If I’m not at the zoo I’m at the aquarium. Usually, the aquariums are included in the zoo, but there are a handful that stand on their own. Here are my top five aquariums:

5) Audubon Aquarium of American- New Orleans, LA

The Audubon Aquarium is located right along the Mississippi River and right outside the French Quarters. The aquarium shares space with their Insectarium. When you buy your ticket you can pick just the aquarium, just the Insectarium, or both. I did just the aquarium. The next time I go back I need to do both. It is one of the smaller aquariums I’ve visited, but it’s packed from beginning to end. My favorites include their jellyfish and penguins. I love jellyfish and I always look forward to seeing what each zoo and aquarium has to offer. Audubon Aquarium has by far the biggest jellyfish I have ever seen yet. I could have watched them my whole visit. Their penguins are South American penguins that I got to watch up close and personal. I like to say watching penguins swim is like watching them fly in the water. It’s fast and fascinating.

4) Downtown Aquarium- Denver, CO

The Denver Aquarium is in the same area as the Denver Zoo and not too far from the Colorado Rockies stadium. It offers all my favorites from sting rays, shark tunnel, and an alligator snapping turtle. Only a few places have alligator snapping turtles. They are unique and a one-of-a-kind animal. What separates the Denver Aquarium from all other aquariums is that they have a Sumatran Tiger. It is their top exhibit feature. The aquarium is sectioned off into different themes: North America, Desert, Under the Sea, At the Wharf, Rainforest, Coral Lagoon, Sunken Temple, Shipwreck, At the Beach, and Stingray Reef. My personal favorites are the North American Wilderness, Under the Sea, Rainforest, and At the Beach. It’s the perfect place during the summer and you can take breaks if needed.

3) Tennessee Aquarium- Chattanooga, TN

Just two hours north of Atlanta, GA is the Tennessee Aquarium that sits along the Tennessee River. The Tennessee Aquarium has two buildings. One is freshwater animals and the other is saltwater animals. The freshwater has sharks, otters, stingrays, and paddlefish. In the freshwater building you start at the top level, and you slowly make your way down to the bottom. I have never seen a paddlefish and later learned that very few aquariums have them. The saltwater animals included lemurs, jellyfish, penguins, and octopus. The penguins were my favorite as they were active in ways I have never seen them before. The male penguins were making a rock nest for the female penguins. It was entertaining watching them handle the rocks and how they moved. The saltwater has more of a traditional aquarium feel with fish tanks, reptiles, and amphibians. Please make sure when you plan your visit that you visit both buildings. They are right next to each other and have the same hours.

2) Georgia Aquarium- Atlanta, GA

The Georgia Aquarium is by far one of the biggest aquariums in the country. It’s family friendly and has so much to offer. Their biggest attraction is their whale shark. It’s a huge exhibit and it was the only part of the aquarium where people of all ages would sit in awe of the whale shark. I was one of them too. They have a shark tunnel that you can choose to either stand on the conveyer belt and let it move you through or you can simply walk through. Please be mindful of your space as it gets very crowded.

The Georgia Aquarium offers different shows and experiences. I went to their dolphin show and I loved it. It’s the only aquarium that I have visited so far that has dolphins. The first 10 rows are called the splash zone guaranteeing that you will get wet and splashed on. I sat a few rows back around 14 or 15 and I still got a few splashes around my feet. I recommend showing up early to secure a good seat and if you don’t want to sit in the splash zone. They also have a sea lion show too. The aquarium is two stories with many options of gift shops and cafes. Please give yourself plenty of time to enjoy your visit.

1. Vancouver Aquarium- Vancouver, British Columbia

I’m a little biased to the Vancouver Aquarium as my husband and I went there as part of our honeymoon. We didn’t know what we were walking into but came to find out that it’s one of the biggest aquariums in the world with over 65,000 animals. I was shocked and I knew we were in for a treat. They have an indoor exhibit and an outdoor exhibit. Their aquarium is divided into eleven different exhibits including Amazon Gallery, B.C. Wild Coast, Canada’s Arctic, Exploration Gallery, Frogs Forever, Pacific Canada, Steller’s Bay, Survival of the Slowest, The Tropics, Treasures of the B.C. Coast, Wet Lab.

 The Amazon Gallery featured the Goeldi Monkey, Yacare Caiman, and the Green Anaconda. It simulates the environment of the rainforest. Exploration Gallery is all about jellyfish of various species. Their featured animal would be Pacific Sea Nestle. Frogs Forever featured all amphibians including their top featured animal the axolotl, which is a type of salamander. My favorite exhibits would be B.C. Wild Coast and Steller’s Bay as they both include sea lions, seals, and sea otters. Steller’s Bay is focused on active research with their sea lions. You get to watch their sea lions getting trained and hear their unique roars. The Wet Lab has touch pools for kids to enjoy getting up close and personal with different species.