Ways to explore
Aquariums
Sharks, jellyfish, touch pools and ocean halls, city by city. 144 picks across 130 destinations.
The best of the best
AtlantaGeorgia Aquarium
One of the largest aquariums in the world, built around a vast ocean habitat with a 100-foot underwater tunnel, whale sharks gliding overhead, beluga whales, a dolphin show and a 1.2-million-gallon shark gallery.
BaltimoreNational Aquarium
Baltimore’s headline attraction on the Inner Harbor piers, with sharks, rays, jellies, a rooftop rainforest and dolphins, timed admission that can sell out and late opening on Friday evenings.
BostonNew England Aquarium
On Central Wharf at the downtown waterfront — built around a four-story Giant Ocean Tank you spiral up and around, with sea turtles, sharks, rays, a beloved penguin colony, and harbor seals out front.
ChattanoogaTennessee Aquarium
A riverfront aquarium that follows a single watershed from Appalachian mountain streams to the open ocean, with river otters, butterflies, penguins, sharks and a dedicated focus on freshwater life.
ChicagoShedd Aquarium
One of the largest indoor aquariums in the world, on the lakefront Museum Campus — beluga whales and dolphins in the Oceanarium, a Caribbean reef, sharks, and one of the best skyline views in the city from its front steps.
MiamiPhillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science
A modern science museum on Biscayne Bay with a planetarium, three-story aquarium,
MontereyMonterey Bay Aquarium
The best aquarium in America, arguably the world — a three-story kelp forest breathing with the tide, sea otters at play, the Open Sea's tuna and sunfish gliding through blue, all in a converted cannery hanging over the bay itself.
Myrtle BeachRipley's Aquarium of Myrtle Beach
Sharks gliding overhead in the Dangerous Reef tunnel, a stingray touch pool, penguins and thousands of reef fish at Broadway at the Beach.