The 5 Best Interactive Aquarium Exhibits In America, According To Reviews

A day at the aquarium can be a fun experience no matter who or where you are, but there are some aquariums that give a little something extra. Whether you get to feed the fish, swim with sharks, experience the real-life humidity of the Amazon rainforest, or eat crickets, immersive experiences make an aquarium visit even more memorable. These experiences can set the stage for a career in marine biology, an awareness and care for natural resources, or just a healthy respect for the power of sea life, especially for little ones accompanying you on this family friendly excursion. 

So we searched the nation, reading reviews on TripAdvisor and Google, consulting reader voting polls from USA Today, and scouring lists from travel sites to find the absolute best exhibits that allow visitors to get just as up-close and personal with sea life as if they were snorkeling in one of Florida's riveting parks or interacting with Hawaiian wildlife, all without getting your feet wet.

Rated on best-of lists from Travel Awaits, TripAdvisor, and USA Today readers, the treasures of Ripley's Aquarium are abundant at this family-friendly aquarium in the Smoky Mountains. The Penguin Playhouse is an indoor-outdoor private penguin beach just made for these adorable creatures. They can be seen from beach-level, or under the water through a glass tunnel. The Penguin Painting Experience allows visitors to watch as they paint with their feet; a Penguin Encounter ticket also allows visitors to pet a penguin and take home a photo of it. The Penguin Playhouse, located on the lower level, is open-access for aquarium visitors, but you'll need to book an additional reservation (at additional cost) for the up-close encounter that allows you to pet the penguins.

You can visit Ripley's, which Google reviewers give 4.6 stars overall, at 88 River Road, Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It's open daily from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. and is well worth a day's visit. Other great interactive events allow you to sleep among the sharks with an overnight adventure or walk among them on a moving glidepath at the Shark Lagoon; you can also touch rays and jellyfish in additional interactive zones.

It should surprise no one that one of the most consistently-ranked top aquariums, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, is home to some very special experiences. The in-depth behind-the-scenes tour lets visitors get up close with the pipes and machinery that make it possible to maintain such different environments — from the icy deep sea, to the coastal lagoons. You'll hear stories from the aquarium's historic early days, and discover new things about feeding and caring for the animals within. The one-hour tour, which takes place daily at noon and 3 p.m., must be booked ahead of time with a cost in addition to the entry fee.

Another thing that makes this aquarium so special is its proximity to the ocean, and the special attention it pays to local sea life in the Monterey Bay Habitats exhibit and kelp forest. Mimicking the Pacific coastal waters right outside the aquarium's doors, the 28-foot-tall underwater forest is one of the tallest aquarium exhibits in the world. Watch the kelp sway and the fish move, or join for a daily feeding from 12:30 – 12:45 p.m. The museum is ranked as one of the top things to do in Monterey on TripAdvisor with one visitor raving, "It was immaculate, friendly guides, amazing exhibits, and very handicapped friendly."

Open daily from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., you can visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium at 886 Cannery Row. Tickets should be purchased in advance from the website; for local residents, they are free in October. 

Okay, we did lie about not getting your feet wet. But it's not so often that an aquarium lets PADI-certified scuba divers jump into the tanks to visit an Atlantic coral reef. The three-hour experience (scheduled twice on Saturdays) requires divers  at the National Aquarium in Baltimore to bring their own wetsuit, mask, snorkel, booties, and fins. The fee of $225 per person is not cheap either. But if you're not visiting one of the best dive sites in the world, you can still safely snorkel around coral reefs at one of America's top-rated aquariums for full access to more than 1000 animals of over 70 species.

"The interactive exhibits were a bit hit, especially with the kids,"  one visitor wrote on Google reviews. "They loved being able to touch some of the marine life and learn about their unique characteristics." In addition to diving, visitors can explore an award-winning re-created salt marsh habitat that mimics the ancient Baltimore Harbor. Visit the aquarium at 501 E. Pratt Street in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Its hours change seasonally, so check the website for up-to-date opening times and ticket prices. Children under 4 visit for free.

For a true sensory experience, wander in the rainforest searching for the piranhas that live below the waterfalls. Piranha Falls changes climate and temperature to approximate the tropical rainfall and stormy weather one would experience in the Amazon too, giving visitors a real sensory experience. You'll find the exhibit in Zone A, where you can also touch a shark to prepare you for Zone D's 40-foot shark tunnel and bridge, where you can walk just inches above a sandbar. At an additional cost, you can also experience a virtual reality underwater adventure with the Undersea Explorer virtual dive.

With a 4.6 rating on Google reviews, it's clear that visitors find the Adventure Aquarium at 1 Riverside Drive in Camden, New Jersey, a huge treat to visit. The variety of interactive exhibits and feedings give visitors plenty of chances to have an unforgettable marine life encounter. Hours vary, so check the website to book a visit.

The massive Great Maya Reef, which recreates a submerged Mayan city inhabited by all the creatures of the tropics, lets visitors feel completely under the sea. The exhibit starts in a 30-foot tunnel surrounded by angelfish, parrotfish, and other colorful creatures. A "wild encounter" snorkel adventure lets kids 8 and up snorkel through the reef on Fridays and Saturdays at 12:30 p.m. Book an advance reservation for a $125 fee to secure the experience.

An award-winner with TripAdvisor and USA Today readers, the Audubon Aquarium on 1 Canal Street in New Orleans has a lot of sea life to like. Open daily from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., admission includes a visit to the Insectarium, which has a unique attraction all its own: chefs serve insect-infused dishes to curious diners. If you're not that curious, instead check out a butterfly take its first flight at the Insectarium for $15 per person.

This piece looks specifically at interactive exhibitions, which distinguishes it from a general list of best aquariums in the United States. So although we did consult "best of" aquariums lists — from U.S. News and World Report, Travel + Leisure, USA Today, and our own Islands.com coverage — as well as review sites like TripAdvisor, we cross-referenced those results with actual offerings for interactive exhibits and looked for unique, award-winning, and accessible interactive aquarium attractions to compile our list. We also looked for aquariums that focused some effort on their local sea life environment, so aquariums that are near a body of water naturally fared best.