On December 25th, 2019, St. Louis will be opening up their new aquarium in the Union Station. Union Station is a hotel that used to be a train station. The Grand Hall was for people to wait for their trains. Off the Grand Hall they had a 75 room hotel for railroad workers, businessmen and travelers to stay if they needed to. 

The final passenger train departed on October 31, 1978. In 1985 they reopened and became a hotel, a store, and event spaces. Thirty-four years later they are adding an aquarium and keeping up with the train theme! 

The St. Louis Union Station put a lot of thought into the needs of others and how they could help them enjoy their time at the aquarium more. The staff of the aquarium are worried about sensory needs, so they will have sensory bags available, which include: fidget toys, non-verbal cue cards, and noise canceling headphones. They will have a virtual train ride before you get to go see everything. You will sit down in a seat and get to take a 3D look into the past! The train will lead you to wherever you need to go and then it will take you underwater.

 The aquarium is about 120,000 sq ft. of space and holds a million gallons of water. The biggest exhibit in the aquarium holds 250,000 gallons of water. They have collected the fish from around the nation from facilities and once they get to the aquarium, they will soon become accustomed to the new climate.

 There will be an education center in the aquarium as well. With the education center you will learn about the importance of water and how it is important to the animals. It will also talk about how we can be better supporters of the water. The first gallery will show beneath the surfaces of the Mississippi and Missouri river. There will be a part in the aquarium where you will be able to interact with Doctor Fish. They will even let you touch more fish like sharks! There will be all types of sharks and rays located in the aquarium. 

Scuba Divers will also be involved with the aquarium. They will be cleaning the tanks, but they will also be showing the audience what to do and what not to do; that way the audience can interact with the divers as well. They will have biologists at times to show how they take care of the animals. The Union Station is also adding games such as mini golf, mirror maze and a rope course and a ferris wheel to the Aquarium!