With Shark Week starting this week, I figured the best way to pay homage would be to make my list of top 3 best aquariums to visit! Zoos and Aquariums are always a favorite site when visiting a city. While they aren’t exactly showcasing the animals in their natural habitat, it’s still a good way to get a closer look at animals you might not normally come into contact with, ever. It’s a great opportunity to learn more about them and how they are when in their natural habitat. These are my top 3 best aquariums to visit when you’re on your travels!:
1. Audubon Aquarium of the Americas – New Orleans, Louisiana
Not only is this amazing state full of it’s own culture; it has the best aquariums with some great exhibits to help teach you about animals and their habitats. You can get a Backstage Penguin Pass and meet the furry little guys. The penguins in their care are endangered African penguins and you can learn how the aquarium takes care of them. You can also get a birds-eye-view of the Amazon rainforest and meet various exotic species of fish, including the infamous piranha. The coolest exhibit I think this aquarium has to offer is the quarter-scale underwater oil rig you can visit is the Gulf of Mexico exhibit. You can see all the marine life that has made the rig their home, along with sharks, stingrays, and sea turtles.
2. Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies – Gatlinburg, Tennessee
At this aquarium, you have the opportunity to see an 8-foot long Green Morey Eel up close and personal. You can see a Sand Tiger Shark, the largest shark in the aquarium, or you can watch as the Green Sea Turtles glide through the water on his way around his home. You can also see a Nurse Shark, which gets its name from the nursing sound they make while feeding. This best part about this aquarium is the “slumber party” event they offer. Find out if sharks actually sleep at night after a day full of adventure, including a scavenger hunt and dive show, or join the Penguin PJ Party, and see what the birds do when it’s bed time.
3. Texas State Aquarium – Corpus Christi, Texas
See dolphins in the bay from this aquarium’s dolphin underwater room, and visit the Flower Gardens exhibit that replicates an actual coral reef located in the aquarium’s back yard, the Gulf of Mexico! Otter Creek is the cutest exhibit at this aquarium, not to mention educational. See how these furry little guys live and interact with one another. You even have the opportunity at this aquarium to pet a stingray or a shark, and learn about how you can help protect them in their natural environments. This is one of the best aquariums in Texas by far.
There are various aquariums and zoos all over the world that provide you with the opportunity to learn so much about the animals we share this Earth with. The best aquariums typically offer various activities and events to better educate the public on the natural habitats of the wildlife in the area. Don’t forget to watch Shark Week this week!
