OT: Best Aquarium

[fishtails]

Tennessee Aquarium. They have a huge sw tang with sharks, etc. From the last time I went it didn't have much sw fish, etc. but now the've gotten bigger and much better.

 

[bandcamp]

ripley's aquarium in myrtle beach, sc has an underwater, it's nice & they have a fairly new aquarium in charleston, sc that focuses on the carolinas, starting up in the mountain streams & working down to the ocean.
i haven't been to the nyc aquarium since i was little, but it's supposed to be pretty nice - it's in coney island

 

[searcher]

Just another vote for the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. Additionally, you can visit the Field Museum of Natural History and the Adler Planetarium while you're there. They're all on the same campus. Not to mention the beautiful view of the Chicago skyline.

 

[jrb384]

the aquarium of the americas in new orleans is nice.... but if you want to see a clean, well kept one, go to gatlinburg, TN. ripleys has an aquarium and its cool. very clean, well kept. from the top level you just see the top of the water and you can look down into the 'sea'. they have misc reef tanks set up as you walk along the top, there ok. the bottom level is awesome, you stand/ride on an esculator and go through a tunnel, thats basically underwater. you literally are about 12'' from the sharks, rays, ect. it is an awesome site.
besides that, gatlinburg has plenty else to do after you have seen the aquarium.
If you have the $, I would reccomend going to OKINAWA Japan. go to 'expo' and see that aquarium. It is unbelieveable, it is so big that there is a whale shark inside of it swimming. that was cool.

 

[stupid_naso]

I recently went to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. I do believe that it is better than the Monterey Bay Aquarium. They have beautiful corals, a tank full of clownfish (different species) with a lot of anemones. Before you judge anything, it is a well-maintained aquarium. I just think it's really nice. I think when I went there, they still have the shark lagoon where you can touch sharks. I am no shark expert, but they have leopard I believe. So it's kindda interesting.
MBA and Aquarium of the Pacific are the only two aquariums I've ever been in.
stupid_naso

 

[rane]

Or you can just go to Atlantis on Paradise Island there is an Aquarium for you

 

[ophiura]

This certainly doesn't cross any OT 'lines!' No worries on that, unless you ask, "which store has the best T shirts at the various aquaria you have been to last Saturday?" Stuff like that This is basically reefkeeping on a larger scale.
I throw out a list of aquaria I have been to- that I can remember, LOL- and perhaps it will jar the memories of people I generally like all aquaria, so I am not the best person to ask...there is usually something unique about any of them. I love them all
Shedd Aquarium (Chicago) (new home of Sterling's basket star, if they are taking care of it!)
Aquarium of the Americas (New Orleans)- has a 'rig' tank which may be the 'under water' part, basically showing life around a drill platform in the gulf.
Monterey Aquarium (CA) simply fantastic
Steinhardt Aquarium/Scripps Institution of Oceanography (CA)
National Aquarium (Baltimore, MD)
Mystic Aquarium (Connecticut)
New England Aquarium (Boston)- this is one of my favs, I like the design, and generally have good memories of it...except for the big dig going on)
Texas State Aquarium (Corpus Christi, TX)
Moody Gardens (Galveston, TX)
Downtown Aquarium (Houston, TX)
I know there are others, but I'll have to ponder that for awhile.

 

[azonic]

Has anyone visited the florida aquarium? I'm visting florida in June and was planning on checking it out.

 

[trompet3]

lfs - the poor man's zoo.

 

[cmonkey]

New Orleans is nice but just don't walk over the shark tank. About 10 people fell in not to long ago when the cat walk broke.