Sharks

Coral World’s centrepiece is an observatory tower built down into the reef offshore, so you descend a spiral staircase and look out through windows at wild fish and coral in open water rather than a tank. Around it are touch pools with starfish and urchins, a sea turtle pool, a shark tank and a nature trail with lorikeets. Paid add-ons include a sea lion encounter and a Sea Trek helmet walk on the seabed for older children. It works well as a wet-weather or rough-sea alternative, and it sits directly beside Coki Beach so the two combine into a full day.

Less a traditional aquarium and more an indoor rainforest you walk down through, starting at the treetops and spiraling to the water at the bottom. Sloths, toucans and monkeys move around in the open air above your head, which surprises first-time visitors every single time. Down at the base there is a walk-through tunnel with sharks and rays overhead and a manatee exhibit. It is compact enough that toddlers do not melt down and interesting enough that older kids stay engaged. The whole route is one-way and stroller-friendly.

Part aquarium, part small amusement park, which is either a bonus or a hazard depending on your kids. The Adventure Exhibit runs through themed zones including a sunken temple, a Louisiana swamp with alligators, and a shark tunnel. White tigers live in a large indoor habitat that surprises everyone the first time. Outside there is a small train, a Ferris wheel and a carousel, plus a restaurant with a huge central tank. Rides are individually priced on top of aquarium admission so decide the budget before you walk in.

A compact mall aquarium built almost entirely around what small kids like: eye-level tanks, touch pools with sea stars, and a curved underwater tunnel with rays and sharks gliding overhead. The whole route takes about an hour which is exactly right for preschoolers. Interactive quiz stations along the way keep older siblings from getting bored. Because it is inside Grapevine Mills you get food court, restrooms and a dry walk from the parking lot, which matters when the weather is the reason you came. Book online ahead of holiday weekends.

A world-class aquarium focused on Hawaii marine life with a 750,000-gallon open ocean exhibit you walk through in an underwater tunnel. Kids are transfixed by the sharks, rays, and tropical fish swimming overhead and all around them. Touch pools let kids handle sea stars and sea cucumbers. The exhibits are organized by habitat from shallow reef to deep ocean. A turtle lagoon features rescued Hawaiian green sea turtles. The Sphere is an immersive 3D whale experience. This is the best rainy-day option on Maui and worth a visit regardless of weather.