National Aquarium in Baltimore
- Address
- 501 E Pratt Street
- Baltimore, MD 21202
- Phone
- 410-576-3800
- Area
- Neighborhood
- Price
- $22-$29
- Web Page
- http://www.aqua.org/
Type of Makom
- Museums Type
- Museum
Semi-useful stuff
Mikomos rating
Description
The National Aquarium in Baltimore is a public aquarium in the Inner Harbor area of Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
The aquarium consists of two buildings joined by a single enclosed walkway/bridge. The larger of the two buildings contains the main gallery, which overlooks a pool occupied by sharks(a blind zebra shark named Zoe), rays(southern stingrays, butterfly stingrays, and roughtail stingrays), tarpon, and a green sea turtle (Calypso). The gallery itself begins with a series of upward spiralling floors connected by long escalators, featuring at first fish from around the Baltimore area, but then featuring fish that show off vital skills for survival needed in their various environments. At the top of this spiral is the aforementioned rainforest exhibit, which contains several animals found in rainforests, such as the Amazon. This part of the aquarium contains an elevated platform for bird/monkey viewing and a cave of various glass enclosed displays of reptiles, amphibians, and terrestrial arthropods. This exhibit exits back into the main gallery, which then goes into a downward spiral. You are then surrounded by the Atlantic Coral Reef filled with fish that would be found anywhere from closer to shore (the the loop end closer to you as you exit the escalator) to out into the trench and open ocean. Below the ACR is found sharks. In this exhibit there are sand tiger sharks, sandbar sharks, nurse sharks, and sawfish. You then appear under the Wings in the Water display where you can watch the rays, turtle, sharks, and fish under the water.
The smaller building, opened in 1990, features the marine mammal display and a dolphinarium, which holds dolphin shows at various times. It also holds a temporary exhibit on assorted frogs called "A Chorus of Colors" based on the book. Both buildings have two gift shops and a cafe each.
Inside the expanded portion of the Aquarium directly in the main entrance, a 35-foot (10 m) waterfall that was modeled from an actual waterfall in a Maryland state park is the prominent display and is also visible from outside the Aquarium. [1]
Hours Subject to change. Always verify.
- SUN 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- MON-THR 10 a.m. - 4 p.m
- FRI 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
- SAT 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
