USA: Land of 170 Aquariums

SeaQuest Woodbridge NJ is i think also nearby, though i don't know about it's opening date.

It opened about 2 months ago. They're about half an hour apart if there's little traffic. I'm waiting for Sea Life to open, then I'll probably do both in one day. SeaQuest has been having a lot of large protests with its opening.
 
@Coelacanth18 you mean that the ocean will become overpriced, overcrowded with hipsters and weirdos, superficial, dirty, snotty, rude and full of itself if we don't do anything about it? (Yeah, my last trip to NYC wasn't that great)

This man has clearly just been to Brooklyn and Manhattan
 
Looks horrible-like a playground for kids and adults, but not like an scientific and serious aqaurium. But I like the Mermaid Palace, I always wanted to be King Triton, so that place makes my life wish comes true.
 
I guess someone figured that America having approximately 170 public aquariums wasn't enough, as another new chain has hit U.S. shores. Nope, it's not Sea Life (10 facilities) or SeaQuest (also 10 facilities), but Blue Zoo.

Blue Zoo opened in Spokane, Washington, in 2019

Blue Zoo opened in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 2020

Blue Zoo opened in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 2021

Here is the main website, as all 3 facilities appear to be identical and geared specifically towards young children.

Home
 
I guess someone figured that America having approximately 170 public aquariums wasn't enough, as another new chain has hit U.S. shores. Nope, it's not Sea Life (10 facilities) or SeaQuest (also 10 facilities), but Blue Zoo.

Blue Zoo opened in Spokane, Washington, in 2019

Blue Zoo opened in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, in 2020

Blue Zoo opened in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 2021

Here is the main website, as all 3 facilities appear to be identical and geared specifically towards young children.

Home
I definitely find it interesting how common chain Aquariums are, and yet I've never heard of a chain zoo. I wonder why that is.
 
I definitely find it interesting how common chain Aquariums are, and yet I've never heard of a chain zoo. I wonder why that is.

I'd expect the reason to be in part that animal rights nuts would be all over a zoo chain but probably don't give much of a cr*p about aquariums if they don't hold cetaceans. Also it's probably easier to squeeze in a series of small aquariums in random places than small zoos since small birds and mammals typically aren't enough to get people through the door but tropical fish seem to do the trick.

~Thylo
 
Has anyone visited a Blue Zoo? I'd be curious to know what they are like.

Don't. 1000%. I spent some time looking into this place last year. The owners/founders are absolutely awful; one is the co-founder of SeaQuest (the one of the pair of brothers who has been convicted of poaching and illegal harvesting). They are an aquarium in the way that a theme park with a sea lion show and a few ambassadors is a zoo. They're large, indoor play centers for children, with a few poor quality fish tanks and (likely under-trained) employees walking around with all sorts of animals for noisy, hyped-up kids to pet.
 
Has anyone visited a Blue Zoo? I'd be curious to know what they are like.
Don't. 1000%. I spent some time looking into this place last year. The owners/founders are absolutely awful; one is the co-founder of SeaQuest (the one of the pair of brothers who has been convicted of poaching and illegal harvesting). They are an aquarium in the way that a theme park with a sea lion show and a few ambassadors is a zoo. They're large, indoor play centers for children, with a few poor quality fish tanks and (likely under-trained) employees walking around with all sorts of animals for noisy, hyped-up kids to pet.
Yeah, leave the poor zoo visit to the professional, Mr snowleopard. That's what he does best, visiting them so you don't have to.
 
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