The National Aquarium in Baltimore
The National Aquarium in Baltimore is located in Baltimore's famous Inner Harbor. Built during the renewal period in the late ‘70s, the aquarium was originally named the Baltimore Aquarium. After legislation was introduced by a Maryland senator, the Baltimore Aquarium was named the National Aquarium for the opening in August of 1981. There are three buildings that compose the National Aquarium in Baltimore: Pier 3 Pavilion, Pier 4 Pavilion, and the Glass Pavilion.
Pier 3 Pavilion – Main Aquarium
This is the original building which houses the majority of aquatic exhibits. Spanning five levels, the exhibits represent habitats from all over the world. On Level 1 is the Wings in the Water exhibit. This exhibit houses the one of the largest stingray collections in North America. Species include: southern stingray, rough-tail stingray, pelagic ray, cow nose ray, bull nose ray, butterfly ray. This exhibit also includes tarpon, bonnet head sharks, black nose sharks, giant guitar fish, a zebra shark, and Calypso, a rescued green sea turtle. Level 2 is the Maryland: Mountains to the Sea section of exhibits. These four sets of exhibits represent the Chesapeake Bay region – from the mountains to the sea. Level 3 is Surviving Through Adaptations. Animals here represent a vast array of aquatic animals – from seahorses and octopus to African cichlids and sturgeon. Most exhibits here are not large in size, but are extremely attractive in appearance. Level 4 is the North Atlantic to the Pacific section and the Amazon River Forest. In the North Atlantic to the Pacific section are the Alcid exhibit, Kelp Forest exhibit, and Pacific Reef exhibit. The Alcid exhibit includes Atlantic Puffins, Black Guillemots, and Razorbills in a chilled, 6,500 gallon exhibit representing the coast of Iceland. The Amazon River Forest exhibit is one of the best representations of the Amazon River. In this 57 ft. long exhibit, visitors can see a number of different fish, giant river turtles, dwarf caimans, and pygmy marmosets. Level 5 is the Upland Tropical Rainforest. This is the one of the best indoor Amazon Tropical Rainforest exhibits. Twelve different species of birds, golden lion tamarins, two- toed sloths, iguanas, and a number of species of frogs are all free roaming in this recreation of a tropical Amazonian rainforest. From Level 4 down is the Atlantic Coral Reef exhibit. Visitors travel inside this 335,000 gallon ring tank. Hundreds of fish school and swim in the most accurate coral reef exhibit ever fabricated. Look-downs, moray eels, porcupine fish, spadefish, and angel fish are only a small fraction of the number of species in this exhibit. Down from the Atlantic Coral Reef is the Open Ocean exhibit. This is a 225,000 gallon exhibit housing the sharks. Sand-tiger sharks, sandbar sharks, nurse sharks, sawfish, as well as giant grouper and crevalle jacks call this exhibit home.
Pier 4 Pavilion
The Pier 4 building was complete in 1990 and includes the Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins and the current changing exhibit. The dolphin exhibit is 1.4 million gallons of water and houses 10 dolphins. Three generations of dolphins live in this exhibit; ranging in age from 1.5 years to 32 years. The newest exhibit is Jellies Invasion: Oceans out of Balance. This exhibit is scheduled to be at the aquarium for the next five years.
Glass Pavilion
The Glass Pavilion is the aquariums largest expansion and was completed in 2005. This new section includes Animal Planet Australia: Wild Extremes, as well as a new lobby, gift shop, and café. The Australia exhibit is a perfect recreation of an Australian river gorge in Northern Territory. Guests are surrounded by a hundreds of birds, free roaming lizards, and fruit bats. Visitors travel down a path marked with numerous tanks, holding a variety of fish and reptiles.
The National Aquarium in Baltimore is located in Baltimore's famous Inner Harbor. Built during the renewal period in the late ‘70s, the aquarium was originally named the Baltimore Aquarium. After legislation was introduced by a Maryland senator, the Baltimore Aquarium was named the National Aquarium for the opening in August of 1981. There are three buildings that compose the National Aquarium in Baltimore: Pier 3 Pavilion, Pier 4 Pavilion, and the Glass Pavilion.
Pier 3 Pavilion – Main Aquarium
This is the original building which houses the majority of aquatic exhibits. Spanning five levels, the exhibits represent habitats from all over the world. On Level 1 is the Wings in the Water exhibit. This exhibit houses the one of the largest stingray collections in North America. Species include: southern stingray, rough-tail stingray, pelagic ray, cow nose ray, bull nose ray, butterfly ray. This exhibit also includes tarpon, bonnet head sharks, black nose sharks, giant guitar fish, a zebra shark, and Calypso, a rescued green sea turtle. Level 2 is the Maryland: Mountains to the Sea section of exhibits. These four sets of exhibits represent the Chesapeake Bay region – from the mountains to the sea. Level 3 is Surviving Through Adaptations. Animals here represent a vast array of aquatic animals – from seahorses and octopus to African cichlids and sturgeon. Most exhibits here are not large in size, but are extremely attractive in appearance. Level 4 is the North Atlantic to the Pacific section and the Amazon River Forest. In the North Atlantic to the Pacific section are the Alcid exhibit, Kelp Forest exhibit, and Pacific Reef exhibit. The Alcid exhibit includes Atlantic Puffins, Black Guillemots, and Razorbills in a chilled, 6,500 gallon exhibit representing the coast of Iceland. The Amazon River Forest exhibit is one of the best representations of the Amazon River. In this 57 ft. long exhibit, visitors can see a number of different fish, giant river turtles, dwarf caimans, and pygmy marmosets. Level 5 is the Upland Tropical Rainforest. This is the one of the best indoor Amazon Tropical Rainforest exhibits. Twelve different species of birds, golden lion tamarins, two- toed sloths, iguanas, and a number of species of frogs are all free roaming in this recreation of a tropical Amazonian rainforest. From Level 4 down is the Atlantic Coral Reef exhibit. Visitors travel inside this 335,000 gallon ring tank. Hundreds of fish school and swim in the most accurate coral reef exhibit ever fabricated. Look-downs, moray eels, porcupine fish, spadefish, and angel fish are only a small fraction of the number of species in this exhibit. Down from the Atlantic Coral Reef is the Open Ocean exhibit. This is a 225,000 gallon exhibit housing the sharks. Sand-tiger sharks, sandbar sharks, nurse sharks, sawfish, as well as giant grouper and crevalle jacks call this exhibit home.
Pier 4 Pavilion
The Pier 4 building was complete in 1990 and includes the Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins and the current changing exhibit. The dolphin exhibit is 1.4 million gallons of water and houses 10 dolphins. Three generations of dolphins live in this exhibit; ranging in age from 1.5 years to 32 years. The newest exhibit is Jellies Invasion: Oceans out of Balance. This exhibit is scheduled to be at the aquarium for the next five years.
Glass Pavilion
The Glass Pavilion is the aquariums largest expansion and was completed in 2005. This new section includes Animal Planet Australia: Wild Extremes, as well as a new lobby, gift shop, and café. The Australia exhibit is a perfect recreation of an Australian river gorge in Northern Territory. Guests are surrounded by a hundreds of birds, free roaming lizards, and fruit bats. Visitors travel down a path marked with numerous tanks, holding a variety of fish and reptiles.
