Aquarium of Boise, Idaho
The Aquarium of Boise is a non-profit aquarium located in Boise, Idaho, which opened to the public in 2011. It focuses on interactive experiences, featuring touch tanks where visitors can interact with marine life like sharks, stingrays, starfish, and coral. The aquarium houses over 250 species, including a shark nursery, coral reef habitat, tide pools, and terrestrial animals like reptiles and birds. Its mission is to educate and inspire conservation efforts for aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems through hands-on engagement. Housed in a 10,000-square-foot remodeled warehouse, it attracts around 25,000 visitors monthly and continues to expand its exhibits.
Hours of Operation
Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm
Sunday from 12 pm to 5 pm
Website
Location
Admission
Parties and Events
Visiting the Aquarium of Boise
The Lobby
You’ll enter the aquarium through the main doors and immediately find yourself surrounded by merchandise. Most of the items here are kid-related, so if you are attending with children, be prepared. The admission table is to your right. There are no physical tickets. You tell the attendant how many people are attending, and they will tell you the total. Around the other side of the table is the entrance to the exhibits.
The Exhibits
The layout of the aquarium is great. They start things off with a deep pool into which you can put your hands, with large, brightly colored fish darting back and forth. Don’t expect to touch any of these fish, though some may get close out of curiosity. If you call and schedule a feeding tour, then you might get some contact from these fish, but it is still not guaranteed. There are a few drying stations throughout the aquarium. Here at the first touch pool, you’ll also see your first drying station and the bathrooms. The remainder of this first hallway consists of several small tanks offering a variety of fish, shrimp, sea stars, hermit crabs, and more. Each tank has information cards that give snippets of information on the fish in the corresponding tank. Sometimes, these cards don’t accurately reflect the current inhabitants of the tank, so have some fun with it.
Through the doorway is the ray and shark touch tank. This is probably the highlight of the aquarium for most folks. The rays will often swim right in front of you, and you can feel their sandpapery skin as they swim past your submerged hand. One of the rays is quite curious and may even check your hand for food with her mouth. She even tried eating my camera. The Black Tip Reef Shark was a new inhabitant of our visit, and it was a spectacular specimen. The bamboo sharks didn’t move around much, but you can sometimes pet them when they are actively swimming around the pool.
The shark nursery is fascinating. Adjacent to the ray and shark touch pool, you can learn about the shark life cycle. Seeing the shark eggs is incredible, but DO NOT TOUCH.
From there, you can check out Rojo the Iguana. If he’s bobbing his head, he is being territorial. Don’t bob along, or he might take it as a threat. Across from Rojo is a camen. These reptiles resemble a smallish alligator. He can sometimes be difficult to spot but check the water first. The starfish tank is next. During our visit, the giant blue lobster was also hanging out in this tank. Blue lobsters are incredibly rare at only 1 in 2 million. Notice all the empty clam shells on the bottom of this tank. It is a horrifying image if you are a clam. Enjoy the Koi pond in the boat and see if you can find the eel in the tank with the puffer fish.
The next hallway is lined with more small tanks, but before you head down it, look through the small enclave that gives you a different view into the aquarium's largest tank. You catch glimpses of more bamboo sharks, rays, and other fish. Sometimes, this is the only spot where you can see the giant grouper.
Down the hallway, you can see many new species of clownfish, damselfish, and more. Cards provide information just like the previous hallway. Similarly, these cards are not always accurate. The self-sufficient coral was a favorite tank of ours. We were also fascinated by the variety of clownfish. We had no idea there were so many, having only seen them in Finding Nemo. At the end of the hall, you can look for the other eel, also sharing its tank with a puffer fish. This can’t be a coincidence that both tanks contain a puffer fish and an eel. I don’t know the reason, but there must be one.
The largest pool is in the next room. However, the highlight of this room is the small touch tank that you pass as you enter. Children usually surround it because a group of these fish provides a very unique experience. These fish will swim right to your hand once you submerge it in the water and begin sucking on your skin. Their mouths are a little rough as they move across your flesh, collecting the dead and dying flakes of skin. It can tickle, but there is something fun about the experience, and the kids love seeing who can attract the most fish to their hands.
Also in this room is the Pacu tank. These large fish can be aggressive, so the staff have placed netting to keep the fish inside the tank. These fish grow what look like human teeth in their mouths. I couldn’t see any in the tank with this unusual characteristic, but the images on the tank are unsettling. The tank next to the Pacu houses a variety of fish and a few turtles. See if you can find the turtles. A small tank nearby has an adorable axolotl within. These strange creatures were trying to gain some popularity recently as stuffed animals, but I don’t think it really took off.
The bulk of the rest of the aquarium is more about insects, reptiles, a few arachnids, amphibians, and birds. These terrestrial exhibits are a nice addition to keep your mind engaged as it shifts from aquatic creatures. The aquarium tour ends with a small touch tank. Sometimes, there are more things in this pool than at other times. When the aquarium first opened, the pools were teaming with life, but as time passed, the numbers dwindled. You might see a starfish or two, an occasional fish, and perhaps a sea urchin jammed between some rocks. From these pools, you can see the inevitable gift shop area approaching. Gird yourself once more if you have children or are with someone with child-like proclivities.
Summary
The Aquarium of Boise is a wonderful addition to a landlocked state that truly punches above its weight class in little Boise, Idaho. The design is fantastic, creating a flow that keeps people moving without worrying about missing an exhibit. You can move through the entire building in less than an hour or explore longer if you have the time. The cards and signs at each exhibit are informative but not wordy, making the experience more interactive and memorable. The prices are reasonable, especially for the experience. We want to return and film a feeding tour at some point. I highly recommend visiting this unassuming gem of the Treasure Valley. We love it, and we think you will, too.
