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Aquarium of the Americas |
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New Orleans is a Southern center of history, culture, and cuisine. These are all compelling reasons to pay a visit to this unique city. Whether you are an early riser or a nocturnal nightlife fanatic, there are always lots of entertaining things to do here. Sometimes, however, the city gets to feeling a little too claustrophobic or the Big Easy's famously oppressive heat gets just a little bit too hot. Aquarium of the Americas provides the perfect opportunity to escape into a lush enclave of exotic fish, fowl, and plants, all without leaving the downtown area.
What exactly does the Aquarium of the Americas provide to the savvy visitor? For one, you'll gain entrance to one of the nation's premier aquariums run by the world renowned Audubon Institute. It has only been open since 1990, so you'll be able to enjoy a fully modern facility that uses the most advanced animal care techniques and equipment possible.
Aquarium of the Americas is open from 10 am until 5 pm Tuesday through Sunday as well as on select Mondays throughout the year. .
This is no run-of-the-mill aquarium. It offers a vast array of professionally designed exhibits that showcase the various aquatic environments of North and South America, along with quite a few specimens from some of the planet's more exotic locales. The Aquarium of the Americas is home to a sizable colony of African and South American penguins, one of the facility's more popular exhibits. Unlike their Antarctic relatives, the African black-footed and Rockhopper penguins that live here thrive in warm water environments.
In a vein closer to home, Aquarium of the Americas offers a rare view of animals right alongside scenic views of the very river they call home. The Mississippi River exhibit features freshwater species like catfish, sturgeon, and the rarely seen paddlefish. Spots the white alligator, who has become a mascot of sorts for the Audubon Institute, lives here too. The Aquarium of the Americas houses a number of these extremely rare creatures, which are luecistic rather than albino.
Children will love Aquarium of the Americas just as much, if not more, than adults. Adventure Island is a sprawling interactive area where visitors can touch various animals and sometimes help feed them. Aquarium of the Americas not only provides fun for the little ones, it is educational as well. Parakeet Pointe is a vast open aviary with hundreds of free-flying parakeets: what kid wouldn't love to have one of these friendly, colorful birds eating out of his or her hand?
Get front row seats to numerous animal feedings throughout the day. The penguins eat their meals right in front of you, as do two of the Aquarium of the Americas' rarest animals. Buck and Emma, a pair of Southern Sea Otters, can each eat more than ten pounds of seafood every day, which makes for frequent feeding sessions.
Of course, what aquarium would be complete without a piece of the deep blue sea? You can dive deep into the Caribbean Sea. The underwater tunnel that goes right through this cutting-edge tank gives guests a close-up view of the colorful corals and exotic fish of the tropics without all the wetness. Time it right and you'll even get to see a diver hand-feeding the Aquarium of the Americas' cownose rays.
Aquarium of the Americas will also show you some rare and potentially dangerous land creatures. In the FROGS exhibit you'll find vibrantly colored poison-dart frogs and many other exotic amphibians. The Aquarium of the Americas also has an exhibit dedicated to seahorses and the related seadragons, strange creatures that are quickly growing scarce in the wild. |
See an Exhibit Dedicated to Seahorses and Seadragons at the Aquarium of the Americas |
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