The Aquarium makes for an enjoyable experience, particularly if you came to Florida to witness the colorful sea life just offshore.

However, there is little here which is completely unique, and not repeated elsewhere. The large tank here is nowhere close to the same league as the world-class building-sized tank at Epcot's Living Seas pavilion. In other words, don't expect to be wowed by anything. Even the shark tank here is small, and dwarfed by the shark tank at Sea World Orlando (which has a very cool acrylic tunnel so that you pass underneath the sharks).

There are displays about sea life, as you might expect, and all sorts of colorful fish. One display I quite liked was the large collection of leafy sea dragons - something most aquariums nationwide just don't have a lot of.

The highlight would have to be the portion of the museum which is located in a giant domed atrium. Natural sunlight and an abundance of plant life make for some unique fish displays alongside the pathways.

There's a kids play zone outside of the first floor, and it's much larger than you'd normally expect. In addition to interactive fountains and jungle gyms, there are wading pools here, so you may want to bring swimwear for the toddlers.

A major downside to the Florida Aquarium is its price of admission. If all three floors of the building were stuffed full of tanks and exhibits, that would be one thing. But mostly only the second floor is in use for the exhibits, making the admission price too expensive for what you get. It wouldn't take much longer than two hours to see everything, even taking your time, unless you stopped for lunch in the cafe or let your children run around in the play zone outside. Ultimately, Sea World Orlando delivers a better value, despite its higher price. Purists and completists may want to see the Florida Aquarium anyway, which won't dazzle but probably won't disappoint either, as long as expectations are kept in check.

(6/10)