Artist/Illustrator Diana Wilkoc Patton is in love with fish. She has an aquarium in her house, 2 backyard ponds, and she visits every aquarium in the major cities she visits. Below are short reviews of the aquariums she has visited with their web site links. To read the complete reviews click on the "More Review" button for the aquarium you are interested in.
I’ve been to Maui Ocean Center many times, but it remains endlessly fascinating. It is all about Hawaiian marine life, from the creatures in the tidal pools to those along the shallow reef areas, to those in deep waters. You go to the aquarium before you snorkel and you get a feel for what you’ll experience underwater. ....
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If you go to Oahu, you’ve got to go to the Waikiki Aquarium. It’s great! You can learn a lot as you wander the exhibits which include marine life from many different habitations, Hawaii of course, but also other marine habitats (for example, I saw a ginormous golden yellow lobster). You can see the “jet set”, the Hawaiian Day octopus, ....
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I never have enough time here, even with skipping the IMAX presentations-and there are three or four IMAX presentations you can go to. But there is so very much to see. Yes, the usual wonderful coral reef displays and of course sharks and displays or environments of fish and sea creatures local to the area. But there are several unique, or nearly unique, exhibitions....
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Mystic Aquarium is a fascinating place for several reasons. One of the main attractions here is their Beluga whales.These adorable white smaller whales have charming personalities and are fun to watch in both above water and below water levels.(interactive sessions with the trainers and Beluga whales are available for additional cost) They have fishes from all around the world, interesting turtles and other marine life, and a pat the ray tank. You can walk through the marsh area and view large frogs, tadpoles, waterlilies, turtles, etc. There is a tropical bird sanctuary where you can feed the birds. There is also a theater where they have interactive sessions with researchers doing deep sea exploration. Naturally there is a luncheon area and a large gift store with an excellent book selection.
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This aquarium is a personal favorite. It is fine indeed to have both zoo and aquarium together-I easily spend a whole day there. Recently enlarged, there is a terrific polar bear enclave-lots of room for these huge creatures, and even an acrylic tunnel under one section so that you can see them swim above you. This new “Water’s Edge” section is a real environment with sea otters, seals, and more....
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Oh, my, we just happened to be passing (sort of) through Niagara Falls on our way from Pittsburgh to upstate New York, so of course I had to visit the Aquarium of Niagara. Do make time to see it instead of just staring at the Falls. Such a gem! And although it is small when you think of the Baltimore Aquarium or the Aquarium of the Pacific, it is a gem...
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Quite small, but please don't miss it. I'd go through it any time over some of the more touristy things in Key West. Lots of tropical exhibits. And a wonderful outdoor pool with creatures--a shark or two grabbing at food, and a terrific touchy pool in the center. This was really large and the attendant let us actually pat a nurse shark. We could really get up very close and personal with that nurse shark (which aren't always so gentle)
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What a treasure New Jersey has in its new and improved Adventure Aquarium! This is one of the most documented aquariums I’ve seen—what I mean by that is there is a wealth of information presented in an entertaining manner next to many displays....
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Ripley's is a joy to experience. So much to see and do. First do buy (I think it's perhaps a dollar or two, or maybe it was free) a small but such a great "Souvenir Guidebook". I’ve not seen such a compact book with so many photos with clearly identified sea creatures and so much good information in such an inexpensive and compact format. I've referred to it often, since my visit....
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What a totally terrific aquarium! In the middle of Tokyo! What? Sunshine International Aquarium is on, I believe, the 9th-11th floors of this whole amazing complex Sunshine City-if you're there with your family, your teen-age girls can shop till they drop, your men can look at computer type stuff, your aunt can relax in front of the astounding fountains, and you can spend hours at the Sunshine International Aquarium...
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This aquarium makes good use of video cameras. When a diver is in the tank working with the fish and talking with the viewers on the other side of the glass he can use an underwater video camera to take closeup pictures of interesting things which are played on a screen just to the side of the tank as shown in these pictures. In another section of the aquarium people can watch the below water part of the demonstration pool (while others are sitting topside and watching the show. Those below the water can watch the above water show on video monitors thus seeing the above and below activity at the same time.
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I've been a couple of times and a whole day is not enough for me. You simply must go. I'm awestruck by the "Blue Cavern" exhibit, a 142,000 three-story high exhibit--fishes and other sea creatures which are found off the coat of Catalina and S. California waters--you could stand there for an hour just staring.... More Review Web Site
Kelly Tarlton’s will always hold a special place in my heart. It was 1995 and I took our youngest son to Australia and New Zealand (Auckland, NZ is where this great place is). I figured I couldn’t stick young Shawn with lots of art museums which is what I usually do, so we’d do animal things. Wow! Talk about being hooked immediately! This place was great... More Review Web Site
I'll write more about this fantastic place at a later time. Suffice it to say, on a 6 day trip to Orlando, Florida, I spent 2 full days at SeaWorld. And it was the first time that I saw manatees live. I am crazy about manatees. I’ve been a member of Save the Manatees for years. They are the gentlest creatures-they are so endangered.Please go to the Save the Manatees website and join. SeaWorld is terrific; you’ll learn a lot, you’ll have a lot of fun, and so will your children and grandchildren. Web Site
The original Turtle Farm has been enlarged into a recreational area called Boatswains Beach. However, you can still get up close and personal with the turtles in the touch tanks. Recently Boatswain's Beach has been called Cayman Turtle Centre.
Cayman Turtle Centre Web Site