The NEW Sobela Ocean Aquarium

With jaw-dropping exhibits and so many love-at-first-site animals to enjoy, the new Sobela Ocean Aquarium at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium rightfully earns its place as the MUST-SEE new attraction of the year!

The brand-new Sobela Ocean Aquarium opens at the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium tomorrow (Sept. 1, 2023), and we were thrilled to participate in a sneak peek of the zoo's newest crown jewel! Visitors will be able to explore the new aquarium with reservations, allowing everyone time and space to enjoy the exhibits without having to wait in long lines or manage excessive crowds. 

The new 650,000-gallon Sobela Ocean Aquarium increased the number of animals at the Zoo from 1,700 to nearly 10,000!  

Visitors first experience the Warm Rocky Shores and Mangrove Forest. We watched as gentle waves created an ocean-like atmosphere for the animals. It was fun to see a variety of animals in the aquarium, including non-aquatic mammals and birds like Tamarin monkeys and toucans.

Next, we were pleasantly surprised to re-meet Tortellini, a green sea turtle who was rescued in Florida in 2020. Tortellini was injured in what is believed to be a boating incident and had been cared for at Clearwater Marine Aquarium, one of our favorite Florida vacation memories. Now, Tortellini is at home in Kansas City where the zoo's team is continuing her care and working to help her achieve neutral buoyancy.  Tortellini is and will be a favorite and beloved animal for Kansas City kids to watch as she learns and grows in her new home.

Tortellini's tank was a family favorite as she shares her home with stingrays, bonnethead sharks (another favorite), snookfish, and more aquatic creatures.

Throughout the aquarium, as visitors explore the tropical lagoon and corral reef exhibits, they encounter touch pool exhibits, and small aquariums housing a variety of crustaceans, seahorses, sea urchins, octopuses, and all manner of fish. 

The Warm Reef section of the aquarium is jaw-dropping! This area showcases fish swimming overhead, floor-to-ceiling glass aquariums, a giant dome view, and an underwater archway giving visitors a variety of ways to watch the sharks, stingrays, fish, and sea creatures.

Larry Lombardi, the rare orange cold-water American lobster, is another rescued animal. He was discovered in a New York restaurant shipment and the workers realized that he was uniquely orange (according to marine experts, the odds of catching one are 1 in 30 million). They rescued Larry and found a home for him at an aquarium. He is now a new Kansas Citian, originally named Larry and bestowed with the honorary Lombardi last name to give him a truly KC connection.

There are so many exhibits to enjoy, and it's hard to choose a favorite but we all agreed that the variety of animals, including jellyfish, corral and more made this aquarium truly outstanding.

The California Moray Eels in the cold shallows section of the aquarium were among the most attention-getting animals during our visit.

One of the last exhibits is the Sea Otter exhibit. Have you ever tried to photograph toddler boys while they play? This is what it is like trying to photograph Owin and Matti, the zoo's two new sea otters. Named in honor of Margaret Owins and Jim Mattison, two conservationists who helped prevent the extinction of southern sea otters, these two playful otter pups are active and delightful to watch.

These otters were discovered stranded as pups in the wild and conservationists attempted to rehome them but were unable to due to a lack of surrogate mothers. The Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium worked with the Aquarium of the Pacific to provide a home for these pups as ambassadors for their sea otter species, which is now classified as endangered. 

In addition to amazing exhibits, the aquarium also features outdoor picnic tables with umbrellas offering a great view of the Elephant Expedition, restrooms, and a gift shop. And, the aquarium is also well-staffed with knowledgeable zoo volunteers and employees who are eager to answer your questions.

The entire aquarium is fully accessible, offers a universal changing station in the restroom, and accessible observation areas are designated with Variety KC mats so guests in wheelchairs experience optimal viewing.

We are thrilled that the brand-new aquarium lives up to and surpasses our high expectations. This will be a favorite area of the zoo to enjoy year-round. 

PLEASE NOTE: To facilitate as many guests as possible in Sobela Ocean Aquarium, free timed reservations are required for the Aquarium entrance. The timed aquarium reservations are available now at kansascityzoo.org for Zoo ticket buyers and Friends of the Zoo members.