Ripley's Aquarium of Canada

Ripley's Aquarium of Canada - the most important information

Ripley's Aquarium of Canada is a public aquarium in Toronto, Canada. The aquarium is one of three aquariums owned and operated by Ripley Entertainment. The aquarium has 5.7 million liters of marine and freshwater habitats from across the world. The exhibits hold more than 20,000 exotic sea and freshwater specimens from more than 450 species. This awe-inspiring attraction consists of ten carefully curated galleries showcasing a cross-section of saltwater and freshwater environments from around the world, starting with species from Toronto’s backyard, the Great Lakes basin. It has a goal to that in a fun and interesting way show people that they have to save and preserve the nature, especially the sea and all its habitants.

History of the Ripley's Aquarium

A Ripley's Aquarium was originally planned in 2004 to be built in Niagara Falls, Ontario, next to what is now Great Wolf Lodge around 2007, but plans fell through and Ripley's eventually relocated to Toronto. But eventually, works began in 2011 and they finished in 2013. This project was really combined work of three different governments, the government of Canada, the government of Ontario, and the city of Toronto.

What to see in the Ripley's Aquarium?

This aquarium is home to over 20000 animals and it has several exhibits which are categorized into 10 groups and some of them are:

The Canadian Waters exhibit features animals from all the bodies of water surrounding the country such as alewife, largemouth bass, American lobster, wolf eel.
The Rainbow Reef features animals from the Indo-Pacific water regions and is the most colorful gallery in the exhibit. Here you can see Picasso triggerfish, humbug dascyllus, emperor angelfish, pajama cardinalfish…
The Dangerous Lagoon is an underwater tunnel with a moving conveyor belt and it is home for the sand tiger sharks, sandbar sharks, roughtail stingray, longcomb sawfish…
The Discovery Centre features various hands-on activities such as underwater viewing bubbles, a pop-up research submarine, and a touch pool that allows visitors to touch living fossils.
The Gallery exhibit, also known as Mother Nature's Art Gallery, features some of the most delicate underwater species from all over the world. This exhibit features the red lionfish, electric eel, lined seahorse, and archerfish.
The Planet Jellies exhibit has color-changing displays with five species of jellyfish.
The Ray Bay exhibit is focused on three distinct species of stingrays. Occasionally visitors can see aquarium divers feeding the stingrays during their daily interactive dive shows.
The Life Support System gives visitors, a behind-the-scenes look at the aquarium's life support systems room.

Opening hours and tickets for the Ripley's Aquarium

The Aquarium is open 365 days a year and while working hours are normally from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily, sometimes it is closed for private events. The price of the tickets depends on the day that you are purchasing and on the group. Prices usually start around 30 dollars. We highly recommend planning your visit outside of our peak hours of 11 am to 2 pm on weekdays and 11 am to 4 pm on weekends/holidays. Never the less to check out official working hours for the day that you are interested and to book tickets that are the most suited for you, we recommend you to check out the official website of Ripley's Aquarium.

How to get to Ripley’s Aquarium?

The aquarium is settled in the center of the city and you can access it in several ways:

via Subway: From Union Station: Follow the SkyWalk west or walk west on the south side of Front Street to York Street or Simcoe Street. Follow York Street or Simcoe Street south to Bremner Blvd. Walk west on Bremner Blvd. or from St. Andrews Station: Walk west on King Street to John Street and follow John Street south, across the John Street bridge to Bremner Blvd.
via Train/Bus: From Union Station: Walk west on the south side of Front Street. Visit GO Transit's official webpage for train schedules and more information or check with the Toronto Transit Commission for details on bus route information: (416)-393-INFO.