Updated for September 2026
The Best Aquariums in Louisiana
How this list is ordered: by how complete our listing is — how much we hold on opening hours, ticket prices, accreditation, photographs, animals and facilities. It is a measure of our own coverage, not a judgement of the venue. We hold no visitor scores or conservation assessments, so “best” here means every aquarium in Louisiana that qualifies for the list, fullest entry first.
Listed alphabetically
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Indoor spaces
Aquarium of the Americas
Zoo & Aquarium in New Orleans
The aquarium specialises in the aquatic life of the Americas, with exhibits covering North and South American regions, and holds 10,000 animals of 530 species. It reopened on 8 June 2023 after a $41 million rebuild that merged the Audubon Insectarium into the building. It is run by the Audubon Nature Institute, which also oversees the Audubon Zoo, a nature centre, species survival and research centres, a coastal wildlife network and parks.
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Audubon Aquarium & Insectarium
Zoo & Aquarium in New Orleans
Part of the Audubon Nature Institute group, the combined attraction dates in its present form from 8 June 2023, when it reopened after moving out of the U.S. Custom House Federal Building and onto the aquarium site. The insect museum had first opened on 13 June 2008, and it took a Thea Award in the science centre category the following year.
Our ranking methodology
This is not a ranking. The 2 venues above are listed alphabetically by name, the same order used throughout this site. We do not collect visitor reviews, star ratings, ticket-sales figures or a conservation-impact score, so none of those exist here to rank by — “best” in this page’s title means every venue that qualifies for this list, not first-to-last by quality. If we ever add a data source robust enough to support an honest ranking, this note and the order above will change together.