Dallas Children's Aquarium

Built for the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition, this museum highlights the zoological life of the world's oceans, rivers, and lakes. Originally known as the Dallas Aquarium at Fair Park when it was founded and when it was later listed as a contributing structure to Fair Park's designation as a National Historic Landmark and City Historic Landmark, it has since been renamed the Dallas Children’s Aquarium. Currently one of two aquaria in Dallas, this museum emphasizes interactive exhibits, as presented through various freshwater and saltwater habitats. In 2021, it came under new management by the ZoOceanarium Group, which focuses on curating experiential learning activities at science centers around the world.

In the 1880s, the land that is now Fair Park in Dallas became the of location of the annual fairgrounds, the site of the Texas State Fair. Several decades later, the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition was held at the site, with new temporary and permanent buildings constructed for the event celebrating 100 years of Texas independence. Some of the structures built for the 1936 exposition are still standing, and they currently contain museums and other cultural institutions. The Dallas Aquarium at Fair Park, as it was then known, is one such building that was constructed for the 1936 exposition. Its design reflects the strong linear style of Art Deco that was popular at the time. The exterior facade was accented by the geometric patterns of Zig Zag Moderne, with stylized decorative elements originally repeating throughout the building's interior.

In 1964, the Dallas Aquarium at Fair Park was expanded, with a new addition designed to match the original building. In 1966, it was listed as a contributing structure to Fair Park (Texas Centennial Exposition Buildings) as a National Historic Landmark and also as a City Historic Landmark. During the decades that have since elapsed, the Aquarium at Fair Park was renamed the Dallas Children's Aquarium. Although some of the building's original Art Deco accents were lost from the interior during its conversion into a high-tech museum space, the Aquarium still retains a focus on interactive exhibits. At the Stingray Bay touch pool, for example, visitors can feed the Cownose Rays, while at the Coastal touch tank, they can interact with crabs, urchins, lobsters, starfish, and other sea creatures.

Other exhibits include the Freshwater Zone, which features Australian rainbow fish, red-bellied piranhas, blind cavefish, and Caiman lizards. The Intertidal Zone includes animals such as the chocolate-chip sea star, while the Shore Zone features batfish, seahorses, and rhinoceros iguanas. In the Near Shore Zone exhibit, visitors will find Moray eels, clownfish, and porcupine fish, while the Offshore Zone includes unusual species that inhabit the Indo-Pacific Reef, such as the Queensland grouper and zebra sharks. The Aquarium is currently positioned at the intersection between science and animal-based tourism, and its Animal Adoption program allows visitors to "adopt" a Reef Shark and other animals to help support its mission.

At the end of 2020, the Dallas Children's Aquarium announced that it would be permanently closing due to low revenues caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet, after briefly shuttering its doors, it reopened to the public under new management on September 24, 2021, the same day as the reopening of the annual Texas State Fair. Previously managed by the Dallas Zoo, the Aquarium is now operated by the ZoOceanarium Group, which curates educational experiences through hands-on experiential learning activities at museums and science centers around the world. The ZoOceanarium Group recently oversaw the establishment of a new aquarium at St. Louis's historic Union Station. Today, the Dallas Children's Aquarium is one of several museums and cultural institutions at Fair Park that reflect the history of the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition.

About, Dallas Children's Aquarium. Accessed April 27th, 2023. https://www.childrensaquarium.com/about.

Animal Exhibits, Children's Aquarium. Accessed April 27th, 2023. https://www.childrensaquarium.com/animal-exhibits.

Children's Aquarium at Fair Park, Texas Triffid Ranch. March 6th, 2014. Accessed April 27th, 2023. https://texastriffidranch.com/2014/03/06/childrens-aquarium-at-fair-park-1/.

Dallas Children's Aquarium at Fair Park, Tipspoke. Accessed April 27th, 2023. https://tipspoke.com/dallas-childrens-aquarium-at-fair-park/t7323.

Fair Park Historic District, Dallas City Hall. Accessed April 27th, 2023. https://dallascityhall.com/departments/sustainabledevelopment/historicpreservation/Pages/fair_park.aspx.