Most aquariums stop at fish tanks. This one hands you a sifting screen and points you toward a thirty-five-foot indoor sluice where running water washes away sediment to reveal real gemstones, fossilized shark teeth, and ancient marine specimens hiding in the gravel.
The gem mining experience inside turns a standard aquarium visit into something closer to a treasure hunt, and visitors keep every stone they find.
A take-home fact card identifies each discovery, turning a handful of gravel into a small personal collection that kids carry out with the kind of pride usually reserved for trophies…