An aquarium on the shoreline in Kapiʻolani Park, Waikīkī: galleries of fish, sea jellies and seahorses, two Hawaiian monk seals and outdoor exhibits. Open daily from 9 am to 4:30 pm while it undergoes renovations; tickets are sold at the front desk when you arrive.
Know before you go. The Waikīkī Aquarium doesn't list sensory hours, a quiet room or sensory kits. Here's what it does say about its renovations, tickets, rules and the outdoor exhibits.
Hours
Open daily, 9 am to 4:30 pm; the facility closes at 5 pm. Thanksgiving, Thursday Nov 26 2026: 9 am to 2:30 pm (the facility closes at 3 pm). Honolulu Marathon Day, Sunday Dec 13 2026: closed all day. Christmas Day, Friday Dec 25 2026: closed all day. New Year's Day, Friday Jan 1 2027: 11 am to 4:30 pm (the facility closes at 5 pm).
2777 Kalākaua Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96815 (on the shoreline in Kapiʻolani Park, across the street from the Kapiʻolani Park Tennis Courts)
“Tickets are available for purchase at the front desk on arrival to the Aquarium.”
“Sea jellies are seasonal by nature, and the animals on exhibit are continually changing over the course of the year.” waikikiaquarium.org (Ocean Drifters)
“Out of an abundance of caution during the COVID-19 pandemic, the touch pool section of the Edge of the Reef Exhibit is currently closed.” waikikiaquarium.org (Edge of the Reef)
“All visitors under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult.”
“Comfort therapy animals and pets are not allowed. A Service Animal is allowed under the specific direction of admission desk staff.”
“A very limited number of free parking stalls are located in front of the Waikīkī Aquarium entrance. Those stalls are available only to visitors of the Waikīkī Aquarium.” waikikiaquarium.org (Directions & Parking)
The touch pool part of the Edge of the Reef exhibit is currently closed, so plan on looking rather than touching there.
Sea jellies are seasonal, so the jellies in Ocean Drifters change through the year.
Open daily, 9 am to 4:30 pm (the facility closes at 5 pm), with changes on Thanksgiving, Honolulu Marathon Day (Sunday, Dec 13 2026, closed), Christmas Day (closed) and New Year's Day.
Tickets are sold at the front desk when you arrive: $12 general admission, $5 for kids 4 to 12, free for kids 3 and under, $5 for persons with disabilities. With ID: Hawaiʻi students, kamaʻāina and military $8, seniors 65 and up $5. FOWA members are free with a photo ID and membership card.
Parking is metered along the park side of Kalākaua Avenue. A very few free stalls in front of the entrance are only for aquarium visitors, and on busy days the admission desk has two-hour parking passes.
Paying: cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, Diners Club International, JCB, B&C and Union Pay China. Each paid admission includes the free Mobile Audio Guide. For a group, email reservations@waikikiaquarium.org; group rates and conditions are different.
Rules: visitors under 18 must be with an adult. The aquarium is smoke-free, including electronic cigarettes. Comfort therapy animals and pets aren't allowed; a service animal is allowed under the direction of the admission desk staff. The aquarium may deny entry to anyone, and asks visitors to follow staff instructions about the health and safety of the animals, staff and guests.
Getting there: TheBus routes 14, 19, 20 or 22, or the Waikīkī Trolley Green line. The aquarium is within walking distance of Waikīkī Beach, across from the Kapiʻolani Park Tennis Courts.
Exhibits include Amazing Adaptations (seahorses, seadragons and pipefishes), Ocean Drifters (sea jellies that change through the year), Hunters on the Reef, Hawaiian Marine Communities, South Pacific Marine Communities, The Living Reef, the Coral Farm, the Hawaiian Monk Seal Habitat, and two outdoor exhibits: the Edge of the Reef (a 7,500-gallon Hawaiian shoreline exhibit) and the giant clams.
