Recently I've been thinking a lot about aquariums inside zoos - how many are good enough to be considered potential attractions in their own right? Would you be satisfied paying full price for a visit? Berlin Zoo Aquarium is a stand-alone attraction, but other than that I can only think of Madrid as a large, significant zoo aquarium with a good collection and interesting exhibits that I'd be happy to visit separately if there ever was a need. I get the impression from photos that Henry Doorly's revamped Scott aquarium, or maybe Burgers' Ocean, might make the cut. Perhaps Chiang Mai zoo aquarium? Any thoughts? Are there many other aquarium gems hidden in zoos? *I think we'll try to limit this to single aquarium buildings, rather than mixing areas which aren't devoted to aquatic/marine life.
I have never seen it in person but I have heard that the Henry Doorly Zoo has the best in-zoo aquarium in the U.S.. Indianapolis looks very good also with the dolphin dome.
It's hard to ignore Rotterdam's Oceanium. Easily one of the best zoo buildings (tropical buildings, reptile houses etc.) that I've seen and could be a stand alone aquarium.
I have been to Henry Doorly's aquarium, and it is the best I've been too. The penguin and puffin exhibits rival that of seaworld's.
There aren't many zoo aquariums in the U.S., but here is what I know of them: Omaha Zoo: the aquarium is a highlight of the zoo. It is excellent and I think could be a stand alone attraction. Highlights include a polar penguin exhibit with real snow, a large shark tank, and a large coral reef tank. Houston Zoo: they have a small aquarium that dates back to the 1960s or 1970s. Definitely not a stand alone attraction. San Antonio Zoo: from reviews here it seems that they have a small aquarium. Indianapolis Zoo: a major aquatic animal complex with penguins, walrus, polar bears, bottlenose dolphins, and sharks. Pittsburgh Zoo: a major aquarium with penguins, sharks, and coral reef tank. They had the only Amazon dolphin in North America when the aquarium opened. Wildlife World Zoo in Arizona: from reviews here it sounds like this non-accredited zoo has a large, but substandard aquarium section with sharks, otters, and several fish species.
I can name at least 23 American zoos that I've personally visited that have separate aquariums within the grounds of the facility: Akron (tiny zone), Baton Rouge, Brookfield (The Living Coast), Cleveland, Columbus (Shores), Denver (Tropical Discovery), Gladys Porter, Houston, Indianapolis (Oceans), John Ball, Louisville (The Islands), Memphis, Milwaukee County, Minnesota (an aquatic zone now much depleted), Oklahoma City, Omaha, Pittsburgh, Point Defiance, Riverbanks, San Antonio, Lowry Park (Manatee & Aquatic Center), Toledo and World Wildlife Zoo. Clearly the best of the lot is to be found in Omaha, as the Scott Aquarium (recently renovated and reopened in 2012) is a superb, stand-alone facility that is the best of its kind. In second place would be Pittsburgh, as there are are numerous sharks, penguins, sea dragons and a great Amazon pool. Toledo Zoo is spending $25 million on refurbishing its 1930's-era aquarium and it reopens in 2015 and it could be spectacular. Those are perhaps the only 3 that would be worth a separate fee, and there are many smaller ones (Houston, San Antonio, John Ball, etc, that can easily be toured in about 20 minutes).
Brookfield Zoo has two aquatic areas (three if you include the swamp) in opposite corners of the zoo. The Living Coast, IMO the best aquatic area at the zoo, is supposed to replicate a South American coastline with animals like humboldt penguins, chinchillas, inca terns, leopard sharks, cownose rays. The Seven Seas and Pinniped Point have aquatic mammals like bottlenose dolphins, grey seal, California Sealion, harbor seal. This section used to have Pacific Walrus and Northern Fur Seals.
In the UK aquaria in zoos are pretty thin on the ground. I can think of London, Chester and Bristol that have decent collections but nothing as amazing as Rotterdam, Omaha etc, possibly Flamingo Land as well but I've never been so can't comment. Chessington has their Sea Life Centre but other than that the rest are pretty lousy! WMSP have a shocking fish display, Dudley no longer has an aquarium and Living Coasts is basically part aquarium anyway!
Edinburgh too HAD an impressive aquarium, which was converted into the now entrance facility, some 20 years ago.
In the last decade since this thread started there has been some notable zoo aquarium action in North America. The Point Defiance zoo in Tacoma, Washington has built a new aquarium complex that has been favorably reviewed as a high-quality facility. From photos and reviews it seems to be at least as high a quality as a SeaLife aquarium. The Houston Zoo is upgrading their aquarium this year (2023) with a Galapagos-themed exhibit that will feature penguins (not Galapagos penguins) and sharks (not Galapagos sharks). It looks like it will be a major improvement from their previous aquarium facility.
In the UK I suspect Chessington tops the list, simply because it has a SeaLife in the grounds and entry is included with ticket costs. It is one of their smaller SeaLife Centres though, main attraction being a small underwater tunnel with ABC aquarium species like Blacktip Reef Sharks.
As for the EU: Burger's Ocean definitely makes the cut. The aquarium at Stuttgart's Wilhelma isn't brand-new, but still worth a visit. So is the aquarium at Rotterdam Zoo, the one of Cologne Zoo with its focus on (rare) freshwater fishes and the aquarium at Zoo Vienna, which favors quality over quantity and opts for a Amazonian freshwater walkthrough tunnel instead of the usual marine version.
Frankfurt's Exotarium is good. It was a shame I didn't see the ajotle on my first visit. I also liked seeing the flashlight fish (Photoblepharon) on my first visit to the aquarium at Basle Zoo.
Nothing compares to Omaha in my opinion. Columbus's Manatee aquarium is great, but their fish collection in their actual aquarium is terribly small.
Maybe speak for the US only It depends on what you mean with "best". If you go for the classical aquarium with high species diversity, loads of small aquariums and preferably some nice architecture, the aquarium of Zoo Berlin would be an easy number 1. Though the aquaria of Antwerp, Stuttgart and Cologne aren't shabby either. If one goes for largest volume combined with immersion and naturalistic feel, there is nothing that tops Burgers' Ocean. With 8 million litres and some of the best landscaping around (and the 3rd largest coral reef of any aquarium), it is hard to top. When looking at volume both Afrykarium in Wroclaw (when excluding their penguin & pinniped exhibit) and Oceanium in Diergaarde Blijdorp come close. With the latter having more show species like penguins, alcids and sea turtles. But while they are similar in volume, in terms of landscaping and attention to detail, they leave a lot to be desired. Still great buildings for any zoo visitor though.
I have never been there, but I get the feeling Omaha. As for ones I’ve been to, definitely Berlin. Not a big fan of the fish exhibits, but they have some pretty good reptile enclosures.
