Family from the US were visiting recently and we all went to Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada in Toronto for the first time. Ripley’s Aquarium opened in the fall of 2013, right next to the legendary CN Tower in the heart of the city. To further commemorate Canada’s 150th birthday festivities, I’d like to show you Dear Readers another great tourist spot in my home, Toronto.

Upon entering Ripley’s Aquarium, visitors can look down onto the Discovery Centre and observe the throngs of people from on high.

Venturing past the hordes of day camp kiddos, you’ll head towards the Canadian Waters and Kelp Forest exhibits as you walk deeper underground.

Rainbow Reef is a cool little nook on the way to the Shark Reef and other big sea nasties.

After all the small shiny fish and exotic coral reef creatures, enter the tunnel of the Dangerous Lagoon. You’ll see all kinds of big fish on your walk under the glass lagoon floor.

Sawfish, or carpenter sharks.

Sea turtle!

Shark meets stingray.

If you’ve made it out of the Dangerous Lagoon without a panic attack, good job! What fun. Calm your nerves at the cafe, then stroll through the last area, just past the Discovery Centre. You’ll see jellyfish, stingrays, seahorses and ton of other smaller fish.

Lionfish!

Seahorses chillin’ in a row.

Jellyfish!

Australian Spotted Jellyfish.

Getting cozy with a Horseshoe Crab in the Discovery Zone.

It was a rainy weekday when we visited and it was pretty packed with day camp trips and young families. Despite the crowds, we navigated both levels of the aquarium in about 2 hours. By the time we were finished, the rain was gone and we had the rest of the afternoon to visit the Toronto Railway Museum across the street (well, the free stuff you can see outside that is).

Adult admission is $33 CAD for an “express anytime” ticket which allows you to enter at any time during operating hours, or $30 CAD for a “timed” ticket which requires you to choose an hour and arrive within that hour. There is also the option of getting the CN Tower/Aquarium combo ticket which gets you into both with a total savings of $10.

Korean lunch with the gang.

If you have more time in the city, I highly recommend the Toronto CityPASS. It gets you into 5 places for $86 (adult) and is good for nine days after your first day of use. Places include Casa Loma, The Royal Ontario Museum, the CN Tower, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada and your choice of the Science Centre or the Metro Toronto Zoo. It’s a sweet deal! Get more CityPASS info here and see what awesomeness Toronto has to offer.

So if you’re looking for something to do this summer and want to opt out of the heat and/or rain, check out this underwater adventure and have fun!