| National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium | |
|---|---|
| Established | June 28, 2003 |
| Location | Dubuque, Iowa, USA |
| Type | Aquarium, History, Natural history, Science |
| Visitor figures | 250,000+ annually[1] |
| Director | Jerome A. Enzler |
| Website | www.rivermuseum.com |
The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium is a museum located in Dubuque, Iowa, USA. The museum is a property of the Dubuque County Historical Society,[1] with two centers on the riverfront campus: the Mississippi River Center and the National River Center.[2]
The museum is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, and is accredited by the American Association of Museums (AAM)[3] and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).[4]
Contents |
The museum is home to an aquarium featuring wildlife representative of that found in the Mississippi River, including giant catfish, sturgeon, ducks, frogs, turtles, and more. There is also an outdoor park, featuring river otters, a marsh, and large artifacts, such as boats. The new museum expansion has saltwater tanks and a cafe.
In 2010, the museum finished a $40 million renovation of the existing portside Diamond Jo Casino, as well as its riverboat, turning them into the 50,000-square-foot (4,600 m2) National River Center.[7] This venue includes Rivers to the Sea, RiverWorks, and a large format 3D/4D immersion theater.
Rivers to the Sea traces the story of water and rivers as they flow from streams to rivers to the ocean. Four salt-water aquariums including the 40,000-US-gallon (150,000 l) Gulf of Mexico tank hold sharks, rays, the beautiful schooling fish found at the mouth of the Mississippi, and large octopus.
RiverWorks lets children of all ages learn about rivers and what rivers mean to all of us through water-based activities. This children's "museum within a museum" keeps its river focus, with a crawl-through beaver lodge, water table, and a pedal-powered water "cycle."
The Large Format 3D/4D Theater presents 3D high definition movies, and special effects including dramatic sound, wind, mist, seat movement, and smells of the on-screen action.
|
||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||