“Tell me why I thought I was taking my kids to the aquarium when it turned out to just be a jewelry store with a few tanks?” That’s what a mom, who says she did her research, had to say after her visit to the Boca Aquarium in Boca Raton, Florida.
Upon arriving at the “aquarium” and realizing it was inside a jewelry store called Diamonds by Raymond Lee, Kaurie Raye (@thekaurieraye) realizes why the experience is free. However, the mom says since the staff was nice, she decided to give the unusual aquarium a go. She’d already made the trip after all.
A disappointing visit
Raye notes that online, “they advertised it like it was a whole aquarium.” Indeed, the Boca Aquarium has a website that, upon first glance, may lead you to believe it’s a traditional, stand-alone aquarium, not one nestled in a jewelry store. However, on its Home and About Us pages, the website states that the aquarium is in the jewelry store. The aquarium’s Google page also notes this.
Raye reports, “The kids did enjoy seeing some of the fish and small sharks that they had, but I honestly don’t think I’ll be back just ‘cause it wasn’t what I expected and didn’t hold my children’s attention span long enough to continue coming back.”
She recommends the experience to parents who just want to get out of the house, whose children are under two. Otherwise, “I wouldn’t consider this an actual outing for kids.”
Raye says she wasn’t mad about the mix-up, just disappointed because she and her children lost interest fairly quickly. “Definitely not what me or the kids expected but hey, it was something to do,” she writes in the caption.
‘Not the Fyre Festival of Aquarium[s]’
Viewers in the comments section were tickled by the aquarium’s unusual location and the marketing surrounding it.
“Their website saying ‘Discover Boca Raton’s Most Enchanting Family Destination’ and it’s a jewelry store in a strip mall is CRAZZYYYYYY,” one wrote.
A second said, “I just had to check the website- it’s really advertised as an actual aquarium with exhibits & everything … they must have paid for those 5[star] reviews, bc there’s no way….”
“They have a whole TikTok for The Boca Aquarium,” another said with a laughing crying emoji.
They didn’t throw shade—they threw the whole tree
Indeed, the Boca Aquarium has a TikTok account, @bocaaquarium.
A sardonic video posted four days after Raye’s seems to address the TikToker’s surprise at the location.
“Spend a day with me at The Boca Aquarium,” a young woman, presumably one of the aquarium’s employees, begins.
“So, I did my research, and I clearly saw it’s inside a jewelry store and the whole thing lasts less than an hour.” The screen shows the Google page stating it’s in a jewelry store. The Tripadvisor About section states that the experience’s duration is less than one hour. “But who am I to listen to what the internet says, right?” she asks sarcastically.
She then says she learned to “ignore all logic,” so she came prepared with several items. She appears to be poking fun at Raye, who brought a stroller and large bookbag in addition to her small purse. “Bag of snacks; water; beach blanket, just in case it turned into SeaWorld; … a diaper bag, not for my kid but for whoever dares to piss me off; and, of course, my cooler. I never leave the house without it.”
She then drags the cumbersome cooler and other items into the jewelry store as someone welcomes her in.
“Then I walk in. Surprise, it’s a jewelry store with fish tanks. Not quite the aquarium I imagined, even though that’s what Google says about the definition of aquarium,” she says. The screen then shows the Google definition of “aquarium” circled in red. It reads, “a building containing tanks of live fish of different species, especially one that is open to the public.”
“But OK, slay. Anyways, horrible time, bye,” she says as she walks out.
‘Is ur PR team a bunch of middle schoolers’
Commenters were unenthused by the video.
“The micro and macro aggressions- just wow,” one wrote.
“They way she was literally so nice about it in her video and this is how they respond,” a second comment with 72,000 likes said.
Several viewers wrote some variation of “Don’t visit the Boca Aquarium, got it.”
Another accused, as did someone on Raye’s video, “You put aquarium so you could pay less on taxes.”
Redditors were similarly critical of the aquarium and its response.
One said, “If you just google Boca aquarium they definitely give a different impression than just ‘some tanks inside a jewelry store’ And yes it says located inside a Diamonds by whoever on Google but my local mall has an extensive aquarium inside it. Being inside a store doesn’t preclude an aquarium from being worth a visit.”
A second wrote, “The fact that they can’t understand why this would be disappointing for a young mother who wanted to take her children some place fun is just so insane to me. And how they decided to respond to/make fun of her is so disgusting.”
Another said, “They’re also now calling everyone snitches for.. Apparently reporting them to the IRS. Their new videos and comments are wild.” Indeed, the aquarium seems to be posting strange videos in response to the backlash, including one with a gray background proclaiming, “Y’all are snitches.”
Redditors hate it, too
One Redditor who said they live near the aquarium wrote, “The website is misleading (or was before they updated it) as it never mentioned being inside a jewelry store when I looked it up in late 2024, so thats a new thing they likely added after enough bad reviews. And even then, the website made an effort to describe what sounded like a modest aquarium (certainly something long enough to spend 45 minutes at).”
Another wrote, “It’s 100% for tax evasion. Aquariums are exempt from paying federal income tax. By marketing it as an aquarium when in reality it’s just like 2 tanks in a store, it technically gets out of paying income tax.”
In an email to The Mary Sue, Raye said she was taken aback, despite her research, because “based on photos and other online reviews, I expected more of an immersive or structured aquarium experience—something more interactive for kids.”
She continued, “The visuals online felt slightly misleading in terms of scale and content. When I pulled up to the jewelry store, I was confused because there was a small sign next to it that said ‘Boca Aquarium’ so I knew I was in the right place and thought that maybe the aquarium was attached to the jewelry store…. kind of like how a Dunkin Donuts would be attached to a gas station if that makes sense.”
@thekaurieraye Definitely not what me or the kids expected but hey, it was something to do??♀️ #bocaraton #momthings #momof2 #boymoms #palmbeachcounty #thingstodo #explorewithus #travelmom ♬ original sound – Kaurie Raye | Food & Adventure
More disappointment
She says she saw the company’s TikTok response shortly after it was posted and was “disappointed.”
“I simply shared my authentic experience as a mom of two toddlers,” she says. “It’s OK for someone not to have the ideal visit, and I would have hoped for a more empathetic or constructive response.”
Despite the company’s slightly disheartening response, she still thinks the aquarium would be a good experience for children under two years old.
“My critique wasn’t about the size of the fish tanks but about expectations and the age-appropriateness of the experience,” she says. “However, I’d now add a disclaimer that the business’s response to feedback may affect a family’s overall comfort or sense of welcome.”
Her feedback to the aquarium is that families appreciate transparency when planning outings, especially when small children are involved. She says, “I believe honest feedback helps businesses grow and better serve their community. A little empathy goes a long way.”
She concludes that viral videos like hers can open up important conversations. “My goal has always been to create content that helps others, especially parents who navigate life with little ones. I truly believe we can hold businesses accountable and still encourage curiosity, learning, and community-building,” she says.
The Mary Sue contacted the Boca Aquarium via website contact form.
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