Downtown Aquarium, Public aquarium in central Denver, United States

The Downtown Aquarium is a public aquarium located in central Denver that showcases hundreds of marine animals in indoor tanks. Visitors walk through different sections to observe fish, sharks, rays and other sea creatures in settings that mimic their natural homes.

Colorado's Ocean Journey opened on June 21, 1999, founded by Bill Fleming and Judy Petersen Fleming as a nonprofit. It cost $93 million, partly funded by a $57 million bond loan, and filed for bankruptcy in April 2002 with $62.5 million in debt. Landry's Restaurants bought it in March 2003 for $13.6 million and renamed it Downtown Aquarium after a 2005 renovation.

The Deep Blue Sea Foundation, a nonprofit formed after Landry's bought the aquarium, runs a volunteer program to keep the original founders' educational goals alive. The aquarium also holds for-cost educational seminars and participates in the AZA Species Survival Plan for Sumatran tigers.

Visitors can walk through the exhibit areas at their own pace to observe the animals throughout the day. The site includes a restaurant where you can take a break while still viewing the marine life through large windows.

The aquarium's original design followed two rivers to the sea: the Colorado River, ending in a Sea of Cortez exhibit, and Indonesia's Kampar River, ending in the southern Pacific. It also houses Sumatran tigers and participates in the AZA Species Survival Plan for them.