Phoenix Aquarium Announced

mweb08 said:
That's in the Mall of America, largest of its kind in the country. So there's more room than one would think, and the place really is a big tourist attraction.
Click to expand...

Merlin recently BOUGHT the Mall of America's Aquarium ("Underwater Adventure"), which has been modestly successful from a business perspective but is a very mediocre experience for anyone familiar with good aquariums.

I will resist the temptation to launch into an analysis of the merits of Kensyian economics vs. the "free market" here, but I think it is safe to say the Merlin-owned Aquarium has not--and will continue NOT to have--even the slightest positive educational or environmental value.
 
geomorph said:
The press release says it will be in Phoenix Mills Mall, but I can only find an Arizona Mills Mall in Tempe, about 8 miles from downtown, which I think is what they mean. It is an indoor mall that is a combination of traditional and outlet stores and appears to be a large center. Looking at the floorplan, I see that one of the large tenants is a large record store chain which has closed, so I imagine that might be the space intended for the aquarium, although it is in the center of the mall with no direct exterior access so I'm not sure.
Click to expand...

It is indeed the Arizona Mills mall. The area you are thinking is the former Virgin Megastore, but that will not be the site. It's one of the anchor sites formerly inhabited by Hi-Health
 
Merlin has only a chance to operate their common Sealife Centers ( they do not have anything to do with a real aqaurium )in areas without a big serious aquarium. Its unfortunate, that this "desease"of aquariums has come now tot he USA also.
 
Merlin's SeaLife Aquarium at LegoLand (Carlsbad, CA) is very nice -- especially for children. For those who don't like to hear children, it's terrible, as there are many children there, some making lots of noise with their glee at seeing all of the aquatic creatures swimming around various Lego creations.

As to whether there is educational value, if children come and are exposed to hundreds of wild creatures from the Sea, that's education! When they are delighted with seeing these animals, that encourages them to want to conserve them. That's environmental! The real "value" is that, since it's located at the front of a major theme park (LegoLand), it attracts many people who wouldn't normally go out of their way to tour a zoo or aquarium, thus this aquarium attracts an entirely different audience than most aquariums.
 
The goal of Sealife isn't to educate people, it is to make ( hopefully a lot) of money. I can'ts pek for the Sealife Carlsbad, but the european ones are very boring and the philosophy of Sealife is, to lie the people, so the staff is telling to the visitors many wrong things, so all coral fishe sare born at Sealife and much more....Forget Sealife, it is that for an aquarium what Mc Donalds is to Restaurants.....
 
Zebraduiker said:
The goal of Sealife isn't to educate people, it is to make ( hopefully a lot) of money.
Click to expand...

Good for them -- it's THEIR money they are investing, so they should have a right to make some back, right? As to whether they ALSO have a goal of educating people, that's purely a matter of interpretation. But they can't educate anyone if they don't actually enter the aquarium.

Zebraduiker said:
I can't speak for Sealife Carlsbad, but the european ones are very boring and the philosophy of Sealife is, to lie the people, so the staff is telling to the visitors many wrong things, so all coral fishes are born at Sealife and much more....
Click to expand...

I can't speak for the European versions, but at Carlsbad I didn't see any "lies". I'm not sure what you mean by "all coral fishes are born at Sealife", can you elaborate? Accusing them of lying to people is a fairly serious charge -- can you back it up?

Zebraduiker said:
Forget Sealife, it is <to> an aquarium what McDonalds is to Restaurants.....
Click to expand...

If so, then that's great! McDonalds is extremely successful and provides a service (quick, reliable, and delicious food) which billions of people worldwide really appreciate! You may not like McDonalds, but that doesn't make it bad. Certainly eating their food to excess can lead to many problems (ie, obesity), but the same is true for many things in life. There are McDonalds inside many zoos -- off the top of my head, in Cleveland, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Toronto, and Mexico City.
 
To corect the Toronto + McDonalds, Mcdonalds is no longer in the Toronto Zoo, and hasn't been for a while.

McDonalds is like any fast food restaurant, they all have the same affects. Just my two cents worth!
 
I will be going to San Diego this week and going to the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park, and hopefully also going to check out Sealife Aquarium for the first time, so I'll be able to weigh in on the discussion of the chain's exhibit style!
 
I made it to Sea Life Aquarium in Carlsbad, and I have just posted a new review thread and photos in the forum and gallery under 'United States' under 'Carlsbad Sea Life Aquarium'. If the Phoenix facility is similar to this one, I will be able to recommend it, although I will not steer anyone there out of their way.
 
Well, there is a new saga in the aquarium development. I doubt this will actually stop them, though, especially if they have already broken ground (which I think I read they have). If worst comes to worst (from Merlin's point of view), and they lose the lawsuit, I suppose they could just pay the extra fees to the city of Tempe and go through with it.

Lawsuit could sink Arizona Mills aquarium project


I will be watching this development, since I have decided to spend the next couple years visiting and photographing zoological attractions in Arizona and New Mexico for a potential book (self-published). Obviously I will need to include this aquarium if it goes through.
 
Arizona Docent said:
I have decided to spend the next couple years visiting and photographing zoological attractions in Arizona and New Mexico for a potential book (self-published).
Click to expand...

Don't forget to visit the Navajo Nation Zoo, up near Window Rock. It's not much of a zoo, but it's very unique and the cultural stuff is interesting.

Personally, I hope they can get this aquarium built! Merlin's aquarium in California is very nice.
 
I also would like to see it built, but upholding the Arizona constitution is also very important to me.
 
@ANyhuis - You're right in saying it's not much of a zoo. In fact, it's not a zoo at all. It was permanently closed in 1999.
 
The new Tempe (Arizona, USA) sealife aquarium now has its own website. There is not much on it yet, but at least it is there. Construction has apparently already started and it is scheduled to open this summer (2010). Watch for a first-hand report from me, your informant for all things Arizona.

The website hints that it may be themed around local Arizona fish, progressing from our lakes to canyons to the gulf in nearby Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. I must say I really like this aspect, for two reasons. First, it will highlight the importance of saving our remaining desert waterways (which are very badly diminished). Second, it will make this aquarium very different from the one that recently opened at nearby Wildlife World, thereby justifying the existence of two aquariums in the greater Phoenix area.

SEA LIFE Arizona | www.sealifeus.com The Official Web Site of SEA LIFE Aquarium US
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top