Albuquerque Aquarium & Rio Grande Botanical Garden

The aquarium begins with a 9-minute film that describes the course of the Rio Grande from its origin to the Gulf Coast. The touch pool is inside where you can gently touch hermit crabs and starfish. The eel tank is an arched aquarium you walk through, and includes a colorful coral-reef exhibit. There is also a 285,000-gallon shark tank.
Within a state-of-the-art 10,000-square-foot conservatory, you'll find the botanical garden, split into two sections. The smaller one houses the desert collection and features plants from the lower Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts, including unique species from Baja, California. The larger pavilion exhibits the Mediterranean collection and includes many exotic species native to the Mediterranean climates of southern California, South Africa, Australia, and the Mediterranean Basin. Allow at least 2 hours to see both parks. There is a restaurant on the premises. May to September, the PNM Butterfly Pavilion fills with the colors of several hundred North American butterflies.

Admission $7 adults ($12 with Rio Grande Zoo admission), $3 seniors 65 and over and children 12 and under ($5 with Rio Grande Zoo admission). Ticket sales stop a half-hour before closing.

Admission is not required to use either machine.

Machine 1: in the courtyard prior to the entry fees. (Aquarium)
1) Sea Turtle,
2) Shark,
3) Eel,
4) Ray.

Machine 2: in the courtyard prior to the entry fees. (Botanical)
1) Agave/Century plant,
2) Hummingbird,
3) Butterfly,
4) Dragon (The Dragon is the most popular thanks to the big Dragon in the Children's Fantasy Garden!)

Token Machine 1: (2020) Designs are;
1) Shark,
2) Stingray,
3) Sea Turtle,
4) River Otter.
Rear- 'ABQ Biopark', square logo.

10/20/25- Aquarium machine is pressing perfectly,
Botanical is long and off center. kk