At the Aquarium

While in New Orleans, I found myself surrounded by sharks.  Not to mention stingrays, seahorses, and a giant sea turtle. Okay, so I was at the Aquarium of the Americas, located at the foot of Canal Street on the river.

Coming from Vermont as I do, I rarely get the opportunity to see aquatic creatures, so I’m a sucker for aquariums.  This one is run by the Audubon Institute.  I went late on a Sunday afternoon about an hour before closing, so I had just a short time to see everything.  The place was packed with families. Luckily, being alone, I could skip the exhibits I didn’t care about (like the frogs) and just see what I wanted to see, so I was easily able to tour the place in an hour.  (Yes, that’s just one of the benefits of solo travel.)

Eek! Shark!

This is a fine Aquarium, more extensive than I had expected.  They have a Caribbean reef section, a Gulf of Mexico section, an Amazon rainforest (that one was fun), and a Mississippi River section.  They have some beautiful live coral and tropical fish.  There were also special exhibits for their sea otters, penguins, frogs, stingrays and seahorses.  I’m not sure I’ve ever seen live seahorses before.  They were fascinating.  There was a large golden alligator, but it had its back to the glass (shy thing).  The Aquarium also has a few birds.  I spent the most amount of time at the reef, taking pictures of the sharks, stingrays, and an elusive giant sea turtle.

Stingray

It was an enjoyable diversion, and I recommend it for nature lovers and anyone who doesn’t have a decent aquarium within driving distance.

The Aquarium is open every day except Monday from 10am to 5pm.  Contrary to what you might expect, it is also open on Mondays that are holidays, such as Labor Day, Memorial Day, and New Year’s Day.