Looming large against the Mississippi River is the extraordinary Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, one of the top museums of its kind in America. Here the visitor finds 15,000 sea life creatures, representing nearly 600 species, living happily in a state-of-the-art facility.
The world-renown Audubon Aquarium is home to fish and sea life of all kinds – and visitors can get up close, eye-to-eye if you please, with some of the most fascinating creatures of the ocean. The Caribbean Reef tunnel, for example, is 30 feet long and allows the visitor a view of the Caribbean sea life viewed only by divers. The new Seahorses Gallery showcases these beautiful creatures as they swim gracefully between the grasses in their home and glide through the water. Remember, only the MALE seahorses give birth.
At the Audubon Aquarium visitors also find rare and endangered species. Look for the white alligator – just 18 of these animals were found in a Louisiana swamp. These alligators are not albino – their steely blue eyes and white skin are mesmerizing. In Cajun lore, seeing a white alligator is considered good luck!
Want to pet a shark? Here’s your chance. The shark touch pool allows visitors to touch a baby shark and talk with the naturalist. Want to be entertained by Sea Otters, rare neon colored frogs or jaunty penguins? They are all here! The half-million-gallon Gulf of Mexico exhibit teems with fully-grown sharks and undersea life that thrive around the barnacled pilings of a simulated oil rig. If anaconda snakes, poisonous frogs and stunning exotic birds are your interest, then visit the Aquarium’s Amazon rain forest exhibit.
Plan to spend several hours or all day in this amazing museum filled with aquatic life you’ve only read about. A small cafe is on site, as is a wonderful gift shop. The Audubon Aquarium is available for rental for large receptions and corporate entertaining.
