At most Nashville restaurants, the most exciting thing that moves past your table is the dessert cart.
At the Aquarium Restaurant at Opry Mills, it’s a shark.
The entire dining room wraps around a 200,000-gallon saltwater tank holding more than 100 species, from stingrays and moray eels to schools of bright tropical fish. The tank isn’t decoration in a corner. It is the restaurant.
I took my mum and dad and my two kids, three generations at one table, to find out whether it’s worth the price. Here’s what dinner is really like with kids, what it costs a family, and the parking mistake that can add a long walk to your night.
A Restaurant Built Around a 200,000-Gallon Tank
The Aquarium Restaurant is a full-service, sit-down restaurant inside Opry Mills in Nashville’s Music Valley. You don’t buy a ticket and walk through exhibits. You book a table, order dinner, and the marine life comes to you.
The floor-to-ceiling tank sits in the center of the room, and the dining area is tiered around it, so nearly every seat has a view. What you see depends on your angle and what happens to swim by, but sharks, stingrays, moray eels, and shovelnose guitarfish all share the water with large schools of colorful fish.
That’s the whole idea: instead of planning an aquarium visit and then finding somewhere to eat, you do both at once.
Three Generations, One Table
I’ve lived in Tennessee since 2012, and I spend a lot of time exploring Nashville and the rest of the state with my family. When we try somewhere new, I’m not only judging the food. I’m watching whether it actually works for everyone at the table, from my kids to my parents.
We went on a Friday night in December. From the outside, it looks like any brightly painted mall restaurant. Then you walk into the dining room and see the tank, and it’s obvious why kids stop in their tracks.
What makes the Aquarium different is that the entertainment happens right at your table. Our kids didn’t ask for a screen once while we waited for food, because something was always moving in the water.
I ordered the fish and chips, and honestly, it was just OK. We didn’t go for the food. The kids had chicken nuggets (of course they did) and spent most of dinner crawling on the floor to get closer to the fish. My dad kept it simple with a glass of wine and a salad. For the five of us, the bill came to about $85 before tip.
The photos throughout this post are ours from that night.
Why Kids Don’t Need a Screen Here
This restaurant is clearly built with families in mind. There’s a kids’ menu, a kids’ corner, and special events aimed at children.
The kids’ menu covers children under 10, with meals around $10 that include a side and a kid-size drink. The choices go well beyond seafood: chicken tenders, mini cheeseburgers, grilled chicken, grilled cheese, pasta, pizza, and mac and cheese sit alongside shrimp and fish.
That matters if you have picky eaters. Your kids don’t have to like seafood to love this place, and neither do the adults. The main menu has steaks, burgers, chicken, pasta, and salads alongside the fish and seafood. If someone at your table wants something more adventurous, there’s fried alligator.
How Much Does Aquarium Restaurant Cost?
This isn’t a cheap night out, and it’s worth budgeting for before you go.
Most adult entrées run about $18 to $31. A Classic Burger is $17.99, Fish Tacos are $21.59, and a Top Sirloin is $31.29. Seafood, steak, and lobster combinations climb into the $40s. Appetizers mostly fall between the teens and the low $20s, and kids’ meals are around $10.
Here’s what that looks like for a family like ours. Three adult entrées and two kids’ meals come to roughly $75 to $115 before drinks, appetizers, tax, and tip. Add a shared appetizer and drinks, and plan on more.
Part of what you’re paying for is the room. You’re not just buying dinner. You’re buying a table next to a 200,000-gallon tank.
The restaurant has run kids’ deals in the past, including 99-cent kids’ meals and kids-eat-free offers with an adult entrée. These come and go, so if a deal is part of your plan, confirm it’s running before you book.
When Mermaids Swim Through Dinner
On selected dates, performers dressed as mermaids swim through the tank during Mystic Mermaid shows. The restaurant also hosts Mystic Mermaid breakfasts and meet-and-greets, plus seasonal family events like holiday breakfasts.
These don’t happen every day. If mermaids are the reason you’re going, check the event calendar before you pick a date.
There’s More Behind the Glass
The biggest surprise from researching this post was how much happens behind that tank that most diners never see.
The restaurant offers behind-the-scenes experiences that show the life-support and filtration systems, how the animals’ food is prepared, and the top of the 200,000-gallon tank. There are marine biologist programs, too.
Availability and pricing change, so contact the restaurant ahead of time if you’d like to add one to your visit.
Our Read: Know What You’re Booking
The biggest mistake would be expecting a full public aquarium. If you want to spend an afternoon walking through galleries, the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga is that kind of place, about two hours from Nashville and worth half a day on its own.
The Aquarium Restaurant is something different: an unusual place to eat, built around a seriously big tank. And that’s exactly why it’s easy to fit into a Nashville trip. You were going to need lunch or dinner anyway. Here, the meal becomes one of the attractions.
It also solves a real problem for multigenerational trips. Not everyone in a family wants the same ride, museum, or activity. Here, the grandparents get a sit-down meal, the kids get sharks, and everyone stays at the same table.
Aquarium Restaurant Visitor Guide
Address: 516 Opry Mills Drive, Nashville, TN 37214, inside Opry Mills. Once inside, it’s across from Madame Tussauds and next to Dave & Buster’s.
Parking: Opry Mills has plenty of free surface parking, but the mall is huge. Park near Entry 5 or Entry 7 instead of grabbing the first open space, or you’ll add a long walk through the mall. And don’t park across the street at Gaylord Opryland. That’s the hotel, not the mall.
Reservations: Walk-ins are welcome, but book ahead if you know your date, especially on weekends, holidays, and Mystic Mermaid nights. At check-in, ask whether a table with a closer tank view is available. Every seat sees the tank, but some see more, and a tank-side table isn’t guaranteed.
Accessibility: The restaurant is wheelchair accessible, and Opry Mills has family restrooms and baby changing stations.
The gift shop: The Treasure Chest Gift Shop sells sea-themed toys, clothes, and souvenirs nearby. Kids will spot it, so if you’re on a budget, decide your limit before you walk past it.
Check before you go: Hours, the current menu and prices, kids’ deals, and the Mystic Mermaid schedule all change. Check the Aquarium Restaurant’s website a day or two before your visit.
Make a day of it: The Grand Ole Opry and Gaylord Opryland are right next door. The General Jackson Showboat is retiring after 41 years, so if you’ve never taken a cruise, this may be your last chance while you’re in the area. For more memorable places to eat around the state, see our guide to Tennessee’s most unique dining destinations.
For more ideas, see Tennessee locals’ favorite places to visit.
Is It Worth It With Kids?
If you’re looking for the cheapest way to feed a family in Nashville, this isn’t it.
But few places let three generations share one table while sharks and stingrays glide past a few feet away. If you’re already headed to the Opry Mills area, it’s an easy win.
Just remember what you’re paying for. It isn’t just dinner.
It’s dinner with sharks swimming past the table.
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