I'm gonna start by saying that I had an absolutely lovely time here with Craig S and our little one because you may not get that impression from this review. We'd made the trip especially for this visit to the Sealife Centre though and I would recommend that you don't do that if you plan on visiting. While we spent a good chunk of time wandering around here, it's definitely not a full day visit type of place. The Sealife Centre was closing for refurbishment to the aquariam the very next day after our visit and I'm intrigued to see what they plan on doing with it. Some of the exhibits were lovely, very unique and colourful. But some were a bit on the tired side and could definitely do with a bit of a makeover. Highlights included the otters, who were very cute little show offs. They came up to see us when we went to the viewing platform and immediately jumped in the water to show off their swimming skills. They seemed very used to having visitors and looked like they were loving the attention. A very lovely addition to the sanctuary. The shark and ray feeding tank was my son's favourite. Seeing all those giant fish come to the surface for food kept him very amused. If it was a nicer day I'm sure he would have loved their big adventure park they have amongst the trees, but as it is situated on a natural boggy area it was way too damp to spend any considerable amount of time on. The seals - our main reason for visiting - were in a tank that I would probably have expected to be a bit cleaner and more accessible for viewing. They do have a little walk around that covers about a third of the area but I can imagine on busier days it would get quite cramped. The view wasn't the greatest on a day where we had the run of the place! We got tickets for this from Craig S's latest ski trip so we got a considerable discount on our entry. Two adults with the discount was £16, without it would have been £24 - and I can honestly say I would have felt a bit duped if I'd paid that to get into such a small centre. It's definitely a 3 star place. If we were in the area and had a discount pass again we'd probably nip in to see the refurbishment but it's not something we'd plan a whole day around again. read more

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I visited here back in september when up in oban for my birthday and i really loved it. Its a little bit of a drive from oban but pretty well signposted and it was a glorious day so we didnt mind the drive at all. I agree with the other comments that it did in places appear a little bit run down so i am pleased to see that it is due to undergo an upgrade. The highlight for me tho was the sea lions. They are one of my favourite animals and they made the day. Im looking forward to returning after the upgrade to see whats been done. read more

Scottish Sealife Centre - Kids Activities Near Me - Oban, AGB

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Our kids loved our visit in August 2009. Our 5 year old liked the quiz & our 3 year old liked the height of the tanks, which were easy for her to see into. read more

Scottish Sealife Centre - Residents! (August 2009) - Kids Activities Near Me - Oban, AGB

If Wes Anderson designed an aquarium, this would be it. One part charming, one part run down, one part bizarre with a dash of whimsy - it was a happy happen upon. A few months ago, a friend and I went on a road trip with no real destination in mind, which is why we found ourselves following the signs to the Scottish Sealife Centre on a Saturday afternoon in November. Now, this isn't a place that I would go to Oban FOR... by all means, if you're in the area, it's worth walking through for entertainment value alone but don't take a weekend off special for it. In truth, I think the strongest part of the charm was the "happened upon" feel of the place... and the otters. Who doesn't love an otter? The place looks out of the 70's and I daresay most of the exhibits are dated in and around that era. They were doing construction while we were there, which added to the hodge podge of the place. There are parts of it that are downright beautiful - the otter enclosure is large and open, with two squirrelly little otters to bounce around after. Plus, the view of the loch is wonderful and well worth strolling down to see. There are parts that are downright eyebrow-raising - like the tank of fish and sting rays that is really just a massive barrel full of fish (a REALLY massive barrel, it's not cruelty, just... a strange display choice) with signs warning of the jumping stingrays. Why? Because you could very very easily reach out and plunk your hand in said barrel... no glass, no security... just a big arse barrel of fish. And there are parts that are either delightful or totally hokey depending on your company - like the scavenger hunt to answer all the sea life related questions (you get a medal at the end! ... it's plastic though) or the random obstacle course through the trees at the entrance. We were both very mature and composed, so of course we did both. All in all, it was a hilarious way to spend an hour or two and made for many a story. Would I return? I might wander that way in a few years to see if this place is still kicking... either that or it's the sort of spot i'd buy if I won the lottery... because who doesn't love an eccentric millionaire with otters? It might not make it into my destination list beyond that, but it doesn't mean this place doesn't have a soft spot in my weird little heart. read more

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My wife and I decided to take our almost 2 year old done here for a day after noticing an ad printed on the back of one of my ski passes from the Nevis Range. A little research before travelling up from Glasgow showed that, for an Adult, the ticket price was £13.20 on the day or £9.24 if booked in advance, making the £8 entry with a ski pass a good deal, even more so since under 3's are free. We started off with some food from the cafe, soup, a panini and a children's sandwich box. The quality was generally what I would expect from a tourist destination, fulfilling but not quite living up to the (roughly) £4 per item price, with the exception being the kids meal which was actually half decent. We then went on to the aquarium which has a good selection of tanks including a massive "shark" tank which honestly looks like a massive barrel of fish. Even though to me it looked a bit strange, my son absolutely loved this! The fish in this tank were all of a fair size and with it being feeding time we're all very active. On to the seal enclosure we watched from the glass panels showing under one side of the tank, then moved up to see from the top of the of the other side. The otter enclosure is next and we really enjoyed this, especially the balcony view in to the pool. There is also a large woodland play park but we didn't get much use from this as the features were all for older kids. We were informed when buying our tickets that they are usually valid for 7 days entry, but the aquarium was closing for 2 weeks for upgrades. The upgrades are much needed as the place is looking a bit dated and tired and as much as the 7 day entry is a nice feature, there was barely enough to keep us entertained for two hours. In summary, it would be a worthwhile place to visit if you are in the area and have a discount. I would be sorely disappointed to pay upwards of £13 per adult for what is actually there. If I could, I would however give and extra half star on the rating. read more

Great place, with stunning views of the loch, and not just for kids! My wife and I spent a lovely afternoon. read more

Scottish Sealife Centre - Kids Activities Near Me - Oban, AGB

This is worth a visit if you book online tickets are much MUCH cheaper if you book in advance. I'm not sure I would have been happy paying the full price at the door for a family of 4. Despite the rain we enjoyed our visit, particularly the otters. The member of staff doing the otter talk was good and happy to answer questions. The indoor sections are also interesting. Our favourite exhibit was the turtles. The cafe is very nice. They have a limited lunch menu but what they serve is good and well-priced. Tea and cake later on in the afternoon was also very good. read more

You don't have to be a kid to thoroughly enjoy this. Very down home, nothing pretentious, a care team that is devoted to the rescued seal pups. We were charmed by the staff and quite impressed by the exhibits -- much more than we anticipated... read more

I came her for a family day out - the kids been driving me mad all holidays. I must say it was fantastic, not only was the kids happy and entertained all day but I had an enjoyable day too. So much here - well worth the viisit. I will be going back next holidays, and very reasonable prices. Lots to do. Its a must. Its a fabuluos day out. GO GO GO GO GO read more

We visited in August 2011 with our two girls, one is only ten weeks and in a pram. There were various steps inside which were very difficult to get the pram up and down. Things are a bit run-down, seems like little site maintenance or investment in recent years. We had seen everything including the otter feeding and related talk in one hour fifteen minutes, we kept looking around the site thinking that we'd missed part of the facility, the only thing we didn't visit was the venture trails in the woods, but this would have been impossible with our pram. We didn't visit the cafe, as tickets are already £11 each and we didn't want to waste any more of our money. As we got back into the car, we saw a Dutch couple with a disabled van, the husband was operating the electric rear door and lift. We thought about warning them about all the steps and the poor value for money, being British I was even feeling a bit embarassed about the place, with the grand title of Scottish Sea Life Sanctuary and £11 entry fee, one would expect so much more. The car park was busy each time we drove past, where is all the money going? read more