Want to dive into something truly memorable? These aquariums offer more than just tanks—they deliver hands-on encounters, stunning architecture, and unforgettable underwater worlds.
Highlights:
Unique Aquariums:
1. Georgia Aquarium
Rating: ★★★★★
Located near Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta, Georgia Aquarium is a magical place containing several major galleries with over 70 diverse habitats, holding 10 million gallons of water where thousands of marine creatures thrive.
You will see whale sharks, dolphins, manta rays, beluga whales, African penguins, sea otters, and many species of exotic marine animals and fish.
There is also a famous AT&T Dolphin Tales show, a combination of an educational message about animal behavior, theatrics, a catchy Broadway-inspired musical score, and a thrilling story.
The animated "Deepo's Undersea 3D Wondershow" tells the story about the need for conservation and the protection of animals and their habitats. The aquarium also runs a number of behind-the-scenes programs such as meeting dolphins, penguins, and sea otters or swimming with manta rays and whale sharks.
225 Baker St, Atlanta, GA 30313-1809, Phone: 404-581-4000
2. Monterey Bay Aquarium
Located on historic Cannery Row in Monterey, Monterey Bay Aquarium's goal is to inspire the conservation of the world's oceans. Established in 1984, it is considered one of the top aquariums in the world and is famous for its innovative and fascinating exhibitions.
The aquarium has 34 galleries with 200 exhibits that house 35,000 animals from more than 550 species.
The exhibits showcase one of the richest marine regions in the world as well as the habitats and species that call it home.
The aquarium is also one of the world's most respected marine conservation institutions and has a range of programs aimed at providing detailed information on some fascinating sea creatures, the most popular being the otter and penguin feeding programs, which allow visitors to get up close and personal to these charming species.
886 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA 93940, Phone: 831-648-4800
3. New York Aquarium
Opened in 1896, New York Aquarium in Brooklyn, NYC is America's' oldest operating aquarium. In 1957 the aquarium moved to the boardwalk in Brooklyn's Coney Island and is the only aquarium in New York City.
The facility is part of the Wildlife Conservation Society, the largest network of the country's metropolitan wildlife parks.
The goal of the New York Aquarium is the conservation of all the world's wildlife and wild places. It is spread over 14 acres and is home to 266 species of aquatic animals.
The New York Aquarium is currently under significant renovation, but some of its main attractions are still open, such as Glovers Reef, the Sea Cliffs outdoor spaces, Conservation Hall, and the Aquatheater, which features a sea lion demonstration.
602 Surf Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11224, Phone: 718 265 3474
4. Shedd Aquarium
Opened in 1930, Shedd Aquarium in Chicago was for a time the world's largest indoor aquarium and it was the first inland aquarium to have a permanent collection of saltwater fish.
It currently provides home to 32,000 animals in 5,000,000 gallons of water. Together with the Field Museum of Natural History and the Adler Planetarium, Shedd Aquarium is located in the heart of Museum Campus Chicago.
The aquarium's various habitats contain 1,500 species including fish, mammals, snakes, birds, amphibians, and insects. Some of the museum's award-winning exhibits are Seahorse Symphony, Amazon Rising, and Wild Reef.
Although the aquarium has a large number of temporary exhibitions, there are a few that are permanent, namely Waters of the World, Amazon Rising, Caribbean Reef, Wild Reef, and the Abbott Oceanarium.
1200 S Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60605, Phone: 312-939-2438
5. National Aquarium
The National Aquarium in Baltimore, is located in the Baltimore's Inner Harbor and was opened in 1981.
The aquarium's 2,200,000 gallons of water are home to 17,000 creatures from more than 750 species. The aquarium's goal is to inspire efforts towards the conservation of the aquatic treasures of the world by confronting the pressing issues affecting aquatic habitats through advanced science, education, and conservation.
The aquarium's most notable exhibits are the Upland Tropical Rain Forest, a spectacular multi-story Atlantic Coral Reef, Australia: Wild Extremes, and the Open Ocean shark tank.
One of the aquarium's most popular features is a 4D Immersion Theater, while the aquarium's spacious marine mammal pavilion, which opened in 1990, is now a home to eight Atlantic bottlenose dolphins.
501 E Pratt St, Baltimore, MD 21202, Phone: 410-576-3800
6. Oregon Coast Aquarium
Located on Yaquina Bay in Newport, Oregon Coast Aquarium was opened in 1992 and quickly became a popular Oregon coast attraction and the center of marine education in Oregon.
The aquarium is famous as the home of Keiko, the orca from the movie Free Willy, until he was released in the waters near Iceland in 1998.
The aquarium focuses on the marine and terrestrial flora and fauna of the Oregon coast. There are three permanent exhibits – Rocky Shores, Sandy Shores, and Coastal Waters – in addition to an area that hosts changing exhibits.
The first exhibit features species that live in bays such as Yaquina Bay or close to shore.
Further along, the aquarium features animals further offshore, a kelp forest, and an exhibit of jellyfish. The outdoor aquarium also has a large seabird aviary and houses marine mammals native to the Oregon Coast, such as sea otters, California sea lions, and harbor seals. A fascinating coastal cave is home to a giant Pacific octopus.
2820 SE Ferry Slip Rd, Newport, OR 97365
7. Audubon Aquarium of the Americas
Located right on the Mississippi River next to the French Quarter of New Orleans, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas showcases diverse exhibits that feature the aquatic habitats of North and South America.
The aquarium is home to more than 15,000 animals from 600 species that live happily in this state-of-the art facility.
The most popular exhibits include Caribbean Reef, which is enclosed in a transparent 30-foot-long tunnel holding 132,000 gallons of water with Caribbean species such as the tarpon and angelfish, and Amazon World, a giant humid, hot greenhouse protected by a glass cylinder and filled with tropical plants and trees, piranhas, macaws, anacondas, freshwater stingrays, and many other fascinating species.
The Mississippi River exhibit features paddlefish, catfish, owls, and a white alligator, while the Gulf of Mexico exhibit has a 17-foot-tall tank filled with sharks, stingrays, marine turtles, and much more.
1 Canal St, New Orleans, LA 70130, Phone: 504-565-3033
Romantic Aquariums:
8. Seattle Aquarium
Seattle Aquarium, opened in 1977, is a public aquarium located on the Elliott Bay waterfront on Pier 59 in Seattle. The aquarium's goal is supporting marine conservation and teaching about human impacts on marine life.
Some of the main exhibits include Window on Washington Waters, which mimics the Washington coastal waters and hosts native marine life such as rockfish, salmon, and sea anemones; the Crashing Waves exhibit, which showcases Washington shores between the intertidal zone and a depth of about 5 feet; and Life on the Edge, featuring the tidepool life of Seattle's inland sea.
The Life of a Drifter exhibit has a 12-foot-tall glass "donut" filled with moon jellies and giant Pacific octopus, Pacific Coral Reef is an artificial coral reef teeming with reef fish, Ocean Oddities displays pinecone fish, flying gurnards, cowfish, potbellied seahorses, and short dragonfish, and the Marine Mammals exhibit includes harbor seals, sea otters, northern fur seals, and river otters and also contains the Orca Family Activity Center.
1483 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98101, Phone: 206-386-4300
9. Aquarium of the Pacific
The Aquarium of the Pacific is a public aquarium located on Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach, California, across from the Long Beach Convention Center, stretched across a 5-acre site. The aquarium is home to more than 11,000 animals from over 500 species and contains three major permanent galleries. The warm Southern California/Baja Gallery has a three-story Blue Cavern tank with animals that live around Catalina Island, the Amber Forest contains a replica of a giant kelp forest, while the Gulf of California simply teems with fish like Cortez rainbow wrasse, porcupine fish, and Mexican lookdowns.
This gallery also includes a sea lion and seal habitat, a ray touch pool as well as the Shorebird Sanctuary. The Northern Pacific Gallery contains a selection of species and habitats from the Bering Sea, such as the sea otter habitat with southern sea otters, and the diving birds exhibit with puffins and auklets, and the giant Pacific octopus tank. The tropical Pacific 350,000-gallon tank is home to a tropical reef habitat, which has zebra sharks, olive ridley sea turtles, and many other species.
100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA 90802, Phone: 562-590-3100
10. Florida Aquarium
Florida Aquarium is located in the Channel District in downtown Tampa. It was opened in 1995 and contains over 20,000 aquatic animals and plants from Florida and the rest of the world, which thrive in its a large 250,000-square-foot aquarium. The facility has a rich selection of conservation and education programs, offering summer camps and school trips.
Florida Aquarium's exhibits show the journey of water from Florida's freshwater springs all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Among the most interesting exhibits are a simulated wetlands under a glass atrium, Bays and Beaches with aquatic species that live in Tampa Bay and along Florida shores, and a coral reef with a simulated 60-foot dive that shows how the reef and the plants and animals that live in it change as the depth increases.
701 Channelside Dr, Tampa, FL 33602, Phone: 813-273-4000
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