This may not be a huge aquarium but it is lovely and does still take a while to work your way…read morearound. We took our son a while ago and he was totally transfixed by the fish, and we thoroughly enjoyed it as well. I was particularly taken with the sea horse and could have stood and watched them for ages. It does seem a bit expensive, but then a place like that must take some running. There was a cafe and shop with a wide range of gifts from pocket money to quite a bit more money. Definitely worth a look in with or without kids if you like fish, and the setting right next to the beach is beautiful too.

A good aquarium in Newquay with lots of facts to read and lots of interesting sea creatures to look…read moreat including sharks! They have a great gift shop with lots to choose from and a good cafe. The staff all around the aquarium are very friendly and helpful and give talks to people on the creatures and will answer any questions you have. The only downside I found was we got around a bit too quickly as with small children they didn't want to hear many of the details they just wanted to look at things, so perhaps best for older children I'd say if you want to make a day of it, as with small children you could be in and out in an hour which makes it expensive. x

Considering its status as Britain's national Aquarium, its selection of marine life was not very…read moreencyclopedic. For instance, just one octopus, two crabs, no squids. Also, the cafe food quality/value for money was what you'd expect for a British family venue, so I don't even need to elaborate on that point... The large tanks of fish where sharks live with sting rays, a turtle and large fish was very relaxing and fascinating to view. It's all laid out and organised well. I'll give it 7.5/10

On a wet day in Plymouth, the girlfriend and I headed for the relative indoor comforts of the…read morenational marine aquarium. It was thoroughly miserable and this is where the aquarium loses one star. There was a queue all day and everyone was forced to queue outdoors in the cold and rain It wasn't helped by the slow selling of tickets. When we finally got to the ticket desk, a contributory cause to this lack of speed became obvious - after we had purchased our tickets (£13 for an adult), we were asked whether we would sign a form to qualify for free attendance for a year. After we had done this, it became clear why they needed our signature - we were asked if we minded if the aquarium reclaimed tax on our tickets. I would have said yes if they had asked that at the beginning but doing it this way round made it feel a little like subterfuge. Especially as it slows the queueing process down for cold, wet customers outside Anyway, enough moaning. Our visit did improve considerably after the slightly iffy start. We did struggle a little to find the entrance but basically, just keep going up and up and you'll enter the first room, which covers the plants and wildlife from the local seas around Plymouth. This room is dominated by 2 large rockpools. A shame that it's stricly see, no touch though - there's no petting pool, which you sometimes see in other aquariums. The small tanks were well labelled, enabling us to find the little residents in each tank. Throughout the aquarium, you'll find a lot of information. You can really feel the educational emphasis here In the next section, you'll encounter the first of the aquarium's starring huge tanks. It's mesmerising to just watch the sea creatures swimming and also interacting with each other. The shark and ray tank is cool in that there are overhead ports, through which you can them swim over you. They've also sunk a whole biplane in another tank to create a habitat for warm water fish That's not say that the small tanks are dull. Au contraire. One of the prettiest creatures were the delicate jellyfish. I also loved the clown fish (Nemo!!) fiercely defending their anemone We lucked out near the end of our visit when we arrived just as Octavia, the aquarium's octopus, was being fed. The staff were really informative, explaining that octopi are as intelligent as 3 year old humans and love to play. They've been known to sneak off to other tanks to eat fish before returning to their tank and acting all innocent. Hence the elaborate access to Octavia's tank. She was given a live crab (she's the only animal which gets fresh food in the aquarium) inside a jar with a screw top. They set Octavia tasks to keep her stimulated and it wasn't long before she had the top off. It's definitely worth finding out when they have feeding times A final tank to see the turtle swimming round before the exit through the cafe or gift shop. A good way to pass the time in Plymouth, once you get in!

The Aquarium is populated with sea life from the Fowey Estuary and everything is released back at…read morethe end of the season. The Aquarium is run by true enthusiasts who will talk to you about each exhibit. It really us a true gem of Fowey.

The aquarium in Fowey is quite small and only open during the Summer months. It is below the Fowey…read moretown hall. It is only one room which is not very big but it is quite good for families to visit. In the centre there is a tank which you can reach into and touch the sea life, such as crabs. This is good although you have to be careful not to hurt the animals. Around the outside of the room there are more tanks. After about 30 minutes you run out of things to see in the aquarium, but the entrance fee was not very high so it was worth seeing.

Fabulous food, fantastic staff and knowledgeable shop staff, what more could you want…read more We are looking forward to coming back soon, well done to everyone

I am sure the garden centre itself is absolutely fine. However I visited solely to look to buy a…read moreselection of marine corals for my reef tank. what an absolute disappointment . whilst the marine fish look OK, although the tanks look a bit uncared for the coral tank is just dire. I have been keeping marines for over 30 years and anyone who keeps a tank like this should be ashamed, let alone someone who expects to sell the inhabitants for were top prices. There was a lot of rock that probably had some life on it long ago and a sad selection of softies that looked in very poor condition and overpriced for what they were. The best thing they could do would be to sell off what is still alive, sort out the water quality and re-stock, or just pack up. Why waste my time driving to look at a sad unhealthy collection. Give it up or pick it up, apart from anything else it isn't fair to the animals in their care. The hobby doesn't need these people. Steve

This is a nice little place to visit when in Ilfracombe. It has a lot to offer however it is really…read moresmall. It could easily be missed aswell so keep you eyes open when visiting the pier! The staff are friendly and there is lots to keep the kids interested and amused.

I have mixed feelings about this attraction situated right next to Ilfracombe Harbour…read more Its a really small building and once in there you are kind of heaved round by the crowd due to the logistics - it would have nice to have had time to be more aimless in our exploration. Don't come here expecting a 'Sealife centre' its not the case, not at all commercialised, and very much focused on the localised area only. Think starfish and small shrimps rather than sharks and Sea turtles and you will avoid dissapointment!! The tanks take you on a journey along the coast of Ilfracombe with each segment dedicated to a different environment and habitat. You can find out exactly what sealife lives in the harbour, the streams, and on the wonderful Island of Lundy. There are free quiz sheets for children, and the staff do come round to talk to you about the occupants and you can watch them being fed. On the one hand it was nice to see something that was unspoilt by mainstream pressures of commercialisation. On the other you did leave feeling that you wanted more - its just not big enough to keep your attention for long. Really impressed with the work they do in the local area towards conservation and we did leave fired up to go exploring the nearby rock pools. Also they seemed to employ staff with a keen interest in environmental issues and particularly students of the field - which was both encouraging and helpful. Probably more a place for an educational visit or for enthusiasts. I do appreciate what they are trying to do here - but I think for most you would be left feeling that you could see fish with a bigger 'wow' factor at the local pet store. It did only cost a couple of quid entrance, but allow only about 2 hours max to see everything on offer. Don't go in here if you get claustrophobic its very cramped and gets very stuffy.

LAst year I had a chance to visit this lovely aquarium which is located near the Hoe in plymouth…read more This is a lovely place to visit with your family, kids as you get to know more about marine life. There are so many different fishes of all varieties like star fish, clown fish and other species of water creatures like octopus, sea turtles, the shark. I was fascinated to see the shark as they were really huge and they would respond to you when you try to point your finger through the glass. This is a very big aquarium and in one of the sections you could see some marine people diving in the water to feed the water creatures. That was really awesome.