Fishing Sea

Family Outings: Underwater Adventures provides a fantastic perspective on ... Pioneer Press

Given that Underwater Adventures is in the heart of the nation's largest shopping mall, I wasn't surprised by the theme-park feel and merchandise. I was surprised by how completely the retail world disappeared, how dry land itself seemed to fall away, as we stood 14 feet below water and watched a stingray swim overhead.

"It's like being in the middle of the ocean," said my 10-year-old son, as he watched sharks and rays and giant sea turtles drift all around us.

An aquarium can provide a glimpse of an otherwise invisible world, and Underwater Adventures at the Mall of America multiplies that feeling with a glass tunnel that lets you walk down the center of its giant tanks. You feel as if you are encountering marine animals in their own realm.

I took my three children to the aquarium for the first time on a recent Saturday. A display of jellyfish had recently opened, and it seemed a good time to check out the popular attraction. With 1.2 million gallons of water, Underwater Adventures is among the dozen largest aquariums in the country, and last year, it attracted more than a half million visitors.

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