It's basically under a building in a basement and extremely tiny. It is still educational and entertaining but there should not be a fee (regardless of how small) for such a small place. Spend your time elsewhere with the Mall.

It's basically under a building in a basement and extremely tiny. It is still educational and entertaining but there should not be a fee (regardless of how small) for such a small place. Spend your time elsewhere with the Mall.
There are aquariums in many cities around the country that far outshine this one. It is small and very limited in size and scope. Visit the endless other attractions in Washington that aren't found in other cities.
I love fish and all things that live under the sea; it's like another world - which it is - with it's own homes, gardens, friends and predators. Beauty and the Beasts all in one!
If the aquarium were free it would be okay. For the admission fee charged I expected a bit more. It was quite small and not worth the price of admission.
Thanks for sharing your feedback about your trip to National Aquarium, Washington, DC. We're very sorry to hear that you didn't feel that you received a good value for the price of admission.
In DC, where we are fortunate to call so many neighboring free attractions, we understand it can be surprising to see an admission fee. We’re sorry that...
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Before our visit we had read the other reviews, thanks Tripadvisor! so we knew it was going to be a small museum in the basement. I'm pleased to say that we enjoyed the hour we spent looking at the tanks which are nicely displayed in accordance with different oceans/rivers of America. My husband is an avid scuba diver so he...
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My family visited this aquarium on April 22. They were very disappointed! The website promises several exhibits and experiences that do not exist. The aquarium is one darkly lit room with a few fish. They spent about 30 minutes in there. The worst experience of the week and the only one they paid money for! By using the title "National"...
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Thank you for your feedback on your recent visit. Please allow me to apologize for your family's disappointment. Our team is very sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy your visit and even sorrier to hear that you felt misled. This is never our aim, and we want to explore how your expectations were not met and hopefully correct any...
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I finally had an opportunity to visit the "National" aquarium this month. What a poor excuse for an aquarium. The aquarium in Baltimore is more in line with what our nation should have as a representative. The DC aquarium is dark, poorly laid out, and the variety of sea life is just miserable. The displays are outdated and the place...
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We apologize that our venue did not meet your expectations. Thank you for your kind words about our Baltimore venue. We do agree it is a wonderful representative of National Aquarium. The experience at each of our two venues is very different, and we certainly do our best to express that to potential visitors. We're very sorry to hear that...
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Me and my dad stopped at the aquarium during our trip to d.c. I was expecting a bigger aquarium. It was small, 2-4 rooms with fish from different parts of the U.S. they also had a shark feeding. I didn't think the price to get in was worth it. Try the Smithsonian's, they're free!
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your experience with us. We're sorry to hear that the visit did not meet your expectations.
Here is some history about our venue that may help to put the size of the space into better perspective. Believe it or not, our DC venue is home to the nation's first public aquarium....
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With a title like "National Aquarium," I expected much more than what we got. It is really quite small compared to other aquariums that we have been to over the years. I hope that the Aquarium will one day expand to live up to its lofty name... or change its name to be more congruent with its humble scale.
This aquarium is great for kids, and to get out of the weather while sightseeing in the downtown area. It is an older facility and does not compare to the major aquariums (Boston, Baltimore, etc.) due to its limited size. However, the fish and sea life are readily visiblel through the windows and kids will have a great time.
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