People ask us all the time for public aquarium recommendations. These attractions can be hit or miss, so we’d always recommend reading online reviews before splashing out on a visit. At the same time, Lancashire, Manchester, and the North West as a whole are somewhat lacking when it comes to public aquariums, unfortunately.
If you don’t mind a bit of a drive or making something of a day of it, Blue Planet Aquarium in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, and The Deep in Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire are both popular and highly rated. There’s also the small, free, exclusively freshwater aquarium at Bolton Museum (see reviews if you’ve not visited before) and Sea Life Blackpool to consider.
Meanwhile, another question that pops up frequently revolves around which sea life centre is the biggest in the UK. Now, firstly, ‘sea life centre’ can technically mean two things: Merlin Entertainments Limited’s Sea Life attractions or just public sea life aquariums… centres for sea life that are open to the public.
In this instance, the biggest sea life centre in the UK isn’t a ‘Sea Life’ centre owned by Merlin at all. That’s because it’s the independently owned National Marine Aquarium in Devon.
As for which is the biggest Merlin-owned Sea Life attraction in the UK… well, while there’s seemingly no official word from the entertainment company that owns them all, based on what we know, it’s likely Sea Life London Aquarium.
National Marine Aquarium Is the UK’s Largest
The National Marine Aquarium is the UK’s largest public aquarium, located in Britain’s so-called Ocean City, Plymouth. The Ocean Conservation Trust runs the UK’s largest public aquarium. The Ocean Conservation Trust is a registered UK charity dedicated to connecting people with the ocean.
Unfortunately, the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth is a little far from us in sunny Lancashire for a single day out. However, for anyone looking for the biggest sea life (but not necessarily Sea Life) centre in the UK, there’s your answer!
All National Marine Aquarium visits require advanced online bookings, with adult tickets costing around £25 and kids’ tickets roughly half that. Find out more on the National Marine Aquarium website.
