Last updated June 2023
With a return to regular life activities in the community, we were excited to make a trip up to Roseville to explore the attraction located within the Rosedale Shopping Center – SeaQuest. This 2-story, 20,000 square foot facility was easy to find with ample parking. Yay!
DO NOT TOUCH!
SeaQuest is a highly interactive experience full of opportunities to get up close with some fun animals. Touching and learning is encouraged!
My daughter is OBSESSED with sloths so we started our visit with the “sloth interaction.” There are several different up-close animal interactions that you can add to your day for an additional fee. We were escorted by an “Animal Whisperer” (staff) into the sloth enclosure and given instructions on how to properly interact with the animal. My 8-year-old twins loved getting to feed the sloth and gently stroke its fur. The staff person was very informative and the experience was both unique and educational. Did you know that in the wild a sloth has an entire ecosystem on its back?!?
Animal exhibits range from different aquatic species, reptiles and amphibians, birds, and more. My children were thrilled with the tortoise wandering the upper level with an Animal Whisperer. They enjoyed feeding some feisty wallaby and a gentle capybara!
ANIMAL CARE
Like many zoos and aquariums, SeaQuest is committed to the care of their animals. Diets are carefully monitored and so expect the amount of food that you get to share with an animal to be small. The most impressive part of our trip besides the up-close animal interactions, was the staff. Each Animal Whisperer we encountered was friendly, knowledgeable, engaged with my kids and the animals, and there were a lot of staff available to help.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
- Additional animal activities (such as the sloth interaction) must be reserved 24 hours in advance. Also, check the website, as some interactions have age restrictions.
- Your general admission ticket will allow you to walk around and view the animals in their exhibits which is much like a standard zoo or aquarium experience. However, the unique part of SeaQuest is feeding and getting up close to the animals. To do so, you need to purchase extra feeding tokens. Be sure to plan that in your budget for the day.
- Your admission is good for the entire day. That means if you need to take a break in the mall or grab some food you can re-enter SeaQuest all day. Just hang onto your receipt.
- SeaQuest is all about touching and engaging with animals. You might get dirty. A bird could poop on you. There are ample handwashing stations throughout the entire facility that were well stocked.
- Most animals require a gentle, “2 finger touch.” If you are going with younger children, it is a good idea to practice this and how to feed an animal with an open palm at home before your visit.
- There are a ton of great restaurants and shopping options in and near Rosedale Shopping Center, so this is an overall great day trip from Rochester. (Punch pizza and Portillos are adjacent to the parking area for SeaQuest.)
Our group ranged in ages from 8-68 and everyone thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity. This is an excellent family day trip, no matter what season!
