National Aquarium in Baltimore

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

National Aquarium in Baltimore
The National Aquarium in Baltimore (angular building, rear right, and 2005 extension to its left) lies near historic ships in the Inner Harbor area of Baltimore, including USS Torsk and Lightship Chesapeake.
Date opened	1981
Location	Baltimore, Maryland, USA
# of Animals	10,500
# of Species	560
Accreditations/ Memberships	AZA
Major exhibits	Dolphin display, rooftop rainforest, and central ray pool
Website
This box: view • talk • edit

The National Aquarium in Baltimore is a public aquarium located in the Inner Harbor area of Baltimore, Maryland, USA. It was opened in 1981 and was constructed during the urban renewal period of Baltimore. The aquarium has an annual attendance of 1.6 million to see its collection of 10,500 specimens of 560 different species. Particular attractions include the dolphin display, rooftop rainforest, and central ray pool, and multiple-story shark tanks.

The National Aquarium in Baltimore is not to be confused with the National Aquarium in Washington, D.C.; however, the National Aquarium in Washington D.C. has been operated by the National Aquarium in Baltimore since 2003. ^[1] As of 2005, the National Aquarium is the largest tourist attraction in the state of Maryland.

1 Layout
2 Expansion
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Layout

The aquarium consists of two buildings joined by a single enclosed walkway/bridge. The larger of the two buildings contains the main gallery, which overlooks a pool occupied by sharks, rays, and a green sea turtle (Calypso). The gallery itself begins with a series of upward spiralling floors connected by long escalators, featuring at first fish from around the Baltimore area, but then featuring fish that show off vital skills for survival needed in their various environments. At the top of this spiral is the aforementioned rainforest exhibit, which contains several animals found in rainforests, such as the Amazon. This part of the aquarium contains an elevated platform for bird/monkey viewing and a cave of various glass enclosed displays of reptiles, amphibians, and terrestrial arthropods. This exhibit exits back into the main gallery, which then goes into a downward spiral, first surrounded by a large fish tank and then by various sharks. This spiral eventually leads visitors back to the ray pool. The larger building also accommodates the recently added Australia exhibit (see below).

The smaller building, opened in 1990, features the dolphin display and ampitheater, which holds dolphin shows at various times. It also holds an exhibit on assorted frogs. Both buildings have two gift shops and a cafe each.

[edit] Expansion

The Aquarium completed the renovation and a multi-million dollar expansion on December 16, 2005; the expanded portion -- featuring an "Animal Planet Australia: Wild Extremes" exhibit -- is 65,400 ft² (6,000 m²). The exterior of the new expansion features a glass-enclosed interactive area that will teach visitors about bayscaping, bird-box building, the nationally recognized National Aquarium in Baltimore's Marine Animal Rescue Program, water quality testing, marine debris issues, and wetland restoration.

Inside the expanded portion of the Aquarium directly in the main entrance, a 35-foot (10-m) waterfall that was modeled from an actual waterfall in a Maryland state park is the prominent display and is also visible from outside the Aquarium. Also inside the expanded portion, there is a recreation of an Australian habitat. The Umbrawarra Gorge of Australia is carefully depicted inside the upper portion of the expanded building, and the exhibit depicts lands of fire, drought, and flood. Aboriginal artwork is also found in the gorge exhibit and is based on actual Aboriginal artwork that has been found in Australia. These images depict aboriginal interpretations of the land that they live on.

According to the December 2005 issue of Baltimore magazine, the expansion cost $74.6 million, uses 33,000 square feet of glass and rises 120 feet into the air. According to a Baltimore Sun article dated Friday, December 9, 2005 regarding the expansion, the National Aquarium expects a 400,000-person increase in visitors by the end of 2006 as a result of the expansion and has a goal of bringing in 2 million visitors by 2010. City offcials in the Baltimore Area Convention & Visitors Association hopes the increased visitors to the aquarium as a result of the expansion will boost the number of overnight leisure travelers and businesses at the Baltimore Convention Center, which since its $151 million 1997 expansion hasn't been meeting projections. It will cost visitors more to enter the National Aquarium, as well after the expansion opens. The Baltimore Sun also reports that after a grand opening day special for all visitors $7.50 on December 16, 2005, the prices for admission will rise, adults rising from $19.50 to $21.95 and children rising from $13.50 to $14.95. It was also revealed that originally, multiple themes were test-marketed for the expansion before the Austrialian theme was approved, the originial themes were the Florida Everglades, the ring of fire in Thailand, and Arctic birds complete with an iceberg. Lyn Frankel, senior director of marketing at the Aquarium, stated that the expansion is only the beginning of the Aquarium's expansion plans over the next 10 years. ^[2]