Good day mates! I am finally back with another zoological facility review and species list after taking an unplanned break and also embarking on some more adventures that took me as far as the big apple itself. This is a review that I intended to get out earlier as it's been precisely 2 months since I visited this wonderful aquarium, but owing to a variety of reasons, I never got around to it. That said, 2 months isn't a terribly long time for changes to occur, so hopefully I'm not too late in the running here.
For this review, we will be tackling the National Aquarium in Baltimore. This is the last facility I visited on my early May roadtrip to Gettysburg and Maryland/Washington D.C, and my visit occurred on 05/10/2024.
Now, this is actually not my first time visiting this aquarium, although my last visit was over 20 years ago. Things were very different at the facility back then, with the most notable change in the interim being the opening of Australia: Wild Extremes. This is a facility that I have been wanting to revisit for a while, partly because of the aforementioned Australia exhibit.
This aquarium is located on the Inner Harbor, a section of the Port of Baltimore (which, for a few months earlier this year, unfortunately became the Boat Impoundment of Baltimore for.....reasons). The aquarium spans two piers; the Main Building, which includes the original aquarium building and the Australia pavilion, is located on Pier 3. The Dolphin Pavilion is located on Pier 4, and is connected to the Main Building via a 245ft covered bridge. In the waters between the two piers is an artificial harbor wetlands under construction by the aquarium, which is scheduled to open this August.
The National Aquarium originally opened in 1981 as part of an effort to revitalize the Baltimore downtown area and waterfront. Despite no federal funds being used for its construction, it was nonetheless designated as the "National Aquarium" by the US Congress. The Pier 4 Dolphin Pavilion was added in 1990, and the Australia Pavilion, located on Pier 3, was opened in 2005.
Today, the Aquarium and its three distinct structures house over 350 species and hold more than 2.2 million gallons of water. The aquarium differs from other aquariums and is notable for the multi-level "tower" design of the Main Building, in which visitors traverse up and down as they explore the exhibits, its large and distinctive glass pavilions, and for its larger emphasis on freshwater environments compared to your typical aquarium (and these qualities make it something of a sister facility for the Tennessee Aquarium).
Needless to say, this aquarium was an instant winner for me. On the day I visited, the aquarium was open 9am-9pm; I got their before opening and was the very first person through those doors and I spent the entire 12 hours inside the aquarium. And I enjoyed every moment of it. The National Aquarium could very well be the best aquarium I have visited, even possibly dethroning the Tennessee Aquarium (I may do a comparison at the beginning of this review due to how similar the 2 facilities are). This would put it at my number 2 favorite facility.
The aquarium features an excellent and interesting collection, with about 355 species based on what I noted. This collection does include many aquarium staples like sharks, tropical reef fish, crustaceans, octopus, and more, but it also includes some very rare or otherwise unorthodox species including a whole lineup of Australian freshwater turtles, many of which I don't think are exhibited elsewhere in the country, as well as various reptiles, amphibians, and even some flying tropical birds.
And it doesn't stop there; the aquarium's exhibitry is also very top-notch, with excellent landscaping in many parts of the aquarium, such as the Australia exhibit as well as the Upland Rainforest and Blacktip Reef exhibits. Even many of the smaller and individual exhibits are well furnished. There are a few weak spots here and there, but it's not enough to drag the aquarium down in my opinion.
Combine that with great operations (which include the aforementioned operating hours plus some decent dining) and I can quite comfortably say that this is a top 3 facility for me.
This review might be a bit lengthy, because there is quite a lot to cover here. Strap in folks, it's turtles all the way up (and sharks all the way down)!
To be Continued...
For this review, we will be tackling the National Aquarium in Baltimore. This is the last facility I visited on my early May roadtrip to Gettysburg and Maryland/Washington D.C, and my visit occurred on 05/10/2024.
Now, this is actually not my first time visiting this aquarium, although my last visit was over 20 years ago. Things were very different at the facility back then, with the most notable change in the interim being the opening of Australia: Wild Extremes. This is a facility that I have been wanting to revisit for a while, partly because of the aforementioned Australia exhibit.
This aquarium is located on the Inner Harbor, a section of the Port of Baltimore (which, for a few months earlier this year, unfortunately became the Boat Impoundment of Baltimore for.....reasons). The aquarium spans two piers; the Main Building, which includes the original aquarium building and the Australia pavilion, is located on Pier 3. The Dolphin Pavilion is located on Pier 4, and is connected to the Main Building via a 245ft covered bridge. In the waters between the two piers is an artificial harbor wetlands under construction by the aquarium, which is scheduled to open this August.
The National Aquarium originally opened in 1981 as part of an effort to revitalize the Baltimore downtown area and waterfront. Despite no federal funds being used for its construction, it was nonetheless designated as the "National Aquarium" by the US Congress. The Pier 4 Dolphin Pavilion was added in 1990, and the Australia Pavilion, located on Pier 3, was opened in 2005.
Today, the Aquarium and its three distinct structures house over 350 species and hold more than 2.2 million gallons of water. The aquarium differs from other aquariums and is notable for the multi-level "tower" design of the Main Building, in which visitors traverse up and down as they explore the exhibits, its large and distinctive glass pavilions, and for its larger emphasis on freshwater environments compared to your typical aquarium (and these qualities make it something of a sister facility for the Tennessee Aquarium).
Needless to say, this aquarium was an instant winner for me. On the day I visited, the aquarium was open 9am-9pm; I got their before opening and was the very first person through those doors and I spent the entire 12 hours inside the aquarium. And I enjoyed every moment of it. The National Aquarium could very well be the best aquarium I have visited, even possibly dethroning the Tennessee Aquarium (I may do a comparison at the beginning of this review due to how similar the 2 facilities are). This would put it at my number 2 favorite facility.
The aquarium features an excellent and interesting collection, with about 355 species based on what I noted. This collection does include many aquarium staples like sharks, tropical reef fish, crustaceans, octopus, and more, but it also includes some very rare or otherwise unorthodox species including a whole lineup of Australian freshwater turtles, many of which I don't think are exhibited elsewhere in the country, as well as various reptiles, amphibians, and even some flying tropical birds.
And it doesn't stop there; the aquarium's exhibitry is also very top-notch, with excellent landscaping in many parts of the aquarium, such as the Australia exhibit as well as the Upland Rainforest and Blacktip Reef exhibits. Even many of the smaller and individual exhibits are well furnished. There are a few weak spots here and there, but it's not enough to drag the aquarium down in my opinion.
Combine that with great operations (which include the aforementioned operating hours plus some decent dining) and I can quite comfortably say that this is a top 3 facility for me.
This review might be a bit lengthy, because there is quite a lot to cover here. Strap in folks, it's turtles all the way up (and sharks all the way down)!
To be Continued...
