Aquariums are a great place to explore the underwater world without needing scuba gear and being able to stay dry. A lot can be learned at an aquarium such as conservation efforts being conducted to help save aquatic habitats and information about fish and where they are originate from. Aquarists can find inspirations for their aquariums at home, jobs to provide professional experience in fish husbandry and animal keeping, and some aquariums provide courses for professional development in the field. In this article, we will go over 5 fantastic aquariums that can be visited in the United States.
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Located in Monterey, California, the Monterey Bay Aquarium sits right on the Pacific Ocean’s doorstep. The main goal of this aquarium is to inspire conservation of our oceans! There are 2.3 million gallons of water here that house roughly 35,000 animals from over 550 different species.
One hot attraction to check out at the Monterey Bay Aquarium is the sea otter exhibit. This exhibit can be viewed above ground and underwater. So sea otters can be observed swimming and playing in the water and also lounging on the surface enjoying the sun’s rays! The sea otters at the Monterey Bay Aquarium are all rescued and without rescue they would have not survived in the wild. If you cannot make your way to see these otters in person, check out the live cam footage of the sea otters at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
There are many other animals and exhibits to explore at this aquarium. Green sea turtles can be seen swimming in the Open Sea exhibit where they are surrounded by many other marine wildlife. Hammerhead sharks, Tufted Puffins and many other wildlife can also be found inside this exhibit. There are other exhibits that show off kelp forests, coral reefs, wharfs, and the ocean sandy floor!
If you’re in the Monterey Bay area, check out this aquarium and become 1 of over 2 million annual visitors! This is a great aquarium with a lot to offer. Hours and closures are subject to change due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Shedd Aquarium
The Shedd Aquarium sits along side Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois. It is the second aquarium we will talk about in this article. The Shedd has roughly 5 million gallons of water with about 32,000 animals inhabiting the aquarium. Although it sits nowhere near saltwater, the Shedd Aquarium has a vast collection of saltwater animals including beluga whales, white sided dolphins, stingrays, and much more. The Shedd supports research to help save the critically endangered beluga whale population in Alaska.
One of Shedd Aquarium’s most iconic exhibits is the Caribbean Reef. This enormous 90,000 gallon aquarium is cylindrical in shape and able to be viewed almost completely around. This giant fish tank shows off some wonderful creatures that can be found in the Caribbean such as stingrays, sharks, and angelfish! There is always motion in this aquarium and from time to time a scuba diver can be seen cleaning the enclosure to help visitors enjoy the view.
There are many other animals and exhibits that can be seen at the Shedd Aquarium. The Abbott Oceanarium houses beluga whales, pacific white-sided dolphins, and sea otters. The Wild Reef exhibit is home to many different reef dwelling creatures, lurking sharks swimming in an enormous aquarium, and so much more! Other exhibits such as the Amazon Rising, Ricers, and Oceans can be found very close to the entrance. Follow this link to check out all other exhibits available!
If you’re in Chicago, the Shedd Aquarium, Planetarium, and Field Museum should be visited on the Museum Campus along Lake Michigan. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic hours and closures are expected to change!
Georgia Aquarium
The Georgia Aquarium located in Atlanta Georgia is probably the most iconic and well known aquarium in the United States. Being the largest in the country, this aquarium has over 10 million gallons of fresh and saltwater that holds thousands of animals such as whale sharks, manta rays, hammerhead sharks and so much more! The largest tank in the Georgia Aquarium is roughly 6.3 million US gallons and holds the largest fish in the world!
The whales sharks can be viewed in the Ocean Voyager exhibit. There are over 50 other species of fish that are housed with these giants. This exhibit allows you to walk through a 100 foot tunnel that is completely surrounded by water to fully get immersed. There will be plenty of opportunities to see all the marine fish that reside in this exhibit.
Another fantastic exhibit is the Dolphin Coast, where guests can sit and observe a presentation where dolphins do tricks while trainers educate the crowd with marine facts. Although there are many more exhibits at the Georgia Aquarium the last that will be highlighted is the Tropical Diver exhibit that has roughly 164,000 gallons of water and houses over 200 different coral species.
Check out the Georgia Aquarium website to see other exhibits and animals that can be seen during your visit. Hours and closures may vary due to the Covid-19 pandemic!
National Aquarium
The National Aquarium located in Baltimore, Maryland is a non-profit aquarium that holds over 2.2 million gallons of water and over 20,000 animals residing in these waters. The goal of the National Aquarium is to inspire conservation of the world’s aquatic treasures. The National Aquarium showcases many different types of exhibits that have freshwater, saltwater, and enclosed habitats for wildlife like pythons and birds.
The National Aquarium contains exhibits devoted to the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin. This dolphin exhibit gives visitors the opportunity to observe feeding and training of the animals! The dolphins will hopefully be moved to a 50 million gallon sanctuary in fall 2020. Another wonderful exhibit is the Atlantic Coral Reef. This exhibit is roughly 335,000 US gallons that houses many different species of animal like stingrays, sharks, and groupers.
There are many other exhibits that can be found here, on the National Aquarium website. The Blacktip Reef, Upland Tropical Rain Forest and Australia: Wild Extremes are a few more exhibits guests can visit when visiting this beautiful aquarium. Poison dart frogs, blue-crowned motmot, and various marine fish are a few animals that can be found throughout these exhibits. Openings and hours may vary due to the Covid-19 pandemic so please check the National Aquarium website for more information!
New England Aquarium
The New England Aquarium located in Boston, Massachusetts was originally opened in June 20, 1969. After a few changes and updates, it has become the aquarium you see today. Not having the monstrous 1 million gallon plus aquariums that others have does not stop the New England Aquarium from being remarkably interesting. It still manages to cater to roughly 1.3 million guests that come from all over. Many of these guests come to visit to see a very remarkable fish tank.
The fish tank in question is the Giant Ocean Tank that is a whopping 200,000 gallons. Where it lacks in gallons it surely makes up for in size. This fish tank is 40 feet wide and four-stories tall! You definitely get your exercise in visiting this aquarium. The main attraction in this exhibit is Myrtle the green sea turtle. This sea turtle enjoys life in this aquarium with many other marine fish, eels, and other sea turtles! This fish tank is themed after the Caribbean coral reef. It is a very unique and very tall fish tank and a must-see when visiting Boston.
Other exhibits at this aquarium include a 9,000 gallon Indo-Pacific Coral Reef that reaches far up from the floor to ceiling and houses many different marine fish such as yellow tangs, butterflyfish, foxface, and many more. Another exhibit is the Amazon Rainforest that holds many different tropical fish like the neon tetra, anacondas, and poison dart frogs! The Amazon Rainforest contains over 4,500 gallons of water! If you are interested in learning about other exhibits at this aquarium check out their website here.
The hours of opening and closures may change due to the Covid-19 pandemic so please check the New England Aquarium website for information on the matter.
Final Notes
There are many different aquariums around the United States and the world. This list is only to showcase a few of the many out there. They are all very unique and all have their own twist in the aquarium keeping world. Regardless, it is highly recommended to visit these aquariums!