DAY 12: Friday, July 13th, 2012
Road Trip Review # 9: Greater Cleveland Aquarium
Greater Cleveland Aquarium’s website:
Greater Cleveland Aquarium
Greater Cleveland Aquarium is located in Cleveland, Ohio, but it is not yet an AZA-accredited facility because an establishment must be open for a full year before it can apply for accreditation. The aquarium just opened in January of 2012 and so it is only 6 months of age, and thus everything is shiny and new from the exhibits to the restrooms. There are a million gallons of water, but I would bet that at least 95% of the water is contained within the massive Shark Tank where visitors end their tour.
Ohio has long been a hotbed of zoological wonders, and I’ve visited the 5 largest zoos in the state and I’d rank them in this order: Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo and Akron. The first 4 all receive over one million visitors each annually, and there are high hopes for the Greater Cleveland Aquarium as perhaps the populace will respond and pack the building during its first year of operation. Everything inside GCA is very well done, clean, organized, fairly generic and unspectacular except for the awesome underwater tunnel that has become ubiquitous at many American aquariums.
The bad news is that if you have ever visited a Sea Life facility then you will know what to expect from GCA. I know ZooChatters that mock the Sea Life establishments as those aquariums are all similar in size and scope and can be seen in perhaps 30 minutes by an individual without children. GCA is very similar, from the larger than life cartoon map to the 8 major zones of the facility to the price tag. It cost my family $63 ($22 per adult and my two year-old daughter was $16 – plus $3 for parking) which is an outrageous price considering that we were only inside for 45 minutes. Many folks will go once and never again due to the cost, unless one was to live in Cleveland and perhaps some families will be enticed to purchase a yearly membership. The aquarium is definitely family-friendly, and there were even 3 workers dressed in character who chatted with us throughout our visit.
REVIEW (in sequence of a typical tour):
It is quite a sight to behold the Greater Cleveland Aquarium as it is situated inside a former power station, and so there is much the same initial impression as is gained from first laying eyes on the fabulous Monterey Bay Aquarium as that incredible facility is located within an old sardine cannery. GCA’s exterior belies a modern, crisp, mall-like interior and the aquarium entrance is down a flight of steps and below a café and other businesses.
Ohio Lakes & Rivers – This area is spacious with a large, low tank in the center of the room with brook trout and spotted gar. The exhibit is long and only about 4 feet high so staff has to watch to ensure that visitors don’t poke around in the water with their hands. Channel catfish, emerald shiner, golden shiner, spot-tail shiner, largemouth bass and walleye are found in this area, along with longear sunfish, blacknose dace, pumpkinseed sunfish, brindled madtom and orange spotted sunfish. Another low-set habitat has turtles (red-eared slider and painted) and being only about 3 feet in height means that it would only take a second for someone to scoop up one of the creatures. There are several species of darter in a long tank, and a few of the tanks have wooden bases and then the 3-4 foot circular tank seems to rest on top of its stand.
Exotic Freshwater – This zone has two very large exhibits that dominate the room, and then another 5 of the 4 foot-high circular tanks. A long, open-topped stingray/red-bellied piranha pool stretches for perhaps 30 feet, and like almost every single tank thus far it has a fake tree trunk or two jutting out of the water. Young American alligators (a trio) have the marquee exhibit alongside the far wall, and that is obviously a highlight for many visitors. Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika tanks complete this area.
Discovery Zone – This area has only 2 tanks: one with zero animals but piles of garbage in a pollution exhibit; and about a dozen spiny lobsters over the heads of visitors and somewhat ingeniously placed in an old chimney stack. This is a clever section but one that can be seen in a few minutes.
Florida Keys – This is a tiny section with 3 large circular tanks that are perhaps 7 feet in height. The first has lionfish; the second has reef scorpionfish and spotted scorpionfish; and the third has purplehead moray eel, spotted eel and gold spotted snake eel. This area can be seen in 5-10 minutes and while the tanks are impressive there is simply too few of them.
Weird & Wonderful – This zone is yet another section with not much to see as again there are only 3 tanks. All three are in a long, red-brick hallway, are perhaps 9 feet tall and are set into the side of the wall. The first tank has bluehead wrasse and blue hamlet; the second has striped burrfish and Cuban hogfish; and the third has clown anemonefish (“nemo fish”).
Coastal – An overhead mini-tunnel welcomes visitors to a large room and within the tank are sergeant major and lookdown fish. A massive touch tank dominates the Coastal zone but it is impossible for visitors to simply reach over and touch the animals without the aid of a wet-suited worker inside the pool. The touch tank is close to 4.5 feet in height and there were two swimmers inside who picked up slipper lobsters, crabs, anemones, etc, and then held them out to visitors via white buckets. An interesting idea but one that does not allow for more than 1-2 people on each side to have the opportunity to touch aquatic creatures at one time, and does that not defeat the purpose of a touch tank?
Small tanks along the side of the room have wunderpus, dwarf cuttlefish, lined seahorse, chain pipefish, yellowhead jawfish and upside-down jellyfish. A fairly nice (yet somewhat empty) cave-themed 30-foot long tank is against one side of the wall and it contains these 5 species: black grouper, sergeant major, green moray eel, red grouper and pufferfish. Another very long tank (Coral Reef) has these 6 species: scrawled cowfish, Atlantic blue tang, banded butterfly fish, four-eye butterfly fish, French angelfish and purple chromis. There is no attention to detail in these tanks and everything is cookie-cutter style (like the fake coral) that is replicated many times over throughout the aquarium.
Tropical Reef – This is another long hallway almost identical to the Weird & Wonderful zone, and thus only 3 tanks set into the brick wall. The first showcases reef squirrelfish and porkfish; the second has cushin starfish, horseshoe crab and sea urchin; and the third has yellowtail damselfish, three-spot damselfish and sharknose goby.
Shark Tank – This is by far and away the highlight of the aquarium, as it features an enormous tank that is seen from the side and then through a 149 foot tunnel that curves past a sunken ship and seems to last forever. There are around 15 sharks in the exhibit and seeing the big sand tiger sharks swimming overhead is a really cool experience that generates buzz in the tunnel.
Species list for Shark Tank (15 species): sand tiger shark, sandbar shark, nurse shark, blacknose shark, black grouper, red grouper, Atlantic bumper, French angelfish, red hind, threadfin herring, look down fish, rooster hogfish, cownose ray, chain moray eel and green moray eel.
OVERALL:
Greater Cleveland Aquarium is a one-time visit for me, and after so many free establishments it was difficult paying a large sum of money for only 45 minutes of entertainment. There are many nice animal habitats within this brand-new facility but simply not enough of them to justify the price. I predict that this aquarium will be like many others (Florida, Adventure, Newport, etc.) that all had big first years in terms of attendance but as time went on they faltered and had to revive themselves to stave off creditors. Perhaps GCA will add penguins, seals or otters in the future but I have no idea if an expansion is a possibility so soon after opening.
To anyone who has seen the major aquariums within America then GCA is disappointing since it was a highly anticipated addition to the world of public aquaria. There are 8 sections to the facility and half of them (Tropical Reef, Weird & Wonderful, Florida Keys and Discovery Zone) have a grand total of only 11 tanks combined. The first couple of areas are very nicely done, the entire property is well-designed for what it is, but other than the fantastic SeaTube Shark Tank tunnel there is absolutely nothing here that I have not already seen a hundred times before. I suppose that the city of Cleveland might never get an above-average aquarium and will have to settle for a Sea Life on steroids.
Road Trip Review # 9: Greater Cleveland Aquarium
Greater Cleveland Aquarium’s website:
Greater Cleveland Aquarium
Greater Cleveland Aquarium is located in Cleveland, Ohio, but it is not yet an AZA-accredited facility because an establishment must be open for a full year before it can apply for accreditation. The aquarium just opened in January of 2012 and so it is only 6 months of age, and thus everything is shiny and new from the exhibits to the restrooms. There are a million gallons of water, but I would bet that at least 95% of the water is contained within the massive Shark Tank where visitors end their tour.
Ohio has long been a hotbed of zoological wonders, and I’ve visited the 5 largest zoos in the state and I’d rank them in this order: Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo and Akron. The first 4 all receive over one million visitors each annually, and there are high hopes for the Greater Cleveland Aquarium as perhaps the populace will respond and pack the building during its first year of operation. Everything inside GCA is very well done, clean, organized, fairly generic and unspectacular except for the awesome underwater tunnel that has become ubiquitous at many American aquariums.
The bad news is that if you have ever visited a Sea Life facility then you will know what to expect from GCA. I know ZooChatters that mock the Sea Life establishments as those aquariums are all similar in size and scope and can be seen in perhaps 30 minutes by an individual without children. GCA is very similar, from the larger than life cartoon map to the 8 major zones of the facility to the price tag. It cost my family $63 ($22 per adult and my two year-old daughter was $16 – plus $3 for parking) which is an outrageous price considering that we were only inside for 45 minutes. Many folks will go once and never again due to the cost, unless one was to live in Cleveland and perhaps some families will be enticed to purchase a yearly membership. The aquarium is definitely family-friendly, and there were even 3 workers dressed in character who chatted with us throughout our visit.
REVIEW (in sequence of a typical tour):
It is quite a sight to behold the Greater Cleveland Aquarium as it is situated inside a former power station, and so there is much the same initial impression as is gained from first laying eyes on the fabulous Monterey Bay Aquarium as that incredible facility is located within an old sardine cannery. GCA’s exterior belies a modern, crisp, mall-like interior and the aquarium entrance is down a flight of steps and below a café and other businesses.
Ohio Lakes & Rivers – This area is spacious with a large, low tank in the center of the room with brook trout and spotted gar. The exhibit is long and only about 4 feet high so staff has to watch to ensure that visitors don’t poke around in the water with their hands. Channel catfish, emerald shiner, golden shiner, spot-tail shiner, largemouth bass and walleye are found in this area, along with longear sunfish, blacknose dace, pumpkinseed sunfish, brindled madtom and orange spotted sunfish. Another low-set habitat has turtles (red-eared slider and painted) and being only about 3 feet in height means that it would only take a second for someone to scoop up one of the creatures. There are several species of darter in a long tank, and a few of the tanks have wooden bases and then the 3-4 foot circular tank seems to rest on top of its stand.
Exotic Freshwater – This zone has two very large exhibits that dominate the room, and then another 5 of the 4 foot-high circular tanks. A long, open-topped stingray/red-bellied piranha pool stretches for perhaps 30 feet, and like almost every single tank thus far it has a fake tree trunk or two jutting out of the water. Young American alligators (a trio) have the marquee exhibit alongside the far wall, and that is obviously a highlight for many visitors. Lake Malawi and Lake Tanganyika tanks complete this area.
Discovery Zone – This area has only 2 tanks: one with zero animals but piles of garbage in a pollution exhibit; and about a dozen spiny lobsters over the heads of visitors and somewhat ingeniously placed in an old chimney stack. This is a clever section but one that can be seen in a few minutes.
Florida Keys – This is a tiny section with 3 large circular tanks that are perhaps 7 feet in height. The first has lionfish; the second has reef scorpionfish and spotted scorpionfish; and the third has purplehead moray eel, spotted eel and gold spotted snake eel. This area can be seen in 5-10 minutes and while the tanks are impressive there is simply too few of them.
Weird & Wonderful – This zone is yet another section with not much to see as again there are only 3 tanks. All three are in a long, red-brick hallway, are perhaps 9 feet tall and are set into the side of the wall. The first tank has bluehead wrasse and blue hamlet; the second has striped burrfish and Cuban hogfish; and the third has clown anemonefish (“nemo fish”).
Coastal – An overhead mini-tunnel welcomes visitors to a large room and within the tank are sergeant major and lookdown fish. A massive touch tank dominates the Coastal zone but it is impossible for visitors to simply reach over and touch the animals without the aid of a wet-suited worker inside the pool. The touch tank is close to 4.5 feet in height and there were two swimmers inside who picked up slipper lobsters, crabs, anemones, etc, and then held them out to visitors via white buckets. An interesting idea but one that does not allow for more than 1-2 people on each side to have the opportunity to touch aquatic creatures at one time, and does that not defeat the purpose of a touch tank?
Small tanks along the side of the room have wunderpus, dwarf cuttlefish, lined seahorse, chain pipefish, yellowhead jawfish and upside-down jellyfish. A fairly nice (yet somewhat empty) cave-themed 30-foot long tank is against one side of the wall and it contains these 5 species: black grouper, sergeant major, green moray eel, red grouper and pufferfish. Another very long tank (Coral Reef) has these 6 species: scrawled cowfish, Atlantic blue tang, banded butterfly fish, four-eye butterfly fish, French angelfish and purple chromis. There is no attention to detail in these tanks and everything is cookie-cutter style (like the fake coral) that is replicated many times over throughout the aquarium.
Tropical Reef – This is another long hallway almost identical to the Weird & Wonderful zone, and thus only 3 tanks set into the brick wall. The first showcases reef squirrelfish and porkfish; the second has cushin starfish, horseshoe crab and sea urchin; and the third has yellowtail damselfish, three-spot damselfish and sharknose goby.
Shark Tank – This is by far and away the highlight of the aquarium, as it features an enormous tank that is seen from the side and then through a 149 foot tunnel that curves past a sunken ship and seems to last forever. There are around 15 sharks in the exhibit and seeing the big sand tiger sharks swimming overhead is a really cool experience that generates buzz in the tunnel.
Species list for Shark Tank (15 species): sand tiger shark, sandbar shark, nurse shark, blacknose shark, black grouper, red grouper, Atlantic bumper, French angelfish, red hind, threadfin herring, look down fish, rooster hogfish, cownose ray, chain moray eel and green moray eel.
OVERALL:
Greater Cleveland Aquarium is a one-time visit for me, and after so many free establishments it was difficult paying a large sum of money for only 45 minutes of entertainment. There are many nice animal habitats within this brand-new facility but simply not enough of them to justify the price. I predict that this aquarium will be like many others (Florida, Adventure, Newport, etc.) that all had big first years in terms of attendance but as time went on they faltered and had to revive themselves to stave off creditors. Perhaps GCA will add penguins, seals or otters in the future but I have no idea if an expansion is a possibility so soon after opening.
To anyone who has seen the major aquariums within America then GCA is disappointing since it was a highly anticipated addition to the world of public aquaria. There are 8 sections to the facility and half of them (Tropical Reef, Weird & Wonderful, Florida Keys and Discovery Zone) have a grand total of only 11 tanks combined. The first couple of areas are very nicely done, the entire property is well-designed for what it is, but other than the fantastic SeaTube Shark Tank tunnel there is absolutely nothing here that I have not already seen a hundred times before. I suppose that the city of Cleveland might never get an above-average aquarium and will have to settle for a Sea Life on steroids.
