SeaQuest Allows Guests to Interact with a Wide Array of Animals in their Exhibits 

By: Brooke Price

SeaQuest is a chain of interactive aquariums. Credit: fortworthbusiness.com

SeaQuest, an interactive aquarium chain recently opened in the Woodbridge Mall on December 7th. SeaQuest provides the unique experience of letting guests pet and feed many animals in their exhibits.

For certain exhibits, there is a low glass wall where the top is open, allowing guests to interact with the animals. 

The aquarium section of SeaQuest has a lot of fish, amphibians, reptiles and other aquatic animals. Animals include Moon Jellies, Axolotls, turtles, Pacman Frogs, Lionfish, Green Moray Eels, Blue Tongued Skinks, stingrays, sharks, seahorses, starfish and many others. There were also White-Spotted Bamboo Shark eggs on display, and you can look at the developing sharks.  

SeaQuest is not just an aquarium. In addition to fish, amphibians, and reptiles, there are also birds, insects, and mammals. According to SeaQuest’s website, they house over 1200 animals of 300 different species.

Some of the land animals include birds, Pot Belly pigs, goats, Asian Small-clawed Otters, and Bengal Cats.

A cool aspect of SeaQuest is how close you can get with the animals. SeaQuest sells feeding tokens so guests can exchange their tokens for a capsule containing food for the animal of their choice. 

People have the chance to feed the animals in their exhibits. Credit: groupon.com

Feeding tokens can be purchased along with admission when you enter. There are different types of food in the feeding token machines depending on the animal that you are planning to feed. 

Near the exhibits of the animals you could feed, guests can watch a video on how to feed the animals.

The machine by the stingrays had raw fish that you could feed them. Other animals such as Pot Belly pigs and goats had pellets that contained the nutrients needed for their diet.

Guests can also enter the enclosure with certain animals. Patrons could enter an enclosure that housed Budgerigars, which are commonly known as parakeets, and feed them for one feeding token. 

Guests could also enter the Bengal Cat enclosure. The Bengal Cats are domesticated and they will walk up to you and run around, but if you’re lucky and they approach you, you can pet them.

Being able to be in the same exhibit as the animals and feed them is a new and fun experience. 

Another fun thing guests can do is snorkel with stingrays. While snorkeling, they can encounter other animals in addition to stingrays such as coastal sharks and tropical fish. 

If guests wish to participate, they need to bring their own swimsuit and towel, however wetsuits and snorkeling gear will be provided. This activity costs $49.95 per person in addition to the daily admission.

SeaQuest was founded by Vince Covino. Covino said that “SeaQuest was born out of a vision for sharing the beauty of wildlife with everyone who normally wouldn’t get to see it.” He wanted guests to interact with animals and have an unforgettable experience while they were at SeaQuest.

In addition to the new Woodbridge, New Jersey location, SeaQuest has locations in Layton, Utah, Las Vegas, Nevada, Fort Worth, Texas, Littleton, Colorado, Folsom, California, Roseville, Minnesota, Trumbull, Connecticut, Lynchburg, Virginia, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Tickets for SeaQuest are $16.95 if you get them in person, and $14.95 if you order them online. SeaQuest is a fun new indoor aquarium where guests can interact with a diverse group of animals.