Amazing Aquariums Across America to Celebrate Shark Week

Jul 14, 2024

This past week we all celebrated the illustrious Shark Week, and we thought it would be a great close out to extend it by just one more fintastic day! Today on the blog, we’re sharing some great options for amazing aquariums all across the US. Looking for some inspiration on where to start planning your next road trip? They make a great family vacation stop and are sure to please visitors of all ages in your party, plus it’s a great educational experience disguised as play and fun! Check out one of these incredible aquariums and make that your jumping off point to explore the city around it for some serious memory-making fun.

Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Illinois

We’re going to start our journey right here in our own backyard at the Shedd Aquarium! This incredible modern aquarium boasts 32,600 species of aquatic life. Its permanent exhibits include a 90,000 gallon Caribbean Reef aquarium display; the Amazon Rising display featuring wildlife from the rainforest and river, the underground Wild Reef wing featuring the largest public display of live corals in the Midwest; the Abbott Oceanarium featuring Pacific Northwest aquatics, an indoor rainforest, and coastal display as well as penguins; Waters of the World featuring 7 different habitats from around the globe! There’s also a 4D movie, live demonstrations and shows, and a play zone for younger visitors. The aquarium also offers weekly and seasonal special events, so you should check their upcoming calendar to see what’s in store. If you’ve got curious travelers in tow, then the numerous Animal Encounters options will appeal such as the Penguin Encounter, Shark Feeding Tour, and the unique guided “Must See Tour”.

New England Aquarium in Boston, Massachusetts

This beautiful facility boasts the largest shark and ray touch tank on the East Coast, but that’s not all they have to offer. The New England Aquarium has several impressive exhibits that you won’t want to miss, such as the Amazon Rainforest exhibit, the four-story Giant Ocean Tank, the stunning Indo-Pacific Coral Reef, a bit of regional science at the Gulf of Maine exhibit, the Olympic Coast exhibit, the Yawkey Coral Reef Center and more. The NE Aquarium also specializes in rehabilitating and reintroducing wildlife through their Sea Turtle Hospital at Quincy Animal Care Center and special programs through Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life which also focuses on protecting North American Right Whales, handling day-to-day animal husbandry, special Shark Research projects on Nantucket, and a plethora of other fascinating projects.

Mystic Aquarium in Mystic, Connecticut

This small but mighty aquarium boasts 300 species of marine mammals, fish, birds, invertebrates, and even reptiles. It makes a perfect stop in your travels around Mystic Seaport, and will delight everyone in your party with how many hands-on and interactive displays and exhibits there are to enjoy. The unique Dino Seas: Immersive Journey Exhibit explores the ancient seas on earth way back when giant reptiles, mammals, and incredible underwater creatures dwelled; the Undersea Explorer VR Exhibit puts you up close and personal with the ocean like you’ve never experienced before through a mesmerizing virtual presentation; take a walk through the Marsh Trek and tread a 234-foot boardwalk through a living marsh environment while you spot the local wildlife hidden amidst the plants and flowers; head into the main gallery to check out the large central 35,000 gallon exhibit teeming with aquatic life from eels to tangs to sea slugs and puffers and yes, even sharks!

Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey

Located along the harbor facing the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia, this urban city is home to one of the most magnificent aquariums. The Camden Aquarium boasts a 40-foot walk through Shark Tunnel, the longest in the state, and the Shark Bridge which allows you an aerial view walking mere inches above various species of sharks, which you can then follow up with the Touch-A-Shark experience and a visit to the 550,000 gallon Shark Realm aquarium featuring more than 200 animals and multiple species of shark! For those looking for a less intimidating creature to observe, the 760,000 Sea Turtle Cove Exhibit or Penguin Park and Hippo HAven may be more your style. If you’re looking for a multi-sensory immersion, we highly recommend checking out the Piranha Falls and Amazon Rainforest portion that enhance the exhibit with sights and sounds from the rainforest for a more realistic experience. Little ones will love the Pirate’s Passage, KidZone, The Grotto touch tanks, the brand new Imagination Sand Station augmented reality exhibit, and an immersive 3D theater!

Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, Tennessee

This busy riverfront aquarium offers a wonderful dual-ticket option combining your aquarium visit with an enhanced IMAX movie viewing. The museum is very excited to announce they’ve recently started the new “Deeper Dives” in-depth tour experience, allowing small groups of visitors to choose between two different options for a behind the scenes look at the magic that it takes to run the aquarium; select the 90 minute Guided Tour of the Ocean Journey and River Journey buildings and meet an animal ambassador; or select the Feeding Frenzy and follow an Aquarium Educator and Aquarist around the Secret Reef exhibit for feeding time, and during your 30 minutes you’ll get to experience rays, sea turtles, reef fish, and of course sharks! Exhibits on site include the River Journey featuring global river aquatics and reptiles, the Ocean Journey featuring penguins, a shark reef, tropical cove area, and a butterfly garden, as well as an invertebrate species display and island life display. The aquarium also offers the TNACI which helps conduct scientific research and conservation efforts to regional ecosystems and educates the public on the importance of conservation actions.

National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland

Being dubbed the National Aquarium of the US is no small feat, and this massive compound features dozens of exhibits over multiple floors of some of the most outstanding aquatic and marine habitats you’ll ever see. Level 1 contains the Blacktip Reef exhibit; Level 2 features the regional Maryland: Mountains to the Sea exhibit; Level 3 features the Surviving through Adaptation and Living Seashore exhibits; Level 4 encompasses the Sea Cliffs, Kelp Forest, Pacific Coral Reef, Amazon River Forest exhibits; Level 5 features the Upland Tropical Rain Forest and Hidden Life exhibits. There are also three different tour experiences to choose from, the 1-hr Family Sunrise Tour that runs each day before the facility opens to the public where families will help feed breakfast to the animals, get an up-close look at the touch pools, and the inside scoop about the many animals that reside here. On weekends, you can catch the 2 hour Insider’s Tour for visitors 8 and up, where you’ll get to check out an archerfish feeding in “Australia: Wild Extremes” feed breakfast to the Atlantic Coral Reef fish, get up close with the touch pools, and tour some exclusive behind-the-scenes spaces in the aquarium. Last but not least is the new VR Experience, allowing visitors to experience a short immersive exhibit where they become “submerged” in Artificial environments narrated by explorers, scientists, and conservationists for 360-degree viewing of underwater environments. The aquarium also offers a multitude of special events and discounted days, as well as offering “First Saturdays and Sundays” for accessible visitation 30 minutes before opening on the weekend for a sensory-friendly, crowd-free experience for all disabled visitors.