Although it's not nearly as large and impressive as either the Monterey Bay Aquarium or the Oregon Coast Aquarium, the Seattle Aquarium is still quite enjoyable and presents well-designed exhibits dealing with the water worlds of the Puget Sound region. The star attractions here are the playful river otters and the sea otters, as well as the giant octopus. There's also an underwater viewing dome, from which you get a fish's-eye view of life beneath the waves, and each September, you can watch salmon return up a fish ladder to spawn. Of course there are also plenty of small tanks that allow you to familiarize yourself with the many fish of the Northwest, a beautiful large coral-reef tank, and several smaller tanks that exhibit fish from distant waters. Life on the Edge focuses on tide-pool life along Washington's Pacific Ocean and Puget Sound shores, while Life of a Drifter, the aquarium's newest exhibit, highlights jellyfish.