National Aquarium in Baltimore
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| National Aquarium in Baltimore | |
 The National Aquarium in Baltimore (angular building, rear right, and 2005 extension to its left) lies near historic ships in the Inner Harbor area of Baltimore, including USS Torsk and Lightship Chesapeake.
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| Date opened | August 8, 1981 |
| Location | Baltimore, Maryland, USA |
| Number of Animals | 16,500 |
| Number of Species | 560 |
| Accreditations/ Memberships |
AZA |
| Major exhibits | Dolphin display, rooftop rainforest, and central ray pool |
| Website | |
The National Aquarium in Baltimore is a public aquarium located at 501 E Pratt St. in the Inner Harbor area of Baltimore, Maryland, USA. It was opened in 1981 and was constructed during the urban renewal period of Baltimore. The aquarium has an annual attendance of 1.6 million to see its collection of 16,500 specimens of 660 different species. Particular attractions include the dolphin display, rooftop rainforest, and central ray pool, and multiple-story shark tanks. The National Aquarium in Baltimore is widely considered to be one of the best in the United States, if not the whole world. Coastal Living named it the #1 aquarium in the U.S. in 2006.
The National Aquarium in Baltimore is not to be confused with the National Aquarium in Washington, D.C.; however, the National Aquarium in Washington D.C. has been operated by the National Aquarium in Baltimore since 2003. [1] As of 2005, the National Aquarium was the largest tourist attraction in the state of Maryland.
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[edit] Layout
The aquarium consists of two buildings joined by a single enclosed walkway/bridge. The larger of the two buildings contains the main gallery, which overlooks a pool occupied by sharks (including a blind zebra shark named Zoe), rays (southern stingrays, butterfly stingrays, and roughtail stingrays), tarpon, and a green sea turtle (Calypso). The gallery itself begins with a series of upward spiralling floors connected by long escalators, featuring at first fish from Maryland, first showing a stream in the mountains of western Maryland, and ending with the ocean, but then featuring fish that show off vital skills for survival needed in their various environments. At the top of this spiral is the aforementioned rainforest exhibit, which contains several animals found in rainforests, such as the Amazon. This part of the aquarium contains an elevated platform for bird/monkey viewing and a cave of various glass enclosed displays of reptiles, amphibians, and terrestrial arthropods. This exhibit exits back into the main gallery, which then goes into a downward spiral. One is then surrounded by the Atlantic Coral Reef filled with fish that would be found anywhere from closer to shore (the the loop end closer to you as you exit the escalator) to out into the trench and open ocean. Below the ACR is found sharks. In this exhibit there are sand tiger sharks, sandbar sharks, nurse sharks, and sawfish. One then appears under the Wings in the Water display where one can watch the rays, turtle, sharks, and fish under the water.
The smaller building, opened in 1990, features the marine mammal display and a dolphinarium, which holds dolphin shows at various times. It also holds a temporary exhibit on assorted frogs called "A Chorus of Colors" based on the book. Both buildings have two gift shops and a cafe each.
[edit] Expansion
The Aquarium completed the renovation and a multi-million dollar expansion on December 16, 2005; the expanded portion -- featuring an "Animal Planet Australia: Wild Extremes" exhibit -- is 65,400 ft² (6,000 m²). The exterior of the new expansion features a glass-enclosed interactive area that will teach visitors about bayscaping, bird-box building, the nationally recognized National Aquarium in Baltimore's Marine Animal Rescue Program, water quality testing, marine debris issues, and wetland restoration.
Inside the expanded portion of the Aquarium, directly in the main entrance, is a 35-foot (10 m) waterfall that was modeled from an actual waterfall in a Maryland state park. The prominent display is also visible from outside the Aquarium. Also inside the expanded portion is a re-creation of an Australian habitat. The Umbrawarra Gorge of Australia is carefully depicted inside the upper portion of the expanded building, and the exhibit depicts lands of fire, drought, and flood. Aboriginal artwork, based on actual work discovered in Australia, is also found in the gorge exhibit. These images depict aboriginal interpretations of the land that they live on.
According to the December 2005 issue of Baltimore magazine, the expansion cost $74.6 million, used 33,000 square feet (3,100 m²) of glass, and rose 120 feet into the air. According to a December 9, 2005, Baltimore Sun article regarding the expansion, the National Aquarium expected a 400,000-person increase in visitors by the end of 2006 and had a goal of bringing in two million visitors by 2010. Officials of the Baltimore Area Convention & Visitors Association hoped that the expected increase in the number of Aquarium visitors would boost the number of overnight leisure travelers and businesses at the Baltimore Convention Center, which since its $151 million 1997 expansion had not been meeting projections. It was also revealed that multiple themes were test-marketed for the expansion before the Australian theme was approved; the original themes were the Florida Everglades, the ring of fire in Thailand, and Arctic birds, complete with an iceberg. Lyn Frankel, senior director of marketing at the Aquarium, stated that the expansion was only the beginning of the Aquarium's expansion plans over the next 10 years. [2] The aquarium recently opened a 4D theater for 2008.
[edit] Admission fees
In November 2006, the National Aquarium won a Best of Baltimore award for "Best Over Priced Destination for Families." [3] As of January 2008, admission fees were $21.95 for adults (ages 12-59), $20.95 for seniors (age 60+) and $12.95 for children (ages 3-11).[4] However, two days each year (usually in December), the aquarium reduces its admission fee to $1.00.
[edit] References
- ^ National Aquarium Official Website: News Room:Archived Press Releases:2003 Press Releases: September 4, 2003 - National Aquarium Society in Washington, D.C. Forms Alliance with Aquarium Accessed Jan. 11, 2008
- ^ http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-bz.aquarium09dec09,1,1268517,print.story?coll=bal-business-headlines City is upbeat on Down Under - The Baltimore Sun - Friday, December 9th, 2005
- ^ Best of Baltimore 2006 | Best Over Priced Destination for Families: National Aquarium in Baltimore
- ^ National Aquarium Official Website: Prices Accessed Jan. 11, 2008
[edit] External links
- Official Website
- Baltimore National Aquarium Photo Gallery
- Website about the expansion of the National Aquarium in Baltimore
- Maps and aerial photos
- Hybrid satellite image/street map from WikiMapia
- Cambridge Seven Associates Project Page
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