Behind-the-Scenes Tours

Ever wonder what life's like for our animals and caretakers? Experience the St. Louis Aquarium in the most intimate way—by taking a 45-minute guided tour behind the scenes of our facility, habitats and support areas! Get an up-close glimpse into another world.

Watch this video for a sneak peek.

Tour Highlights: What's Included?

On our Behind-the-Scenes tour, you’ll follow a St. Louis Aquarium interpreter as we explain the how and why of caring for our animals.  Learn what the animals eat, how we keep the habitats healthy, how we make the thousands of gallons of salt water and other unique insider information.  Be sure to bring your questions!

Schedule & Details

Schedule:

• Sunday through Thursday: 10:00am, 12:00pm, and 3:00pm

• Friday and Saturday: 10:00am, 12:00pm, 3:00pm, and 4:00pm

Program Details:

• Behind-the-scenes tours are 45 minutes long

• Tour group size is limited to two family/friend groups.

• Children must be at least 5 years of age to participate, and ages 5 to 12 must be accompanied by a paid adult 18 years of age or older. 

• Cost is in addition to Aquarium General Admission tickets and Annual Passes: $16 per person for General Admission and Annual Pass holders.

• Reservations for tours can be made at the Aquarium Ticketing counter. 

• Tours begin at the Aquarium’s Main Entrance and end in the Aquarium Gift Shop.

• Tours begin promptly at the scheduled time; after 10 minutes, late arrivals cannot be accommodated.  Refunds will not be given to participants who arrive late or do not show.

• Comfortable clothing and non-slip sneakers are recommended, as you may walk across wet floors.  Please do not wear any sandals, open-toed shoes or high-heeled shoes.

• As the Behind-the-Scenes tours take participants into sensitive animal areas, service animals are not allowed on this tour. 

• For the safety and security of our animals and staff, we do not allow participants to take pictures on this tour.

• While this tour includes walking/standing for 45 minutes, the majority of this tour is wheelchair/ECV accessible.  One portion of this tour includes climbing and descending 10 stairs and walking across uneven surfaces, but participation in this portion is not mandatory. 

• This tour includes loud noises.