Lisbon’s Aquarium is for All Ages

Family travelers should look to Lisbon’s Oceanário, the highlight of the riverside Parque das Nações district, an area built when Portugal hosted Expo ’98. The aquarium is one of the world’s finest and a leader in marine conservation and awareness of ocean environments.

Kids and adults are equally wowed by the giant fishbowl that forms the core of the aquarium. Holding more than 1 million gallons of water and extending over two viewing levels, the tank consists of full-length viewing windows on all sides, where visitors stand fascinated by the variety and colors of the sea creatures.

Along with the big windows are smaller ones that give up-close views of caves and coral formations, where smaller fish swim and hide from larger predators. Around the corridors are individual display tanks spotlighting smaller species in an astonishing array of colors.

Kids may spot sharks or an octopus in the central tank, and four separate areas in the oceanarium replicate the land and water environments of the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and Antarctic oceans. As you walk through the aquarium, you can watch penguins dive or sea otters play in their own natural settings.

In the theater, watch programs on ocean exploration, research and marine subjects. Stroll through current temporary exhibits, including artistic installations portraying tropical forests and the connection between humans and the sea. But everyone’s lasting impression of the Oceanarium is the magic and color of the more than 450 species of marine life swimming in their beautifully designed tanks and displays.