By: Natasha Lehr
It may be getting hot outside, but that doesn’t mean you can’t explore the wonders of the world’s oceans in the comfort of a little air conditioning.
Aquariums provide an awe-inspiring experience that most of us would never get the chance to have without donning a wetsuit. No need for that, or to even break a sweat in the heat of summer, because we’ve compiled a coast-to-coast list of the best aquariums in the United States.
The National Aquarium (Baltimore, MD)
This aquarium sits near the heart of our nation’s capital. It lives up to the title of the “National Aquarium”, yet, a visit to this aquarium will take you on a trip across continents. The many exhibits will have you walking among free-roaming creatures from the Amazon to Australia. If the thousands of species within this aquarium aren’t exciting enough, it also has some of the coolest architecture of any aquarium in the country.
The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas (New Orleans, LA)
This aquarium is not big in size, but it makes up for it with a walk through Caribbean Reef and numerous other exhibits. It is located on the Mississippi River near the edge of the historic French Quarter. Badly damaged by Hurricane Katrina, the aquarium has bounced back and is as impressive as ever. It also has a spectacular Seahorse Gallery, a shark touch pool, and a rare white alligator!
The Monterey Bay Aquarium (Monterey, CA)
This beachside aquarium sits in a prime location along historic Cannery Row. It boasts more than 35,000 plant and animal species! Within that there is a Tentacle Exhibit where you can see the world’s smallest squid and the largest species of cuttlefish. They also have one of the largest live jellyfish exhibits in the country. If that isn’t cool enough, there is three-story live kelp forest in which divers can be seen maintaining the 80 different species of seaweed.
The John G. Shedd Aquarium (Chicago, IL)
The must-see exhibit at this aquarium is the tri-level Oceanarium. It is the largest indoor marine mammal facility in the world and includes dolphins, beluga whales, sea otters, sea lions, and penguins. Because this aquarium was built in 1930 it has some historical nostalgia in terms of architecture, but this aquarium is anything but history.
The Georgia Aquarium (Atlanta, GA)
This is the largest aquarium in the United States. With this comes the ability to house beluga whales, dolphins, hammerhead sharks, manta rays, and whale sharks! This is the only aquarium in the United States where you can hangout alongside 40 foot long whale sharks in a 6.3 million gallon aquarium. That experience alone is worth the trip, but this aquarium also provides the opportunity to get up close and personal with sea otters, penguins, and dolphins.
So whether you are planning a much needed vacation or just a weekend outing, these aquariums are worth the trip.
Source: Wikipedia