Draper, Utah -- The time has finally come! The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium will be open to the public on Tuesday March 25th! Doors will open at 10:00 am at 12033 South Lone Peak Parkway in Draper, Utah. The new location is 136,000 square feet, over 3 times larger than its predecessor in Sandy. This location will allow guests to be more fully immersed in the diverse ecosystems from around the world. There will be 74 exhibits in the new aquarium, with over 600,000 gallons of water. 

“I am proud to be a part of the Aquarium and to celebrate its focus on education and fostering a deeper understanding of earth’s ecosystems. It will be a place where the community can explore the wonders of our planet for generations to come. It’s been an incredible accomplishment to create this world class aquarium and on behalf of the Board of Directors, the staff, and volunteers I would like to thank everyone for their support in helping get the facility built and ready to open. We are excited to open the doors and share this amazing facility with the entire community,” said Jim Loveland, chairman of the Board of Directors. 

The immersive Journey to South America exhibit is 2 stories tall and has the temperature, humidity and real trees and plants from the Amazon rainforest. There will be free-flight Amazon birds and many new species to see. The shark tank is 300,000 gallons, more than 20 times larger than the old shark tank at the Sandy aquarium. It will also feature a 40-foot walk-through tunnel and house up to 50 species and 2,000 animals. The penguin habitat at almost 90,000 gallons is nearly ten times larger and will eventually house 50 individuals and 3 species of penguins. The number of touch pools has tripled, from one pacific touch pool at the Sandy aquarium to three touch pools in the Draper Aquarium: one pacific touch pool containing invertebrates, one freshwater stingray touch pool and one saltwater stingray touch pool. 

The Loveland Living Planet Aquarium is also home to Utah’s first 4D theater. 4D is a 3D movie incorporated with additional sensory effects such as wind, mist, scents, leg and back ticklers and seat vibration/movement. The Aquarium will present exciting 4D films, interactive nature films as well as provide space for lectures and educational presentations.