Sometimes, the awesomeness of an aquarium can’t be contained within a household or office. Enter the domain of the public aquarium. And lucky for you, America is full of great public aquariums. Here is our (purely subjective) ranking of the top 10.
- Shedd Aquarium, Chicago
How could we not start at home? But seriously, with over 8,000 species, the Shedd’s collection is truly impressive. It was also the first inland aquarium to permanently display saltwater fish! - Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta
The Georgia Aquarium is the largest aquarium in the world, with a half million square feet of exhibits and more than 100,000 animals. Enough said. - National Aquarium, Baltimore
With over 17,000 species on display, we can’t argue with the awesomeness of this aquarium. - Audibon Aquarium of the Americas, New Orleans
Recently updated from the damage done by Hurricane Katrina, the Audibon has a truly special Caribbean reef exhibit. - Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach, California
This 5-acre aquarium campus is the definitive US aquarium for species from the Pacific Ocean. - Maui Ocean Center, Wailuku
An aquarium based in Hawaii is obviously going to have a head start on the competition. Oh, and it also has the largest tropical reef aquarium in the Western Hemisphere. - Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterey
Another great West Coast aquarium, this one features a giant 28-foot-high, 330,000 gallon tank for viewing California coastal marine life. - Texas State Aquarium, Corpus Christi
A great place to see some of the unique species from the Gulf of Mexico and coastal Texas, this aquarium is known for its 70-foot-long underwater viewing window. - Oregon Coast Aquarium, Newport
The unique thing about this aquarium is the underwater glass tunnel that enables visitors to feel completely immersed in the wildlife scene. - New England Aquarium, Boston
Last but not least, this aquarium’s main feature, a 200,000 gallon cylindrical aquarium that simulates a Caribbean coral reef, is awesome.
With this many amazing aquariums, what are you waiting for?! Get in the car and start your own US aquarium road trip!
