What an amazing place for anyone at any age. Great for kids and an amazing date for adults. Expect to spend more than 2 hrs to enjoy the aquarium and conservatory. The history of the building and fish population were neat and informational. We stopped off at Royal Oak Market for lunch. They have some great choices for a picnic on the island ❤️ it was a beautiful, slightly windy day and I highly suggest soaking up the ambiance of the island with a light lunch. Learn about some Great Lakes fish and ocean species, did you know an eel electrocutes stronger than a common household plug!? 😳

The aquarium had way more fish than i expected. Definitely need to check it out if you are on Belle Isle. Free admission. Donations are appreciated though! Highly recommend 💚💯💯. Great places for families or a date for couples.

It is located on Belle's Island. There was so many different kinds of fish to see, very informative and well maintained. Free museum that accepts donations which help with the costs. We went on a Friday during the summer and there were many buses and groups. There was several food trucks on site. Many other places to explore while on Belle's Island including Museum, Conservatory, Beautiful garden, many Historic Monuments, Golf course, and Nature center.

They do not want strollers inside. This can be hard if you have kids under 2, your going to hold them the whole time because none of the tanks reach to the floor. Very nice place. Clean, warm. The kids are very interested in the animals. Really enjoyed it. They have an octopus!

Absolutely fantastic. The building has very interesting architecture, and the colors gave off a very chill feeling. The exhibits we're really cool too with all kinds of really neat factual information. Some of it was on the fish, some of it was on natural habitats, other pieces were about climate change and plastics. It was all very well laid out and this place makes learning fun and keeps it entertaining! I'll definitely come back here, the grounds are immaculate and very nice to walk around.

This is a wonderful place! The Belle Isle Park is such a great park. The aquarium is located within the park grounds. It's easy to find following the signs. Once you drive the park a couple of times you'll figure out how to manuver easily. The aquarium is very interesting. Admission is granted by a suggestion of making a donation. It really helps places to continue operating these facilities by the donations they receive. The interior of the building is pretty cool! The ceiling is completely tiled in this green tile which gives it a really cool vibe! My wife and I were really impressed with this modest aquarium. They are doing a great job 😊

Very nice Aquarium. Good amount of fishes on exhibits, good information with proper photos of each spice of fish. Enjoyed visit very much. Few photos & video explains well about this nice place

Beautiful place with an undeniablely classic feel. Its free and it wasn't terribly crowded. The attraction was educational yet very entertaining. I would come back again and again! Thank you for having this place open now to the public!

This aquarium has some rare fishes that I never saw. And also this is a free aquarium. This is a small place and well maintained. It can be become crowded but it’s fun for kids and adults to visit.

Great place to visit. I went in November and the aquarium was smaller, but well taken care of. They were expanding to bring in more exhibits. The conservatory was spectacular with some amazing plant life. I am definitely going back.

Lovely architecture! Plus the entry is by donation. In this day and age, that is amazing. Definitely small enclosures. But they have reduced how many fish are in each since back in the day. It was quite busy when we were there and people didn't seem to understand the flow. We all enjoyed ourselves.

Five stars due to the price and value. They have some really cool fish there and it is very well taken care of. Very cool place to take your kids for an hour and a half

This place is so amazing. The staff was so friendly and informative. The animals all looked so healthy, and the aquariums were so clean. I love bringing my family here.

An amazing local attraction! The staff are so friendly and knowledgeable and really make you excited to learn about the exhibits. This small aquarium is clean and beautiful and the fish and creatures were all super active when we visited. Would absolute recommend for a date or family trip! So fun!

Absolutely fantastic for a quick tour of America’s oldest aquarium! It was fun and informative and free (but we did leave a donation)

Awesome exhibit! I can't believe that it's free to enter! The place is kind of small but it is packed full of all kinds of different fish and other aquatic life.

This place is amazing ! It's free. Well kept. Very informative and educational for the kiddos. The entire family will love it ! There is also a little library infront. :)

Completely awesome gem of a location. Steeped in history and slathered with educational opportunities, this place is a must see if you're in the Detroit area. Amazing building with glistening blue-green tile that puts you "under the sea." Each exhibit gives explanations and background. Staffed by volunteers who were friendly, helpful and personable. Loved the eel "zap monitor"! Great idea

I couldn't believe this place was free. Left a donation! My husband took me here for a romantic day away. The place is small but yet beautiful as ever. Fun to watch the kids with their big eyes see all the fish.

Great learning about all the fish from the great lakes. I highly recommend for a day out! Then go next door to the Conservatory to see all the beautiful plants & flowers!

I've lived in the metro Detroit area my whole life and this is my first time in the aquarium. It was fantastic. The staff were amazing. The facilities were well kept. Everything was clean and sparkly. Not to crowded either.

This was the coolest aquarium I’ve ever been to! Seeing the eels, gars, octopus, and more was incredible. The volunteer near the octopus was so friendly and knowledgeable! It was great to just hear her talk about how cool the octopus was. Definitely one of my new favorite places!!

They have kept this aquarium in incredible condition. The tile ceiling I've heard is the original. Fun place to stop while visiting Belle Isle. They have a cute little gift shop set up outside!

Aquarium was temporary closed due to COVID-19.

The Octopus was so majestic to see although I felt the worst for him as they said he was till growing. Being restricted by the size of the aquarium hurts my heart. The building itself is so impressive. I loved the tile work!

Had not been to this aquarium in a long time. When I arrived, it brought me back to the days of old. Everything had been restored, the place was crowded and bright. The Dosens were knowledgeable, and all of the tanks were filled with some awesome fish. The restoration of this location was definitely worth it.

Such a beautiful aquarium. Do visit if you are in Belle Isle Park. It’s not too big but the variety of fish is amazing. Its free of charge. They also have a small souvenir shop to support the aquarium. The staff is super friendly and helpful. An amazing local attraction. The aquarium is super clean. Do check them out.

What a wonderful place to visit. Cute little aquarium awesome water friends to check out with information about them. The building is beautiful as well. It's free to get in too. They do take donations and please donate so they can keep this wonderful place going.

Free free free free free!!! Donations accepted!!! Can't beat that if looking for family/ budget friendly fun!

Glad to see this place coming back to life! Came here as a kid. Brings back good memories!

Nice stop on our visit to the island. I was surprised to find that the admission is free but they do have a donation box. It is really small but has good information on local aquatic life as well as from other places. Our favorite part was seeing the Sea Horses & watching the eels. The meter they have that tells how much electric the eel is giving off was especially interesting to see, it really gets you thinking!

Really fun aquarium with plenty of things to learn about

Some family and I took my student/my Great nephew and his cousin/sister on a field trip. We had a wonderful time. He recognized some fish from the cartoon "Splash and Bubbles" as well as "Nemo'. And we checked out the Conservatory next door too, where he participated in a scavenger hunt for plants. We really had a great time.

What a great day we had visiting visiting the aquarium. Volunteers were friendly and informative.

Glad they re-opened the Aquarium. Lots of good memories there.

We enjoyed the Aquarium during our visit to Belle Isle. Love the old building conversion. Great way to restore history on the Isle. All the staff members were very friendly. Lots of interesting fish! Great experience overall!

An absolutely fun aquarium to visit. Beautiful inside and out with a great collection of fish and even live coral to enjoy. The only negative I can think is that this aquarium is small.

What a great place to visit! The Aquarium is very cool. Lots of different fish to view along with small notations of the species particulars of them. Mostly freshwater fish but there are some tank displays with saltwater species including an octopus! There is no entrance fee but donations are suggested to help maintain the cost of running the facility. Also, lots of sights to see & parks on the island that hopefully will be restored to benefit the community outdoor activities.

This beutiful Aquarium situated inside Belle Isle Island. The Aquarium has no entrance fee, but encouraged to make a donation which will go to saving marine life. Belle Isle entrance need a pass, day pass is $11 Got a nice and clean washroom and water fountain. Staffs were very friendly. Great Place for kids. We enjoyed very much.

This aquarium is beautiful. Belle Isle is a great destination for a family day trip, and while the fish on display might not be the most exotic- they are examples of the local great lakes biosphere- the aquarium provides information and a nice change of pace for parents who need a breather. The architecture is also beautiful! That's to be expected from one of the oldest buildings of its kind on the continent, I suppose. One star off because when I went last year, the building was in slight disrepair, likely due to a lack of funding rather than a lack of care on the part of the workers. I would encourage the local/state government to make this a cultural heritage site so that the funding is made more of a priority.

It’s a beautiful display, but more recently, I couldn’t help but notice how miserable nearly all of the animals look, and the highly limited space that many of them have. An electric eel is nearly as long as its tank. Many of the larger fish seem to be right on top of each other all of the time as they either float in a suspended position, or shuffle endlessly back and forth. Even a shrimp we saw seemed to be caught in a trance-like motion, doing the same thing over and over again without reason. I cannot imagine that animals would behave the same in their natural environments. I simply suspect that, despite the treat to be able to be this close to creatures, they do not belong so far removed from their natural environments and habitats. These are not domesticated animals, after all… they are highly evolved creatures completely outside of areas in and for which they have adapted. This is not an attempt to shame anyone; I’m not an animal activist or anything. I just feel that we should be thinking a bit more about these things and how we are ethically treating other living organisms. I suppose one note of irony is that, next door, the Conservatory is being majorly expanded to accommodate the growing plants, while next door, the Aquarium’s residents which, from what we understand, sustain significantly more evolved consciousness, remain in tiny little boxes without daylight and endless people passing by… I leave these comments here for your consideration. Thank you for reading.

Unexpected and beautiful. Lots of beautiful animals and beautiful architecture. I wonder if they spend all their lives in that little space or if they get to spend some time in a bigger space. There was a lovely woman who helped my friends and I identify the two needle fish in the garden eel tank. There's Itty bitty Hermit crabs in some of the tanks that are so cute.

Great place to visit. It is clean and has interesting fishes. Like the 'Humphead' fish.

Highly recommend this gem in Detroit. If you have time to visit, you should. Beautiful architecture, kind volunteers, and interesting fish. They recently completed a restoration while shut down during COVID which really adds to the positive experience.

I enjoyed all the different species of fish and plants, but was pretty crowded, but other than that was enjoyable to visit and experience

The fish were beautiful, the electric eel had a sensor in the tank for when it was sending electric pulses looking for prey. But it was so crowded, it was difficult to get very close. The axolotls were my favorite.

It is so beautiful the last few years! My Dad took us there as kids. What an adventure! But we stopped as it became run down. Now it is lovely. B/c the state has taken care of it? Love the Aquarium & Conservatory! A true gem! We have been there twice over the summer. The Aquarium & Conservatory are lovely again.Thank goodness the Aquarium is so bright & shiny again. I forgot how stunning it is.

Great hidden gem on Belle Isle. Lovely old space, lots of fish, and some thoughtfully designed exhibits. Always nice for a quick stop in.

Seriously love the Belle Isle Aquarium and was heartbroken when it closed years ago. Of course, I was super excited when we got word that they were re-opening but the aquarium did not feel the same and you could tell they were struggling to get things going. When we went this time, you could tell the work that had gone into the aquarium since they reopened. It felt and looked more like it did prior to the shut down on this visit then it did on any of my previous visits. I had a blast and so did my kids. No question, we will go back. Already planning a summer trip and picnic on the island.

This place is wonderful they have unique fish and other aquatic creatures for free. I think that if you go you should donate, the town have so much to the community by making it free we should give back. They have so many colorful creatures and descriptions that have puns and cool information on them. Also the architecture of the building is beautiful it looks like and old church building and the inside feel is like your stepping into an ocean. I got to enjoy this with my family. There was a lot of people there and it was very crowded in some areas. On one hand that’s good for their business on the other hand it’s uncomfortable when you accidentally bump into someone or can’t see all the fish and have to live around the crowds.

This was so great for the "price"! It's donations ($5 pp suggested) they take cash and have the tap pay option also. It's a small place but lots to see for the size. The building is really old, so it has character. We had a group of 8 ranging from 17-50 and we all enjoyed seeing the different exhibits. If you have small children the tanks are a bit high so lots of parents were picking their little ones up.

I've enjoyed the aquarium since a child. Although it's small, it is a wonderful educational experience for all. Come and enjoy!!

Super fun. Beautiful displays. Donations are welcome and recommended to keep the aquarium open. Good variety of aquatic life! Fun for the kids.

Amazing building, inside and out.

Enjoyed it

It was dope af and free

Important To See!

Pretty wonderful place!

It,s soo freshner, and good fo family,and especially kids. I love it...

It’s free! Go check it out!

Have been here in years

Loved this place as a child and now my son loves it! We had an absolute ball feeding the fish in the pond with the other children and their parents... Definitely a must-do Detroit experience!

This was such an awesome place to go. The exhibits are nice. There is a lot of different fish to see. The architecture of the building is amazing. The whole area is beautiful. The aquarium is free to go through. There is a box that you can donate money to go for the aquarium. They also have a little gift shop. The building is not the biggest or most modern but it does provide a very intimate experience. I can't wait to go back.

A true gem in Detroit absolutely a wonderful experience ....would go back in a heartbeat

There's this one person who keep using my pictures online without my consent or should I say it's someone who protending to be me but in different name.

Adorable little aquarium that was a lot of fun for my family. Love to see all the hard work they put into taking care of these magnificent creatures. Please do yourself a favor and visit Belle Isle when the pandemic is over.

I loved being able to get close up photos of the different species housed here.

This place is like a time capsule. I love it! The green tile ceiling is beautiful, and the variety of fish to see is quite great!

We were pleasantly surprised by how fun this place was. We are going to come back and enjoy more. My 17 year old and 3 year old really enjoyed themselves.

Was a very beautiful place, we had an absolute great time there. It was our first time so we didn't get a chance to see everything but the nature center and aquarium were awesome. Even had a scavenger hunt for the kids. Many places to rest, eat and play. Views of the lake were gorgeous! Will be going back because of all the wild life and scenery!!

Considering it was free, it was nice to see some smaller exotic fish though nothing special. Gotta love the Sturgeon, that being the oldest fish on Earth. The Greenhouse is really unique, the giant palm tree is unbelievable.

An amazing look at an early 20th century aquarium! Built in 1904, the integrity of the building has really been preserved.

Did you know this is America's first aquarium is nearly 120 years old. It is awesome for kids and adults alike and shows the great diversity of the aquatic life of michigan as well as the amazing analogues to oceanic dwelling creatures in their fresh water forms like fugu and rays. Be sure to put money in the box on entry to feed the fish. This place runs on donations. One of Detroit's many gems.

Oldest aquarium in the US. Awesome time

Love this place. Oldest aquarium in the country and it looks like you can still eat off the floor, it's so clean (but probably not recommended). It's free, but come on. Donate some green for this emerald of Detroit!

Beautiful historic building with lovely tanks that house both native and non native species. Great for all ages

Awesome place!!!and its free!

Reminds me of my childhood. Nothing has changed

Great place to take your family.

Lots of fishies in clean water. seeing as how industry has terribly polluted our Michigan waterways to the point of all species being inedible, I'd say these slimy little fishie wishies have it good being held in their protective little clean prison on the isle of Belle. But alas you cannot eat them.

Always visit when I can.

Wonderful , everyone should visit

A great place for families of all ages.

A pretty short walk through, but free admission + cool fish and facts + very cool interior design = I had a great time 🐠

It's small but I love it

It looks amazing from the outside and most of the tanks are very clean. I would recommend. Very friendly people.

Great place for kids of all ages

Family friendly

It's probably time to get rid of the dead alligator snapping turtle.

It was excellent

Had a church youth group event. Learned alot.

Beautiful!

A super sweet aquarium in a very neat building.