24 Best Aquariums in the United States of America for Vacation in USA - Part 02
Aquariums offer a great way for people of all ages to immerse themselves
in the underwater world, which few get to see in real life, and learn not only
about the creatures that live in our rivers, lakes, and oceans, but also about
their habitats and the issues that put them in danger of extinction. Here are
the best American aquariums.
13
Best Aquariums in the USA: Newport Aquariums
The Newport Aquarium is a commercial aquarium in Newport,
Levee, Newport, Kentucky. The aquarium is open throughout the year and has 70
exhibits in 14 galleries and five 200-foot acrylic tunnels. The aquarium holds 1,000,000 gallons
of water, where thousands of animals from around the world show a lot.
Some of the most popular animals are the shark rays "
Scooter " and " Sweet Pea " and, since 2009, a baby shark ray from
Taiwan called “ Sunshine. ” Other popular attractions are the rainforest with
Burmese pythons, kea, kookaburra, rainbow lorikeet, and Swainson's blue
mountain lory; Gator Alley with Mighty Mike, the biggest American alligator
outside Florida, Orinoco crocodiles, caiman and gharial; Amazon with arapaima,
redtail catfish, pacu, silver arowana, long - tailed river stingrays, and
perch.
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Best Aquariums in the USA: Birch Aquarium
Birch Aquarium in Scripps is the University of California
public outreach center at San Diego 's Scripps Institute of Oceanography. The
aquarium houses more than 3,000 animals of 380 species. Located on the top of
the hill, it offers wonderful views of the campus and the Pacific. It is
organized around a central lobby leading to different exhibits. The area
occupies 64.175 square feet and all tanks hold 175,000 gallons of seawater
together.
Among many fascinating exhibits, some stand out, such as the
60 Fishes Hall tanks, which hold hundreds of fish and invertebrates from the
cold Pacific Northwest to the tropical Caribbean and Mexico and the Caribbean.
Another exhibition, Shark Reef, houses tropical reef sharks like blacktip reef
sharks, Port Jackson sharks and brownbanded bamboo sharks. The Coral Reef
exhibit features live coral and reef dwellers such as chambered nautilus,
lionfish, and giant clams, while Feeling the Heat: The Climate Challenge
illustrates the findings from the years of the Scripps Institute 's research on
climate change.
15
Best Aquariums in the USA: Texas State Aquariums
In Corpus Christi, Texas, Texas State Aquarium is a non -
profit facility dedicated to the conservation and conservation of wildlife in
the Gulf of Mexico. Of its numerous fascinating exhibits, the most popular
include Dolphin Bay, a 400,000-gallon tank that is home to four Atlantic
bottlenose dolphins and Eagle Pass, which holds raptors that for various
reasons cannot be released back into the wild.
The most famous inmate is the Grace bald eagle. The Floating
Phantoms aquarium holds phantoms of the sea–jellyfish and sea nettles from the
Gulf of Mexico–while Flower Gardens simulates a coral reef with a 40,000-gallon
tank containing Atlantic tarpon, cownose stingrays, and green moray eels. This
aquarium also hosts the show " Diver in the Wate”r.
16 Best Aquariums in the USA: Alaska Sealife Center
Alaska SeaLife Center is the only permanent rehabilitation
facility for marine mammals in Alaska, located in Seward on the shores of
Resurrection Bay. It is also the main public aquarium in Alaska and focuses on
research, conservation, education and rehabilitation to promote the
understanding and enforcement of the integrity of the marine ecosystem in
Alaska. Alaska Sealife Center is the only organization dedicated exclusively to
the northern marine environment in the world.
The center investigates the marine ecosystems of Alaska and
its inhabitants, such as marine mammals, fish, invertebrates and sea birds,
some of which are endangered or threatened. The center is also specialized in
research on marine birds and marine mammals, such as Steller marine lions,
harbor seals, eiders, fur seals, marine otters and others.
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Best Aquariums in the USA: Waikiki Aquariums:
The Waikiki Aquarium was established in 1904 and has been
part of the University of Hawaii since 1919. It is located on Waikiki Beach
across the Kapiolani Park and near a living reef. Over 3500 animals of 500
marine species are found in the aquarium. In 1978 Waikiki Aquarium developed
the first living Pacific corals in the States using the natural sunlight and
the seawater well.
They were able to grow tables and staghorn corals with a
special device, some of which are 30 years old now. Waikiki Aquarium was the
first American aquarium to have sustainable embryos. The Waikiki Aquarium was
also the first to show blacktip reef sharks, giant clams and mahi hatchery and
exhibits.
18 Best Aquariums in the USA: Denver Downtown Aquarium
The downtown aquarium, formerly known as the Colorado Ocean
Journey Aquarium, is now part of the restaurants of Landry. It opened in 2005
under the name Downtown Aquarium in a newly designed space. The aquarium has
over a million gallons of water in various taverns, filled with spectacular
underwater exhibits.
There are about 500 aquatic and terrestrial species in the
center of Aquarium. A special attraction is the interactive reef touch tank.
The aquarium has fresh water as well as oceans and a connection between rivers
and oceans. Many endangered or endangered species, including 12 fish, six
reptiles, two mammals and two birds, are involved.
19 Best Aquariums in the USA: South Carolina Aquarium
The Charleston Harbor Aquarium in South Carolina opened in
2000 in Charleston, South Carolina, home to more than 10,000 animals and
plants. The biggest and most popular display is the Great Ocean Tank in the
aquarium's first three floors. The aquarium is home to over 700 animals with
over 385 000 gallons of water.
The aquarium has a touch tank where guests are invited in the
Atlantic to touch rays, cows and other animals. Other animals in the South
Carolina Aquarium are otters, alligators, loggerhead sea turtles, owls, big
blue herons, lined seahorses, jellyfish, green moray eels, pythons, stars of
the sea and sharks.
20 Best Aquariums in the USA: Tennessee Aquariums
The Tennessee Aquarium is a public aquarium at the banks of
the Tennessee River in central Chattanooga, Tennessee. After a major expansion
in 2005, the aquarium now holds more than 12,000 animals from about 800 species.
The aquarium consists of two facilities, the first being the River Journey, a
twelve-story building with a height of 130,000 square feet and 400,000 gallons
of water, making it one of the largest freshwater aquariums in the world.
It develops around the theme of the river story, from the
Appalachian Mountains to the Gulf of Mexico. The other facility, the Ocean
Journey, is a 10-story building with 700,000 gallons of water, measuring 60,000
square feet. The story goes on from the Journey River to the Gulf of Mexico and
contains some beautiful species such as hyacinth macaws. It has a small ray and
shark tank, and a butterfly garden with butterflies from South America.
21 Best Aquariums in the USA: North Carolina Aquariums at Fort Fisher
The Fort Fisher Aquarium is located about 15 miles south of
Kure Beach in Wilmington and one mile from the Fort Fisher Ferry Terminal. The
aquarium features a range of exhibits, from tidal pools and salt marshes to an
open ocean exhibit two stories high that is home to rays, sharks, and eels as
well as Luna, a beautiful rare albino alligator, and one rescued bald eagle.
You can touch the stingray and get close and personal to the
loggerhead's sea turtle. The theme of the aquarium is a journey along the Cape
Fear River, swamps and freshwater streams to different coastal habitats, reefs
and the open sea.
22 Best Aquariums in the USA: Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium
The Kingdoms of the Seas Aquarium Walter and Suzanne Scott
were opened in 1995 and soon became one of the most important attractions. The
building is 71,000 square meters and has a water content of 1,200,000 gallons.
The aquarium consists of various aquatic habitats, including exhibits in Polar
Regions, flooded Amazon rainforests, temperate oceans and corals. Tanks with
jellyfish and open sea fish are also available, and a portable touch tank
allows visitors to experience shark and stingray skins.
23 Best Aquariums in the USA: SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium
The Sea Life Minnesota Aquarium in Bloomington’s Mall of
America is a 1200,000 gallon aquarium. The journey through the aquarium begins
with the Stingray Adventure, which includes the Pacific Northwest Rockpool and
the Shipwreck and Ray Pool, where visitors can interact with rays.
There is also the discovery of Jellyfish, filled with many
types of jellyfish, the interactive exhibits of Shark Discovery, the Seahorse
Kingdom with six species of seahorse and the coral caves with live coral and
reef fish such as clownfish and regal blue tang. After Coral Caves, visitors
enter through four tanks the 300-foot acrylic tunnel: Atlantis, the Rainbow
Reef, the Wild Amazon and Lake Sturgeon. The journey ends with the mysteries of
the Rainforest with caimans, tortoises, frogs and piranhas.
24 Best Aquariums in the USA: Mystic Aquariums & Institute for Exploration
Mystic Aquarium is home to three whales, two fur seals from
the north, three Staller sea lions, seven California sea lions, a large colony
of black - footed African penguins, harbor seals, unicorn fish, octopus, blue
tang, sand tiger sharks and many other ocean dwellers. Visitors can meet
several species closely, such as African penguins, beluga whales and rays.
Mystic Aquarium, located in the scenic area of Mystic,
Connecticut, is one of only three American facilities with Staller sea lions
and the only one with beluga whales in New England. There are special exhibits
with rays, a shark touch pool, an African penguin exhibition, a jellyfish
gallery and an exhibit called Exploration: wild.
Mystic Aquarium is home to three whales, two northern fur
seals, three Steller sea lions, seven California sea lions, a large African
black - footed colony of pingouins, harbor seals, unicorn fish, octopus, blue
tang, sand tiger sharks and many other ocean dwellers. Visitors can find many
species, such as African penguins, whales of beluga and stingrays.
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