The Best Aquariums In America, According To Reviews

From grand shows in Georgia to educational experiences in Alaska, the United States has a wide range of aquariums to visit. Aquariums are one of the best days out for families, couples, individuals, and just about anyone else. Not only do they offer other-worldly glimpses into weird and colorful aquatic ecosystems, but — along with the best American zoos — they are also educational for adults and children alike.

Some aquariums in the United States may be pricey, but they usually offer timeless memories with unique experiences for you and your family. Who could forget walking through oceanic tunnels surrounded by sharks, turtles, and other marine life? Or how about discovering the texture of a stingray for the first time in an aquarium's touch tanks? Some even offer snorkeling opportunities in kaleidoscopes of colorful fishes, or you may even witness animals rarely seen in this part of the world. Furthermore, they are ideal if you're curious about sharks or worried about the rise in shark attacks in the U.S.

From Florida to California, the U.S. has an unbelievable amount of aquariums, covering everything from world-class venues to some dated disappointments (looking at you, Miami Seaquarium). They'll all tell you that they're the best, but how can you really know? Online reviews are usually the most honest source of information, so here are the best aquariums in America, according to reviews.

When the Tennessee Aquarium opened in Chattanooga in 1992, it was the largest freshwater aquarium on the planet. Double the expected number of visitors were drawn to the attraction, and within no time, it became the city's premier point of interest. The original building is called "River Journey" and houses a number of exhibits, such as "Rivers of the World," where you can discover the habitats of colorful freshwater fish and reptiles, or "Turtles of the World," which offers unique encounters with the Chinese big-headed turtle, and the fascinating four-eyed turtle.

A second building called "Ocean Journey" was added in 2005, effectively making the Tennessee Aquarium a two-in-one attraction. Here, you can experience the "Secret Reef," where you'll discover giant sharks and other saltwater creatures as you explore the breathtaking views of the Undersea Cavern. From there, you can stop by other fascinating exhibits like "Penguin Rock" to encounter the ever-busy Gentoo and Macaroni penguins, who are constantly plunging in and leaping out of the water.

The Tennessee Aquarium is one of the highest-rated in the United States despite the competition from larger marine museums in the vicinity. One visitor commented on Tripadvisor that the aquarium was "well designed for people of all physical abilities and ages," while another mentioned, "It was such a beautifully put-together aquarium."

As a research and conservation facility, the Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium is one of the most important marine centers in the United States. While it is a large facility, it doesn't exhibit the same splendor as some showpiece aquariums around the country. It's more of a fascinating educational experience with its high-tech interactive displays, operational laboratories, and touch pools. The latter makes it possible to safely get up close and personal with some of the facility's marine life.

The majority of the institute's aquatic animals are native to the waters of Florida. You'll get to see all kinds of freshwater and saltwater specimens, including sharks, turtles, and the Florida manatee that is so famous in these parts. You'll also see reptiles like the fascinating alligator snapping turtle and other marine animals such as the Atlantic stingray and the playful North American river otter. If you like, you can also book a cruise for some just-about-guaranteed sightings of dolphins in Sarasota Bay.

The Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium's mission is "the advancement of marine and environmental sciences," making it a center with a far greater focus than just simple entertainment. One satisfied Tripadvisor visitor stated, "The entrance fee helps support the main purpose of restoring reefs, researching sea life, and providing environmental education. Bring the family and learn about what you can do to keep our environment healthy."

Because Marathon is a choice destination in the Florida Keys for a wedding, you may very well return in later years with your family to visit the fabulous Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters. The venue's stunning setting, interactive marine life experiences, and educational programs offer an excellent blend of learning and entertainment for the whole family. One reviewer on Google was so impressed that they felt compelled to remark, "It is infused with natural beauty and tidal waters that flow in and out of this place. Mangroves growing alongside the canals and beautiful fish, big and small, live here."

Florida Keys Aquarium Encounters is a small, interactive center, and each visit starts with a short guided tour to introduce the various marine ecosystems. Some of its more famous exhibits include the "Big Shark Bay Encounter," where visitors can feed adult nurse sharks, and the "Coral Reef Snorkel Encounter," which offers diving and snorkeling in a coral reef tank or even the opportunity to immerse yourself in a lagoon teeming with tropical fish. Slightly more controversial — in some quarters at least — are the touch tank exhibits. While some human interaction may be detrimental to the welfare of marine animals, most visitors are thrilled with the experience. The Google reviewer mentioned above even said, "There is a huge touch tank with rays who are more than willing to let you touch them."

Flying in or out of Atlanta may be a stressful experience, thanks to ATL being the busiest airport in the entire world, but once in the city, there are many tourist attractions to discover. From world-class shopping and dining to an abundance of historical draws, Atlanta has it all. Oh, and it also happens to have the biggest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere.

The Georgia Aquarium is quite a sight, and it hosts an abundance of large marine animals, including beluga whales and bottlenose dolphins. Furthermore, it's the only aquarium outside Asia to keep majestic whale sharks. This attraction is one of the aquarium's highlights for almost everybody, with one Google reviewer mentioning, "The whole draw for me was I wanted to see the whale shark. It is one impressive creature." The dolphin and sea lion shows have also proved to be a hit.

As one of the world's largest marine centers, it's highly advisable to get your tickets online before arriving. Once there, you can enjoy a variety of themed exhibits, from "Cold Water Quest," where you'll find sea otters and African penguins, to the "Ocean Voyager" tunnel with its moving walkway passing through an oceanic wonderland. The whale sharks are the main event, but there is plenty to keep visitors engaged here.

The Ripley's franchise has come a long way since starting as a newspaper panel in the New York Globe back in 1918. After the books, radio broadcasts, films, and TV shows came the museums, or odditoriums, as they were called. Naturally, aquariums followed suit, and Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, has plenty of oddities to keep even the most curious of minds amused.

From sawfish and long-nosed batfish to weedy scorpionfish and various deadly poison dart frogs, there is a myriad of weird and wonderful creatures waiting for you. You can also get up close and personal with more familiar animals, such as penguins (which you can even pet) and stingrays, which you can touch if you dare. With glass-bottom boat tours from which you can view sharks of up to 12 feet in length and encounter the giant Pacific octopus, kids and adults alike can spend the day mesmerized by these aquatic anomalies.

Of the many highlights the aquarium offers, the "Shark Lagoon," with its moving glide path, is one of the most revered among reviewers. One happy Tripadvisor customer referred to the shark tank as "awesome," going on to say that "It was helpful, unique and we not only made memories but learned things." Reviewers also praised the family-friendly environment, but some found it a touch on the expensive side.

A trip to Monterey, California, isn't complete without a visit to the world-famous Monterey Bay Aquarium. It's best known for its unique, light-filled design; its large windows and open spaces create a bright and inviting environment with stunning views of the surrounding bay. This ensures exhibits are more connected to nature, while the open design, as opposed to the usual linear design aquariums prefer, gives visitors more flexibility in their explorations.

The marine museum's largest display is the "Open Sea" exhibit. It features over 200 varieties of marine life behind a 90-foot window, where you can admire the speed of predator tuna or marvel at synchronized schools of sardines. There are also pelagic stingrays and scalloped hammerhead sharks, while you can also see colorful puffins fishing nearby for a meal. Other popular exhibits include "Into the Deep," where you'll encounter weird and wonderful creatures such as the vampire squid and the blob sculpin, and "Kelp Forest," which provides shelter for sharks, fish, and other fascinating species.

Despite some negative reviews regarding entrance fees and overcrowding (it's wise to book ahead), the vast majority of visitors have been impressed. One reviewer on Tripadvisor enjoyed it so much that they felt obligated to say, "This is one of the best aquariums we have visited. Set on Monterey Bay with beautiful views. If you are a sea and nature [lover], this is the place for you."

The National Aquarium in Baltimore is a large facility with extensive exhibits on both salt and freshwater ecosystems. With over 20,000 animals housed in the aquarium, it is no great shock that this place is very popular. In fact, you should prepare for crowds, especially on weekends. But crowds visit attractions for one reason–because they are good. And according to reviewers, Baltimore's aquarium is very good.

One of the center's more popular attractions is the $12.5 million "Blacktip Reef" exhibit. With a habitat filled with 270,000 gallons of water, visitors can not only witness streamlined blacktip reef sharks interacting with one another but can also see stingrays and 60 species of colorful tropical fish, all thriving within a stunning replica of an Indo-Pacific reef. Be sure to also look out for the giant 500-pound sea turtle in the exhibit who goes by the name Calypso.

Other popular attractions include the "Animal Care and Rescue Center," which opened in 2018 and increased the aquarium's ability to care for off-exhibit and rescued animals. The facilities are state-of-the-art, and visitors can view the rehabilitation of sea turtles, seals, and other animals through large viewing windows. Meanwhile, the "Amazon River Forest" and "Australia: Unique and Unusual" exhibits educate visitors on creatures from around the world.

Another excellent marine museum in California is the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. With over 1.5 million visitors annually, it does get a little crowded, and preplanning and booking ahead is advisable. However, it's an ideal family attraction for all ages and abilities with its extensive range of exhibits and attractions.

The "Frogs: Facing a Changing World" enclosure is one exceptionally well-reviewed exhibit. Here, you can see a multitude of colorful amphibians from around the globe, including the red-backed poison frog, the smoky jungle frog, and the big, fat Sonoran desert toad. You can learn all about the diversity of the different frog species and the threats they face in an ever-changing world. The aquarium's interactive touch pools are also hot with reviewers on Tripadvisor. One visitor left a review stating, "Our 3-year-old absolutely loved every moment. From the colorful fish exhibits to the interactive touch pools, there was so much to see and do." 

Another exciting exhibit at the Aquarium of the Pacific is "Pacific Visions," a cutting-edge theater in a magnificent, new glass building. Children can have fun painting digital fish or a blacktip reef shark and release it to swim with its other fishy buddies in a colorful virtual coral reef. You can also enjoy a digital waterfall where the fish swim gracefully around you in a kaleidoscope of color. Another reviewer confidently stated that "the highlight was "Pacific Visions," a new theater experience that captivated us all."

If you ever find yourself in Jenks, Oklahoma (just south of the city of Tulsa), consider a visit to the Oklahoma Aquarium. While the entry fee is nowhere near as expensive as others on this list, the museum still offers plenty of attractions and is a fun family day out. The premier attraction is undoubtedly its shark tunnel, which houses the world's largest collection of bull sharks. With the strongest bite of all shark species, these bull sharks are widely regarded as one of the most dangerous in the world. By walking through the aquarium's shark tunnel, you'll be immersed in these finned predators' world. As one Yelp reviewer put it, "I've never had that experience in any other walk-through tunnel, and I admit it was a little unnerving."

With nine further ecosystems to visit, there's plenty to see and do at the Oklahoma Aquarium. You can witness amazing fish like the stonefish using natural camouflage to avoid predators, African lungfish and mudskippers breathing in the air, blind cavefish that have evolved without eyes, and moray eels devouring food with two sets of jaws. If they don't satisfy your quest for aquatic knowledge, you can also learn about the giant Pacific octopus, which you can view in its 360-degree cylindrical tank, among many other intriguing exhibits.

Any visitor to the U.S.'s most northern state is usually there for the stunning scenery and chance encounters with spectacular wildlife. If visiting the Last Frontier is on your bucket list, you'll be pleased to hear that now may be the best time to go on an Alaskan cruise. And if you do set off on an extraordinary adventure like this, make sure your boat stops in the small port city of Seward so you can visit the Alaska SeaLife Center. 

This excellent aquatic center is the only public aquarium in the state. It's a small center focusing on education, conservation, and research. It even serves as a rescue center for distressed, injured, and abandoned marine animals. In addition to the reasonably-priced entrance fee, several "special experiences" offer encounters with your choice of aquatic animal. For an extra cost, you can get up close and personal with mammals, octopi, or puffins or enjoy a "sneak peek" in the animal care facility or science lab.

If you just want to experience the regular aquarium, you'll see countless mammals, birds, fish, and invertebrates native to Alaska, including walruses, orcas, and sea lions. Reviewers consistently enjoy the Alaska SeaLife Center and praise its educational aspect. One Google reviewer stated, "This place is a must-visit if you're in the area, especially if you've got curious minds in tow. The exhibits were not only educational but engaging enough to keep our teens interested, which is no small feat!"

With most reviews taking place on Google and Tripadvisor, we mainly took the opinions from these websites into consideration. We analyzed the reviews of every aquarium in the United States, with an average score of 4.5 or over on each site. We only considered establishments that had over 500 reviews, and we carefully examined what customers particularly enjoyed about each aquarium. We also considered opinions from Yelp, but as this site receives far fewer reviews, we didn't include it in the institute's final score.