I have nothing against the city of Fort Worth, it truly is a lovely place, but it’s also the place I was basically trapped in for twelve years so going back there brings back a lot of bad memories. Still, my oldest daughter and I were in town for a doctor’s visit and we decided to visit a few of our old stomping grounds, one of which was Ridgemar Mall.
Only a few years ago, the mall was a bustling testament to capitalism and community, but recent years have not been kind to it as shops have closed and customers have committed a mass exodus. Truth is, visiting a dying mall is awkward and sad, but in this awkward and sad carcass, we discovered something new and exciting… Seaquest Aquarium.
It’s not a big aquarium and I wouldn’t even necessarily call it a great one. In the grant scheme of things, it’s the trailer park of aquariums, but seeing something this unexpected nestled inside of Ridgemar Mall where nothing should exist fascinated us and we went inside.
What you find inside isn’t that grand or that unusual, but it is at a more intimate level than any other aquarium or zoo I’ve ever been too. The animals are so close you can touch them and, in many cases, you are encouraged to do so under the watchful eyes of the keepers. You can pet iguanas who seem to love the attention and even the capybara, or as I affectionately call it, the “horse rat” doesn’t seem to care if you’re there or not. If the animal kingdom has an ambassador, it would be a capybara.
This little getaway surprised me and was an inexpensive way to kill an hour and I really wouldn’t say that any part of the experience was a negative. Sure, it may be a trailer park when compared to other aquariums, but it’s a trailer park filled with good people and interesting creatures and you can’t really top that kind of setup.
Jason Gaston 