Fire and Water: A Night at St. Louis Union Station

During our time in St. Louis, we spent an evening at the revitalized Union Station. Before we even stepped foot inside the aquarium, we were treated to a massive outdoor spectacle: the Fire & Light Show at the lake.

A Show of Elements

Standing on the boardwalk, we watched as the 100-foot-long pond transformed into a canvas of glowing colors. The music kicked in, and suddenly, lotus-shaped pods on the water began shooting 25-foot flames into the night sky. It was a high-energy experience that really set the mood for the rest of the night. There’s something about the combination of music, synchronized water, and actual heat from the fire that makes you realize just how much they’ve invested in making Union Station a destination.

The Virtual Voyage

Entering the St. Louis Aquarium is an experience in itself. Instead of just walking through a door, you board a virtual train car narrated by John Goodman. The floor rumbles and the windows (screens) take you on a journey from the rivers of St. Louis to the depths of the ocean. It was a clever nod to the building’s history as one of the busiest train terminals in the world.

Small but Mighty

We spent the next couple of hours exploring the galleries. We couldn't help but compare it to the Shedd Aquarium. At about 120,000 square feet, the St. Louis Aquarium is definitely relatively small when put side-by-side with the Shedd, which is a global giant. However, what it lacks in pure scale, it makes up for in interactivity. We loved the hands-on feel of the place. We got to:

• Feel the "Doctor Fish" nibble at our fingers in the Global Rivers section.

• Watch the River Otters (Sawyer, Finn, and Thatcher) play in their two-story habitat.

• Cross the Shark Bridge, a rope bridge suspended just inches above the 250,000-gallon Shark Canyon tank.

A St. Louis Original

One of our favorite "hidden gems" was seeing Lord Stanley, the rare blue lobster named in honor of the Blues’ 2019 Stanley Cup win. It’s those local touches that make the St. Louis Aquarium special. While it might not have the endless halls of the Shedd, it was a perfectly sized adventure for an evening out. We didn't leave feeling exhausted; we left feeling like we’d seen every corner of a very well-designed, modern aquatic world.