As of 15 Feb 2013, the aquarium replaced it's alligator exhibit with one featuring ten African Spurred tortoises that visitors can 'pet.' According to the aquarium monitor, the original alligators were being 'leased' from a Florida alligator farm; the tortoises currently on exhibit were originally unwanted pets on loan from Noah's Lost Ark, an exotic animal rescue center located in Berlin Center, OH.
It looks as if all of the glass viewing windows have been removed, and while that is a cool feature I'm not sure that the tortoises will be as popular as the gators. Is this section of the facility still called Exotic Freshwater or has the name changed with the new, mainly terrestrial inhabitants? When I visited in 2012 there were Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika tanks in this area, along with an open-topped stingray/red-bellied piranha pool.
The glass front remains. (My photo was taken from behind glass.) That said, sets of 8-10 people are rotated for two-minutes onto the faux deck to pet the reptiles, if they wish. The other tanks you mentioned remain. While the former residents of the fake-bayou exhibit were small, in my opinion, yes, I think they were a bigger draw.
