A Day Out at Sea Life Brighton

We really enjoy looking at animals and fish, so going to Sea Life Brighton, with the kids, was a goal of ours! We were planning on only going if it rained, but found we had enough time on our long day out to see the aquarium. It’s actually the world’s oldest continually operating aquarium, which is quite a big deal! The aquarium is almost under ground, so we went down some steps, and went into the place. The architecture was wonderful; high ceilings, all lit up, beautiful tanks of fish right at the entrance. They always have activities going on too! The older kids got booklets to help them take their time and spot fish, while Robin got a Peppa Pig themed activity booklet to solve!

When entering Sea Life Brighton, there is a route that you are meant to take around. This almost feels left over from COVID, and at times is quite limiting (especially around stuff that’s slap in the middle of the room, thus needs dividers giving it room while not taking up either of the sides), but it was easy to follow around, so there was that! In this aquarium, you start off by seeing star fish, big schools of fish, and various sea plants. In the middle of the first room, there is a place where you can stop to touch star fish, as long as you have washed your hands! We all took a moment to stroke one, which felt really prickly! Then continued onwards to more fish. A viewing point allowed us to see into a tank of flat fish, who blended in with the water, and then more tanks in the wall showcased different creatures. Some tanks had little bits of information about the fish too.

Sea Life Brighton looks quite small from the first room, but you end up going through a pair of double doors and realizing this place is massive. In the next room, you’ll find turtles, puffer fish, and a whole colony of ants that can move around the room using pipes, currently taking apart a little tree, bit by bit, in the centre of the room. I have no idea why they included ants in an aquarium, but it was really cool to see. There were also turtles, areas the kids could go in to see closer, and so many different fish. Some in schools, some as individuals in big tanks, some hanging out inside massive tanks that you could view. We ended up going through to place that had facts, on the wall, that you could only see by putting on a black light. Then there was a display about whales that they had saved, before getting over to the giant, indoor open water stage and pool, where presentations sometimes are.

This area has a glass bottom boat you can ride, for an additional ticket fee, however we were more interested in the tunnel that went through it! We went onto the next area, which showed the sides of this massive open pool, showcasing little sharks, big fish, and some turtles that seemed to be resting. There was a kids area with interactive lights, that kept them entertained for a few moments, before we followed the tunnel through. These tunnels, like the one in Akvariet i Bergen, really bring a lot of magic to going to aquariums. We watched sharks slide over us and big fish go near us, as we continued walking around.

Sea Life Brighton then took us over to a little sitting area and cafe, which followed through to a new exhibition about fish products and what foods they are in. There are a bunch of different interactive bits on this exhibition, so they kids enjoyed playing around with them, before seeing the jelly fish! I love jelly fish, and they are right at the end of this aquarium, with a few tanks full of them and coloured lights, so that people can take a look. In this area, there is also a meet and greet stage, which ties into Robin’s activity.

Robin’s Peppa Pig activity had to do with massive wall signs and arrows, which she really enjoyed following and solving, as we went around. These signs had things like sea horses to count or a little maze to solve. It was simple things. At the end of the tour, she actually got to meet Peppa Pig herself, then do some crafting activities and hand in her answers for a poster. It was a very nice touch and she was overjoyed to meet Peppa! Peppa walks around a bit as well, mainly near the cafe, so you can see Peppa just while you are going in!

We really enjoyed our time at Sea Life Brighton! The layout (one way system) felt a bit poorly designed and unnecessary, but the amount of sea life there made up for it. There was really a lot to look at, look into, and enjoy. We spent a good few hours there, walking around and seeing the creatures, which made for a lovely addition to our day out.

You can check out our other Days Out to see what else we’ve been up too!