, and honestly plenty of adults too, were totally fascinated watching these tiny, colorful creatures move around in the water. The place isn't very big, so they limit how many people can go in at once to keep it from getting crowded. They're only open on Saturdays and admission is free, so if you stop by, consider donating to support them. read more

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Super cute aquarium in the Des Moines/Federal Way area that is only open on Saturdays from 10 am - 2 pm. They have a small collection of displays showing PNW local creatures. The tanks are much smaller than what you'd see at a bigger aquarium like the Seattle Aquarium, but they had some interesting creatures on display (like sculpins and crabs). The volunteers were also very interactive with kids and they had a pretty big tide pool tank where you can touch some creatures. When we visited they even had a tank of live squid, something I never really get see at the bigger aquariums. A few things to note: - Admission is free but they do ask for donations... they can accept cash but they also have a card machine for donations as well. - They keep track of capacity, so there may be a line to get in. Since it only takes 20-30 minutes to explore people shuffle in and out quickly. - Most of the aquarium displays are in the building out on the pier; this area is primarily outdoors so prepare for the cold weather! The indoor building is very small and mainly has displays of jarred sea creatures and scuba info. - There are restrooms onsite near the entrance. - No dedicated parking on-site, so you will have to look for parking in the area. There is a lot across the street but it tends to be busy with people fishing/boating, otherwise there is some street parking next to the playground area. If you happen to be in the Federal Way area for food reasons, I recommend stopping by this little aquarium to get more out of a visit! They're also located on the waterfront, so it makes for a nice walk around the area. read more

Highline MaST Aquarium - A little octopus - Aquariums Near Me - Des Moines, Washington

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Free! We were staying about 20 minutes away and decided it would be fun to see the waterfront. We found out about this nature center being open and decided to stop. It was awesome! They have a few exhibits in a hall that explain animals that live in the area. There is microscopes to view small living creatures, skeletons of marine life, information on scuba diving, among other informational ideas. Then you walk out on a pier and into another building that has aquariums full of amine life like starfish, crabs, fish, etc. The best part is the two touch tanks that allow you to feel what some of the marine life feels like. Plus the view off the pier is beautiful to watch people scuba diving or look for starfish. read more

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Such a cute little place! I underestimated this place because it is small! It is a community aquarium that is free to the public. A donation is suggested. It is part of the Highline college Marine Biology program. The aquarium included some really nice artwork from Highline students. A lot of useful information and displays of our PNW sea life! A display with jelly fish, a few with starfish and 2 touch tanks. We even got to see a grumpy octopus! Very happy to support such a gem to our community and so appreciative of the students to share their hard work. It is located on the Redondo water front (between Des Moines and Federal Way) right next to Saltys! read more

Explore this small aquarium featuring 250 different marine species native to the Puget Sound in 15 tanks that continuously circulate the seawater from below the pier! Enjoy a couple of large open touch tanks, situated low enough for kids to see and interact with "everyone". Get to know the locals! Touching is encouraged and if you're really lucky, you can watch the Highline College staff feeding the critters. ​Watching a sea star slowly transport a bit of fish along hundreds of tiny tube feet towards its middle is mesmerizing. The whale skeleton in the entrance puts things into perspective! We love it---kids, grandparents, parents.... and enjoy eating lunch on the beach or at the park after. The adjacent boardwalk is also a family fav! HOURS- Saturday 10-2 read more

Highline MaST Aquarium - Nice little aquarium - Aquariums Near Me - Des Moines, Washington

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Yes, it's a free aquarium, but I was really disappointed. There is a small walk through area with a whale skeleton and then you head outside to the small shack that hold the "aquarium." It's really a few fish tanks that look very unkept with a few native Sound species. They are only open a short window on Saturdays and I'm sad this volunteer run program wasn't very clean or informative. read more

Highline MaST Aquarium - Aquariums Near Me - Des Moines, Washington

For a completely free aquarium... it's absolutely Amazing! Volunteer educators who love the ocean and want to provide the best experience for you! It's amazing! read more

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This a free aquarium right along Redondo beach! It's a small aquarium, so don't expect it to be like the Seattle Aquarium. In the front there is a large skeleton for a whale and preserved sea life in bottles. Walking on the boardwalk in the back, there are several takes of sea life, fishes, jelly fishes, sea slugs, octopus, and many more! The tanks look like they should get a clean, but still very interesting to see! There was a live TV of divers and a camera of the underwater! There's a touch tank for kids and adults! The volunteers are awesome and super nice! read more

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Very cool free aquarium. Like the views, tide pools, and the few displays they have. Recommend for a quick visit.

Amazing! Interactive aquarium/petting zoo/museum. I had so much fun here, and I'm an adult. The sea life was great. Huge, huge collection of marine species locally found in the sound. Something so magical about being on the dock over the sea life interacting with it above. There are two buildings on the dock. One was the aquarium and the first was the Main museum with displays and exhibits. Both are fairly small, but packed with tons of entertainment. We spent about an hour here, easily. The sea animals are well kept by the friendly and knowledgable volunteers. I was welcomed to touch and feel live sea stars and anemones. So weird! We enjoyed the jelly fish display. They were luminescent and lit up by black lights. Their new "baby" octopus was so cute! She was huge and is only going to get larger. It's free and open on Saturdays from 10am-2pm. Donations are welcome :) read more

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Very cool place & free until 2pm on Saturday's!Took my kids & they loved it. There are two touch tanks & a handful of tanks with lots of stuff to look at. They had an octopus in one that kept going back & forth in her tank it was awesome. Only reason for the 4 stars is because of how small it is. read more

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Hey, if you're walking along Redondo Beach on a Saturday, there's no reason not to stop by. It's free and really entertaining! You walk in the door to a huge 36' whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling. WOW! Amazing. My son was in awe. The wall was comedically decorated in shrimp art. Godzilla with a shrimp in his mouth. A dinosaur carrying a shrimp. A shrimp on skis. Was super cute. On the other wall there were pelts, skulls and a very knowledgable staff member explaining what was what, how a whale eats, and lots of other fun facts. They guide you through to the aquarium out back that has a touch tank and some local Puget Sounds species. I personally had never seen an egg yolk jellyfish and didn't know the Sound had them. So I learned something! We poked around at anemones and sea urchin. All in all, were probably there under an hour. But it was an entertaining one that I would certainly do again if we were there during open hours! read more

Looking for something fun to do that is free? Check this place out! It is edu-tainment at it's finest. All of the fish are locals to the Puget Sound and boy, some of them are cree-eeepy... There was even a couple touch tanks... but after a sea urchin closed its spines around my boyfriend's finger he was too freaked out to touch anything else. The highlight was a crab who grabbed a hose in the tank that spouts little bubbles. I think it wanted a belly massage. It was still holding on when we left 20 minutes later. The staff is friendly and informative. It is open Saturday 10-2. On the second Saturday of the month a diver goes into the Sound and records what he/she sees which is relayed onto a TV and you can ask the diver questions via walkie-talkie. I'll have to come back for that! read more

Such a cool Saturday find! The MaST aquarium is free and open to the public from 10a-2p on Saturdays and definitely worth a quick half hour stop if you're wanting to swing by Redondo Beach. The fish, octopus, and marine life tanks are pretty great but what really makes this small spot enchanting are the staff members. The primary staff told the whole story of the whale skeleton that hangs in the opening foyer and the high school and university volunteers were great and pointing out other fish and creatures that we missed the first time. Definitely worth your time-- young or old. read more

Nice little hidden gem right here. I discovered this FREE aquarium after a lunch at Salty's. I decided to drag my wife over to check it out and we were both impressed. The aquarium is in tight quarters but it is packed with things to see and do. They have several tanks with all sorts of different PNW sea life and even have a couple petting areas for sea-life. Their jelly fish tank was really cool to me they were so chill and sort of relaxing to stare at. The petting aquarium was fun too and to be able to touch the sea life was sort of creepy at first but then turned out to be awesome. I can't remember the times that it is open to the public, but it was on a weekend and was around lunch time when I went. One of the reviewers states to get there on Saturday before 2pm and I think that is excellent advice.. read more

Really cute place. During the week, the MaST is the marine bio classroom of Highline College. On Saturdays, it's a public aquarium, filled with thousands of Puget Sound animals and even a huge whale skeleton! Great place for kids, and it's FREE! Definitely worth the trip down to (gorgeous) Redondo Beach. Grab a snack or drink at Salty's on your way out. And don't miss the MaST's free events, like public science lectures, volunteer opportunities, virtual scuba dives, holiday festivals, and more! read more

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Really cute little Aquarium. Definitely worth the stop. Loved the fact all the volunteers were kids.

This is an adorable little aquarium in the research center that's open to the public on Saturdays. It's a single room with several tanks. It's not going to take up your entire afternoon, but the price is great (free!) and it's a fun stop in the afternoon. read more

Great addition to the community - this FREE attraction is fun for the kids, interesting for the older kids, provides a good community service, and gives great students cool opportunities to explore their potential career field. Staffed by knowledgable employees and wonderful volunteers. Check this one out Saturday before 2pm. Be sure to touch the sea cucumber and the moonstone. read more

Great place to take kids 4 and up. Very knowledgeable staff/volunteers. The touching tank is awesome. Then head down to the beach for some more great finds read more

My students had the best field trip here last week. Eugene is an asset to the MaST; he answered so many questions and kept my HiCap 5th graders engaged and learning! We had so much fun, thank you! read more

Highline MaST Aquarium - Aquariums Near Me - Des Moines, Washington

Looking for some day time fun on a Saturday? Definitely head down to the MaST Aquarium on the Redondo Beach waterfront. Kids will go crazy for the touch tanks, awesome volunteers that take time to explain marine life and have fun gawking at the grey whale bones hanging from the ceiling. The glass tanks contain starfish, crabs, plus an assortment of small fish. Parking is available across the street and Salty's on Redondo Beach is right next door. Plus, stroll down the wooden boardwalk right in front of the aquarium and take in the Puget Sound view. If you have kids in 3, 4 or 5th grade, the aquarium does an awesome science day camp that coincides with low tide. The aquarium is open until 2pm on Saturday and free of charge, with donations accepted. And, you won't mind donating because it is a cool treat!! Great weekend treat! read more

It is a great place to see Puget Sound marine life. Well informed docents are ready to answer questions and provide interesting facts and stories about the resident critters. It is also a research laboratory for Highline College Marine Biology department. read more

Such a convivial aquarium. This is place is worth a buoyant gamble through it. Enjoy!

The MaST Aquarium experience was excellent educational material for our 7th Graders. They not only were engaged and interested in the experience, but talked about it afterward with great excitement. The lesson was perfectly aligned with our current Unit (Water Conservation and Marine Life Preservation) and gave vivid, practical, and inspiring knowledge for our students. The staff was highly energetic, organized, excited about their expertise, and gave terrific perspective for our local marine environments here in Seattle. The facility is in a stunning (not to mention perfect) location for an aquarium and laboratory. I highly recommend this for any school field trip, or even an educational afternoon with friends or family. read more

Wonderful middle school class field trip! We did the "Health of our Puget Sound" field trip and had just a wonderful time, and the kids learned lots along the way! The teacher was very informational and entertaining at the same time. Plus, talk about cheap! It was such an affordable field trip, when so many others can cost an arm and a leg, this only ran about $3 a student! read more