America's Best Aquariums

America's Best Aquariums
22-05-2012

Travel Channel has rated what they think are the top aquariums in the United States.
Best US Aquariums
They don't give any info on why they picked these, making me wonder the reliability of this list, although I agree with assessments such as Montrey Bay Aquarium.
What is your view on the best aquariums in America, and what do you think of this list?

22-05-2012

I wonder if the Travel Channel has a show about their rankings of the best aquariums? They seem to have all the major aquariums in the country thrown together somewhat randomly in this photo collage.

The U.S. has had an aquarium renaissance in the last 30 years and there are outstanding aquariums seemingly all over.

I would argue that the Monterey Aquarium is not only the best aquarium of all the aquariums that I have visited, but the best captive wildlife facility: Put Me In The Zoo: Monterey Bay Aquarium Review

Some of the other aquariums that people rank very highly in discussion threads here are the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta due to their diverse collections and outstanding exhibits. I've not yet visited these aquariums.

Some zoos have great aquariums that serve their communities, and this seems to be overlooked. The Omaha Zoo has a great aquarium that just underwent some major renovations. It has a great penguin exhibit, shark exhibit, and a good diverse collection.

22-05-2012

Thanks for your imput. I look forward to hopefully visiting some of these aquariums one day, especially Montrey Bay.

22-05-2012

In addition to the 3 aquariums DavidBrown mentioned, Baltimore and Tennessee seem to be the other top 5 aquariums in America based on what I see on here. I personally have not been to Tennessee or Georgia and would rank them as follows:

Monterey Bay
Baltimore
Shedd
Sea World SD
Adventure Aquarium
Aquarium of the Pacific
Steinhart
Maui Ocean Center
Virginia

27-05-2012

In my opinion and what I specifically look for in an aquarium is the education and scientific value they give guests and visitors. Attention to exhibit detail and a strong conservation message is what really sells the aquarium experience for myself. As a result, I have formulated my list of the top 10 aquariums in the country.
1) Monterey Bay Aquarium
2) National Aquarium
3) New England Aquarium
4) Shedd Aquarium
5) Steinhart Aquarium
6) Aquarium of the Pacific
7) Seattle Aquarium
8) Tennessee Aquarium
9) Mystic Aquarium
10) Georgia Aquarium

27-05-2012

Thank you mweb08 and NAIB Volunteer. You have confirmed some aquariums that I want to visit as good aquariums, and have made me think of some more aquariums I want to visit one day, as the number of aquariums I have visited is very low.

27-05-2012

Your list is a great one, with 10 notable aquariums that are all considered to be excellent. Many people might have the same 10, although in a much different order. I have visited 8 of the 10, and I have plans to tour both New England and Mystic this July. Also, I have plans to see New York Aquarium and Florida Aquarium this summer, two others that often appear in top 10 lists. Here is my list of 8 great American aquariums, as well as the year of my most recent visit. It will be interesting to see if New England, Mystic, New York or Florida crack a revised list by the end of this summer.

1- John G. Shedd Aquarium (2008)
2- Georgia Aquarium (2008)
3- Monterey Bay Aquarium (2011)
4- National Aquarium in Baltimore (2010)
5- Tennessee Aquarium (2010)
6- Aquarium of the Pacific (2011)
7- Steinhart Aquarium (2011)
8- Oregon Coast Aquarium (2011)

27-05-2012

Where would the Vancouver Aquarium be on your list snowleopard?

27-05-2012

I added Vancouver (#7) and Seattle (#10) to round out a top 10 list. My gut feeling is that the top 5 will not change after this summer's road trip, but perhaps New England, New York, Mystic and Florida have a shot at making the bottom half of this list. It is important to consider that Vancouver has just begun a construction project that will cost almost $100 million and there will be an overhaul of the entire outside portion of the aquarium. I would not be surprised to see that Canadian facility rise a few places when the revitilization is complete by 2016 as the goal in their latest newsletter was to be one of the top 5 aquariums in the world. A bold statement!

1- John G. Shedd Aquarium (2008)
2- Georgia Aquarium (2008)
3- Monterey Bay Aquarium (2011)
4- National Aquarium in Baltimore (2010)
5- Tennessee Aquarium (2010)
6- Aquarium of the Pacific (2011)
7- Vancouver Aquarium (2012)
8- Steinhart Aquarium (2011)
9- Oregon Coast Aquarium (2011)
10- Seattle Aquarium (2012)

28-05-2012

Hey I’m new here to ZooChat. I travel all over visiting zoos and aquariums and have been to over 30 marine institutions across North America and Europe. IMO the Georgia Aquarium is without comparison the best. I love returning there frequently to scuba dive in the superb Ocean Voyager exhibit. As for other US institutions, the others that I think are the best are:

2. Shedd Aquarium
3. (Tie) SeaWorld Orlando & SeaWorld San Diego
5. National Aquarium in Baltimore
6. (Tie) Dallas World Aquarium & Tennessee Aquarium
8. Monterey Bay Aquarium
Then, off the top of my head, either Adventure Aquarium or New England Aquarium.

I think the National Aquarium in Baltimore (near where I live) is one of the best but IMO has been suffering recently from bad management decisions. Most recently, the elimination of the extremely popular dolphin show and raising admission prices totally baffles me. It will be unpopular and will hurt the aquarium’s attendance.

Although I liked the Monterey Bay Aquarium a lot and thought it was a really good facility, I wouldn’t put it in my top 5. I have not been to the new Steinhart Aquarium in CAS since it opened.

28-05-2012

I feel kind of bad that i live near the Shedd aquarium and have only gone once.

29-05-2012

snowleopard- Mystic might make your top 10. After looking at your Vancouver Aquarium photos, it seems that Mystic is kind of like it. Both seem to be relatively small aquariums with some of the same species (Belugas, Steller Sea Lions, African Penguins,etc.). It seems that Vancouver has a few more species though, and you have to take into consideration that with a bunch of new aquariums on your list, Mystic might be edged out of the competition (New England, New York, and Florida might edge out Mystic).

29-05-2012

The new york aquarium i believe is a top 10 aquarium. They have 2 nice fish buildings, a great location on the boardwalk and a large marine mammal collection. They are also adding a 100 million dollar shark exhibit with 3 large shark tanks.

29-05-2012

I'll just re post what I conversed with snowleopard about in another thread.

The National Aquarium ending its dolphin shows were in response to two problems. First, on peak summer days only about 50% of the visitors were able to see the dolphin show. Second, dolphin show times forced people to leave the one way traffic pattern of the aquarium building to get to the show which caused headaches for both staff trying to direct people and visitors trying to find their way. Now, the next exhibit named Dolphin Discovery allows guests to come and go as they please from the amphitheater. At scheduled times, trainers will do a "behind the scenes" look at how and why dolphins are trained, certain dolphin behaviors, and the care these animals need. Overall, the atmosphere is much more relaxed, especially for the dolphins and it allows visitors to interact more with the dolphins and staff. It really is a nice experience and doesn't have any of that corny crap associated with dolphin shows. Now, its more practical, educational, and scientific.
This new exhibit is part of the National Aquarium's effort to engage more people with the amazing animals at the aquarium. With over 40 presentations and feedings a day, the new experience will hopefully engage the thousands of guests which visit the Aquarium.

These new changes are all in response to visitor feedback. Last summer during the suspension of the dolphin shows due to loss of the two dolphin calves, visitors loved the open amphitheater feel. As mentioned above, the whole experience proved to more relaxing and enjoyable. The prices were increased to compensate for the loss of the dolphin show and it still remains an affordable family destination.

As for the management, the National Aquarium Institute received a new chief executive officer named David Racanelli last summer to replace the retired David Pittinger. Mr. Racanelli has had plenty of experience in the aquarium world having oversall the construction and early years of the Florida Aquarium in Tampa. He has worked at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, a number of conservation organizations, and has even worked for Google to help launch Google Ocean.

The National Aquarium will continue to change in order to offer guests interactions and educational experiences which will, as the mission says, "to inspire conservation of the world's aquatic treasures."

29-05-2012

Do you by chance know what species of shark they will have for the new exhibit?