Updated for September 2026
The Best Aquariums in North America
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 North America that qualifies for the list, fullest entry first.
Listed alphabetically
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Picnic areaParkingAssistance animal policy
Aquarium du Québec
Aquarium in Québec
The 16-hectare site holds over 10,000 animals of more than 300 species. Animals on show include polar bears, seals, leopard sharks, giant Pacific octopuses and jellyfish.
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Animal encounterBehind-the-scenes tourParking
Aquarium of Niagara
Aquarium in Niagara Falls
It started as a private company of researchers and chemists trialling a new artificial seawater formula, and opened on 12 June 1965 as the first inland aquarium anywhere to rely solely on that method.
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Parking
Aquarium of the Bay
Aquarium in San Francisco
The collection concentrates on species of the local bay and of the connected rivers and watersheds reaching up to the Sierra. It is one of seven bodies under its parent, Bay Ecotarium, and is both a Smithsonian Affiliate and a city-certified Green Business.
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Animal feeding experienceOn-site diningParking
Aquarium of the Pacific
Aquarium in Long Beach
It opened on 20 June 1998 and recorded 1.7 million visitors in 2018. It faces the convention centre, Shoreline Village and the Queen Mary across the water, and has a street named Aquarium Way.
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Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo
Zoo & Aquarium in Flatts Village
It combines an aquarium, a natural history museum and a zoo, concentrating on the species of oceanic islands. Animals on show include harbour seals, Galapagos tortoises and Green Sea Turtle.
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Rides and attractionsOn-site diningNight and evening opening
Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Powell
It stands on the Scioto River, along the east bank of the O'Shaughnessy Reservoir. Its public profile owes much to promotion by the director emeritus, Jack Hanna, and in 2009 the USA Travel Guide ranked it the top zoo in the United States.
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Touch poolOvernight stayParking
Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk
Aquarium in Norwalk
It is the sole aquarium dedicated to Long Island Sound, which is designated an estuary of national significance. The building covers about 140,000 square feet, with over 177,000 gallons in live-animal displays. More than 2,700 animals of over 300 species are held.
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Keeper talk or showOvernight stayBehind-the-scenes tour
National Aquarium
Aquarium in Baltimore
The aquarium holds over 2.2 million US gallons of water, more than 17,000 specimens and over 750 species. It draws 1.5 million visitors a year and is the state's biggest tourist attraction.
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Touch poolParkingDisability admission concession
New England Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Boston
Before the pandemic more than 1.3 million people visited each year. California sea lions, harbor and northern fur seals, penguins, giant Pacific octopuses and loggerhead and green sea turtles are among the species on show. The Simons Theatre and a whale watch operation share Central Wharf with it.
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Behind-the-scenes tour
North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
Aquarium in Pine Knoll Shores
North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores is an aquarium in Pine Knoll Shores, United States. Animals on show include river otters, shark and American bald eagles.
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Assistance animal policy
North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island
Aquarium in Manteo
North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island is an aquarium in Manteo, United States. Animals on show include alligator, stingrays, river otters and sharks.
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Touch poolPlaygroundBehind-the-scenes tour
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Omaha
It traces back to the Riverview Park Zoo, founded in 1894, and took its current name in 1963 after a $750,000 gift from Margaret Hitchcock Doorly given in memory of her husband, Henry. The grounds include the Desert Dome, a 137-foot-high, 230-foot-wide glazed geodesic dome built in 2002 and described as the largest of its type, the Lied Jungle, an indoor rainforest opened in 1992 covering 123,000 square feet, and the Scott Aquarium, opened in 1995 with 1.2 million gallons of water and a shark tank crossed by a 70-foot viewing tunnel. Later additions include the 28-acre African Grasslands exhibit, opened in 2016 at a cost of $73 million, alongside a free-flight aviary for around 500 birds and an amphibian programme that has released more than 121,000 animals to date.
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Keeper talk or show
Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Pittsburgh
The site occupies 77 acres of parkland and holds over 4,000 animals of 475 species, twenty of them threatened or endangered. It began in 1898 under the name Highland Park Zoo and shifted over time from a menagerie towards a conservation body. Growth in the late 1930s came from Works Progress Administration labour and foundation gifts, and produced what was then the second largest aquarium in the country.
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San Antonio Zoological Gardens & Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Leon Valley
Annual attendance tops a million. The on-site Richard Friedrich Aquarium dates from 1948 and was the city's only aquarium until SeaWorld arrived in 1988, while a miniature train ride has operated since 1956.
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Behind-the-scenes tourParkingImmersive media attraction
SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium
Aquarium in Orlando
SEA LIFE Orlando Aquarium is an aquarium in Orlando, United States. Animals on show include Loggerhead turtle, axolotls, sea stars and anemones.
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Keeper talk or showOvernight stayGuided tour
Steinhart Aquarium
Aquarium in San Francisco
Steinhart Aquarium, opened in 1923, is an aquarium in San Francisco, United States.
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Keeper talk or showNight and evening openingParking
Toledo Zoo
Zoo & Aquarium in Toledo
The zoo keeps over 10,000 animals from 720 species. Its holdings have been described as one of the most varied zoo and aquarium collections in the country.
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Vancouver Aquarium
Aquarium in Vancouver
It was among the first to place professional naturalists in its galleries to explain animal behaviour to visitors.
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Keeper talk or showBehind-the-scenes tourSensory and cognitive support
Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center
Zoo & Aquarium in Virginia Beach
The tanks hold more than 800,000 US gallons of fresh and salt water.
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On-site dining
Albuquerque Aquarium
Aquarium in Albuquerque
Its saltwater displays span the surf zone, shallows, reefs, and open and deep ocean, with species drawn from the Gulf of Mexico and the South Pacific.
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Animal encounter
Aquarium of Veracruz
Aquarium in Veracruz
Aquarium of Veracruz is an aquarium in Veracruz, Mexico. Things to do include The great shark tank, Penguin encounter and The jellyfish dance.
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Keeper talk or showChild friendlyTouch pool
Austin Aquarium
Aquarium in Austin
The aquarium is run by Crysty Covino, who is married to a former owner convicted of animal trafficking.
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Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in San Pedro
The programmes and displays cover the oceanography and marine biology of Southern California.
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Overnight stayGuided tourOn-site dining
California Academy of Sciences
Aquarium in San Francisco
Its origins lie in a learned society of 1853, and it was rebuilt from scratch in 2008. The main building, in Golden Gate Park, covers 400,000 square feet.
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Keeper talk or show
Curaçao Sea Aquarium
Aquarium in Curacao
Curaçao Sea Aquarium, opened in 1984, is an aquarium in Curacao, Curaçao. Animals on show include sharks, flamingos and lobsters.
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Keeper talk or show
Dallas World Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Dallas
Under a joint scheme linking local businesses with the Dallas public school district, many of the staff are full-time pupils at the business school within Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Magnet High School.
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Downtown Aquarium, Houston
Zoo & Aquarium in Houston
The aquarium occupies 6 acres at 410 Bagby Street, reusing two landmark buildings. More than 200 aquatic species are held in 500,000 US gallons of tanks, and the site also holds banquet space, a bar and two eateries.
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Keeper talk or show
Flint RiverQuarium
Aquarium in Albany
The displays are arranged to follow the course of the Flint River, taking in habitats of the wider basin drained by the Flint, Chattahoochee and Apalachicola rivers.
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Immersive media attraction
Georgia Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Atlanta
Its seven principal galleries contain upwards of 11 million US gallons of water. Nothing larger existed between its opening in 2005 and 2012, the year S.E.A. Aquarium in Singapore and China's Chimelong Ocean Kingdom surpassed it. It remains sixth in the world by size and the biggest anywhere in the United States.
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Great Lakes Aquarium
Aquarium in Duluth
It covers 62,000 sq ft and keeps 205 species of fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals. It is among the few aquariums in the United States weighted towards freshwater displays, the main exhibits being modelled on real habitats of the Lake Superior basin.
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Touch poolPicnic areaIndoor spaces
Greater Cleveland Aquarium
Aquarium in Cleveland
It occupies the old FirstEnergy Powerhouse on the west bank of the Cuyahoga in the Flats, and opened in January 2012 with about 70,000 sq ft of display space. There are 55 displays, grouped into nine themes of local and exotic fish. It is the only stand-alone independent aquarium in the state, and its opening closed a 26-year gap in which the city had none.
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Animal encounterOn-site diningParking
John G. Shedd Aquarium
Aquarium in Chicago
Some 32,000 animals are held in five million US gallons of water at a site that first admitted visitors on 30 May 1930. It ranks among the oldest continuously operating American aquariums outside government hands. By size it comes fourth in the Western Hemisphere, behind The Seas at Epcot, the Georgia Aquarium and L'Oceanogràfic, and eleventh in the world.
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Keeper talk or showBehind-the-scenes tourOn-site dining
Johnny Morris' Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Springfield
Adjoining the flagship Bass Pro Shops store, to which it is joined, the complex carries the name of that company's founder, Johnny Morris. It now runs to 350,000 square feet in two principal halves, one of them a museum where taxidermy gathered from many countries is set into detailed habitat dioramas alongside artefacts, artworks and films. Big game mounts making up the North American Heads and Horns Collection, owned by the Boone and Crockett Club, are held here.
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Animal encounter
Long Island Aquarium and Exhibition Center
Aquarium in Riverhead
The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation was given space inside the building.
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Rides and attractionsOn-site diningMobility equipment loan
Memphis Zoo and Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Memphis
Over 3,500 animals from more than 500 species are kept on 76 acres, about 55 of them built on. Set up in April 1906, it has been a principal occupant of Overton Park for a century and more.
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Animal encounterOn-site diningParking
Mississippi Aquarium
Aquarium in Gulfport
The aquarium occupies a 5.8-acre site mixing indoor and outdoor habitats, with more than 200 animal species and 50 species of native plant. Construction was paid for through a mix of federal, state, local and private money.
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Monterey Bay Aquarium
Aquarium in Monterey
The aquarium shows 35,000 animals of over 550 species in 2.3 million gallons of water. Its staff pioneered jellyfish husbandry and were the first to keep and display a great white shark.
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Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Sarasota
The laboratory has been based in Sarasota since 1960 and on City Island since 1978. The aquarium acts as its public face, showing over 100 marine species tied to staff research; a second site, the Mote Science Education Aquarium, operates at 225 University Town Center.
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Keeper talk or showIndoor spacesAccessible toilets
New York Aquarium
Aquarium in Brooklyn
The aquarium started in 1896 at Castle Garden in Battery Park, Manhattan, and shifted to Coney Island in 1957. It is run by the Wildlife Conservation Society, within a group of four zoos and one aquarium that includes the Bronx Zoo. The society's mission covers saving wildlife and wild places through science, conservation action and education.
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Wheelchair accessible routes
Oklahoma Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Jenks
Oklahoma Aquarium, opened in 2003, is a zoo in Jenks, United States.
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Oregon Coast Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Newport
It opened in 1992 on 23 acres beside the bay, close to the ocean. The main building carries five standing displays along with a changing gallery.
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Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma
The site occupies 29 acres and holds over 9,000 specimens of 367 species. It draws upwards of 600,000 visits a year.
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Behind-the-scenes tourImmersive media attractionGuided tour
SEA LIFE Arizona Aquarium
Aquarium in Tempe
It holds thousands of animals, with touch pools and a 360-degree tunnel. Its operator, Merlin Entertainments, runs over forty other aquariums across eleven countries on four continents, eight of them American.
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Behind-the-scenes tourEducation programImmersive media attraction
SEA LIFE Grapevine Aquarium
Aquarium in Grapevine
Thousands of animals are held, with touch pools and a 360-degree tunnel. It is owned and run by Merlin Entertainments.
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Behind-the-scenes tourOn-site diningParking
Seattle Aquarium
Aquarium in Seattle
The aquarium consists of three buildings. The Ocean Pavilion, which opened in August 2024, is given over to the Coral Triangle ecosystem, while the older buildings on Pier 59 and Pier 60 hold six major exhibits between them.
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Guided tour
Shreveport Aquarium
Aquarium in Shreveport
The aquarium stands beside the Red River, close to the Texas Street Bridge. Seven galleries hold a collection of about 3,000 animals. It trades every day of the week, throughout the year.
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Animal feeding experienceOn-site diningParking
South Carolina Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Charleston
Over 5,000 animals are shown in exhibits spread over two floors. The building sits on Charleston Harbor, with views taking in the USS Yorktown and the Ravenel Bridge.
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Animal encounter
St. Augustine Aquarium
Aquarium in St Augustine
The aquarium is at 2045 FL-16. It opened in 2016 and keeps upwards of 250 animals. Animals on show include starfish, horseshoe crabs, Cownose rays, Southern Rays and Eel.
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Tennessee Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Chattanooga
It opened in 1992 beside the river in the downtown area, with a large expansion following in 2005. Cumulative attendance has passed 20 million, the 20-millionth visitor arriving in March 2013. Two further public sites are run away from the main halls.
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PlaygroundAssistance animal policy
Texas State Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Corpus Christi
It is the biggest aquarium in the state and among the biggest in the country. Animals on show include Dolphin, Sharks, Stingray, Otters and Turtle.
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Animal encounterOvernight stayGuided tour
The Florida Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Tampa
The aquarium stands in the Channel District downtown and holds upwards of 7,000 aquatic animals and plants, both local and foreign.
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Guided tour
Waikiki Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Honolulu
Dating from 1904, it has belonged to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa for over a century, that link having been formed in 1919. Only the New York Aquarium is older among American public aquariums still operating. It stands on the shore next to a living coral reef, with more than 3,500 organisms representing 490 species of marine plant and animal.
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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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ParkingMobility equipment loanImmersive media attraction
Heal the Bay Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Santa Monica
It was previously called the Ocean Discovery Center and was run by UCLA up to 2003. It now serves as Heal the Bay's site for marine education, advocacy and community science, with programming centred on marine conservation, pollution prevention and environmental education. Over 100,000 visitors come each year, about 15,000 of them students.
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Maria Mitchell Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Nantucket
Maria Mitchell Aquarium, opened in 1997, is a zoo in Nantucket, United States. Animals on show include American Lobster, jellyfish, shrimp, tropical fish and crabs.
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Animal encounterChild friendlyBehind-the-scenes tour
Maui Ocean Center
Aquarium in Wailuku
Opened on 13 March 1998 by Coral World International, the 3-acre site is claimed to be the Western Hemisphere's biggest live tropical reef aquarium. It is the island's only public aquarium, and shows solely Hawaiian marine life.
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Moody Gardens Rainforest and Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Galveston
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National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium
Aquarium in Dubuque
National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium is an aquarium in Dubuque, United States.
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Touch pool
Newport Aquarium
Aquarium in Newport
Newport Aquarium is an aquarium in Newport, United States.
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Ripley's Aquarium of Canada
Aquarium in Toronto
It contains 5.7 million litres of water, split into ten named galleries, with over 20,000 specimens from more than 450 species. It stands just southeast of the CN Tower and is one of three sites Ripley Entertainment owns and runs.
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Touch pool
SEA LIFE Aquarium at LEGOLAND California Resort
Aquarium in Carlsbad
SEA LIFE Aquarium at LEGOLAND California Resort is an aquarium in Carlsbad, United States.
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Immersive media attraction
SEA LIFE Charlotte-Concord Aquarium
Aquarium in Concord
Thousands of animals are held, with a touch pool and a 180-degree tunnel. It is owned and run by Merlin Entertainments. Animals on show include Turtles, Sharks, Stingrays, Seahorses and Clownfish.
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Keeper talk or showBehind-the-scenes tourIndoor spaces
SEA LIFE Michigan Aquarium
Aquarium in Auburn Hills
Housed inside the Great Lakes Crossing Outlets mall, it is owned and run by Merlin Entertainments. The displays cover freshwater lakes, a coral reef, a shipwreck, a touch pool and a 180-degree underwater tunnel.
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Animal feeding experienceBehind-the-scenes tourAssistance animal policy
Tarpon Springs Aquarium
Aquarium in Tarpon Springs
The Konger family started the business on the sponge docks in 1990, and it is now run by the siblings Grant Konger and Paige Konger-Henry. They have moved it to a new site and keep adding displays for acquisitions and rescues.
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Animal encounterOn-site dining
The Living Planet Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Draper
The aquarium holds 4,500 animals of 550 species, arranged across five principal galleries.
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Guided tourParkingAccessible toilets
Ucluelet Aquarium
Aquarium in Ucluelet
A permanent building opened on 1 June 2012, following a small waterfront building that had run seasonally from 2004 to 2011 as a trial of the concept. The displays cover invertebrates, fishes and marine plants native to the island's west coast.
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UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium
Aquarium in Savannah
UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium is an aquarium in Savannah, United States.
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Woods Hole Science Aquarium
Aquarium in Woods Hole
Woods Hole Science Aquarium is an aquarium in Woods Hole, United States.
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Adventure Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Camden
A for-profit aquarium run by Herschend beside the Delaware River, it first opened in 1992 and reopened in its present form on 25 May 2005 with roughly 8,000 animals. The tanks hold more than two million US gallons of water, and the public floor space covers 200,000 square feet. Recyclable cutlery and plant-based straws are served under a scheme called Fins for the Future.
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Alaska SeaLife Center
Zoo & Aquarium in Seward
Alaska SeaLife Center is an aquarium in Seward, United States.
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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.
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Birch Aquarium at Scripps
Aquarium in La Jolla
Birch Aquarium at Scripps is an aquarium in La Jolla, United States.
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Keeper talk or showGuided tourEducation program
Huntsman Fundy Discovery Aquarium
Aquarium in St. Andrews
Huntsman Fundy Discovery Aquarium is an aquarium in St. Andrews, Canada. Animals on show include Atlantic salmon, Sea horses, American lobster and harbour harp seal.
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Touch poolGuided tourParking
Key West Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Key West
Standing at 1 Whitehead Street, where it carries Historic Marker 52, it ranks among the earliest aquariums in Florida and was billed at the time as the country's first open-air aquarium.
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Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay
Zoo & Aquarium in Las Vegas
The 105,000 sq ft building is styled as a sunken ancient temple. It holds the largest aquarium tank on the Strip, at 1.3 million US gallons. Eighty people were employed in 2017, 35 of them aquarists.
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St. Lucie County Aquarium
Aquarium in Fort Pierce
The site houses the Smithsonian Marine Ecosystems Exhibit, a working model of a coral reef holding 3,000 gallons, which was transferred here after being retired from the National Museum of Natural History in 2000. The other displays deal with the Indian River Lagoon and the coastal habitats around it.
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UnderWater World Guam
Zoo & Aquarium in Tamuning
It is the only oceanarium in the US territory and claims one of the longest aquarium tunnels anywhere. Much of the stock comes from the seas around the 200-square-mile island.
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Acuario Michin Guadalajara
Aquarium in Guadalajara
Acuario Michin Guadalajara is an aquarium in Guadalajara, Mexico.
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ParkingWheelchair accessible routes
Belle Isle Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Detroit
The building covers 10,000 square feet, with a single long gallery under an arched ceiling of green glass tiles. At the opening ceremony it was said to be the third largest aquarium in the world, holding 65,007 US gallons. In 2005 it ran 60 exhibits totalling 32,000 US gallons, with 146 species and more than 1,500 fish.
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OdySea Aquarium
Aquarium in Scottsdale
It opened on 3 September 2016. Over two million US gallons of water are spread across more than 200,000 sq ft, holding more than 6,000 animals of 370 species in over 65 displays.
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Animal feeding experienceTouch pool
Seaside Aquarium
Zoo & Aquarium in Seaside
Seaside Aquarium, opened in 1937, is a zoo in Seaside, United States. Animals on show include Harbor Seals, Anemones, sea stars, rockfish and Sea Turtles.
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Touch poolPlaygroundBehind-the-scenes tour
North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher
Aquarium in Kure Beach
North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher is an aquarium in Kure Beach, United States. Its exhibits include Pacific Corals and Adventure Reef.
Our ranking methodology
This is not a ranking. The 88 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.