The Lakes Aquarium is an aquarium in the village of Lakeside on the southern shore of Windermere, Cumbria, England. It is one of the docking points of Windermere Lake Cruises and also at one end of the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway. It is the third most visited paying tourist attraction in Cumbria .
It opened in 1997 as The Aquarium of the Lakes when the displays followed the theme of a Lake District stream, flowing down into the lake and then on to Morecambe Bay. During 2008 it was re-branded as the Lakes Aquarium, with a theme of the lakes of the world. The attraction is now owned by Spanish leisure company Parques Reunidos, who own and operate 67 parks across the world.
This area tells the story of the native and non native animals that can be found around the Lake District National Park. The conservation project for this area is the captive breeding and research of the endangered White Clawed Crayfish. It discusses the importance of not releasing animals from the pet trade, such as the terrapins, which can now be found surviving in the wild. All the terrapins in the aquarium were rehomed from members of the public.