Part of the Audubon Institute, the immense Aquarium of the Americas is loosely regional, with exhibits that delve beneath the surface of the Mississippi River, Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and far-off Amazon rainforest.
The new and impressive Great Maya Reef lures visitors into a 30ft-long clear tunnel running through a 'submerged' Mayan city, home to exotic fish. Upstairs, the penguin colony, the sea-horse gallery and Parakeet Pointe – where you can feed the colorful birds – are perennially popular. In the Mississippi River Gallery , look for the rare white alligator.
Some 10,000 fish were lost when Hurricane Katrina wiped out the aquarium’s filtration and temperature-control systems, but the aquarium reopened the following year. Unfortunately, there are no major exhibits spotlighting Hurricane Katrina or the BP oil spill, two of the biggest events to affect southern Louisiana’s waterways in the last 15 years. You will find, however, BP’s aquarium sponsorship plaque, along with plaques for Shell, Exxon and others, beside the 400,000 gallon Gulf of Mexico tank – home to some intimidating sharks.
The adjacent IMAX theater screens educational and commercial movies throughout the day.
