National Aquarium (Baltimore)

This article is about the aquarium in Baltimore. For the former aquarium in Washington, D.C., see National Aquarium (Washington, D.C.).
National Aquarium
The National Aquarium (angular original building with glass pyramid top of 1981, rear right, and 2005 north extension to its left) lies near two of four historic museum / exhibit ships of the Baltimore Maritime Museum on Piers 3 and 4 in the Inner Harbor area of Baltimore, including World War II submarine USS Torsk and Lightship Chesapeake.
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39°17′04″N 76°36′25″W / 39.284398°N 76.606936°W / 39.284398; -76.606936
Date openedAugust 8, 1981; 43 years ago (August 8, 1981)
Location501 East Pratt Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21202 United States
Land area250,000 sq ft (23,000 m2)[1]
No. of animals17,000+[2]
No. of species750+[3]
Volume of largest tank1,300,000 US gallons (4,900,000 L)[1]
Total volume of tanksMore than 2,200,000 US gallons (8,300,000 L)[1]
Annual visitors1.5 million (2009)[4]
MembershipsAZA[5]
Public transit access at Shot Tower (0.5 mi northeast)
BaltimoreLink routes Blue, Brown, Yellow, 54, 63, 65, 154
Charm City Circulator Orange Route
Baltimore Water Taxi
Websitewww.aqua.org
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The National Aquarium – also known as National Aquarium in Baltimore and formerly known as Baltimore Aquarium – is a non-profit public aquarium located at 501 East Pratt Street on Pier 3 in the Inner Harbor area of downtown Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. Constructed during a period of urban renewal in Baltimore, the aquarium opened on August 8, 1981. The aquarium has an annual attendance of 1.5 million visitors and is the largest tourism attraction in the State of Maryland. The aquarium holds more than 2,200,000 US gallons (8,300,000 L) of water, and has more than 17,000 specimens representing over 750 species.[1][3] The National Aquarium's mission is to inspire conservation of the world's aquatic treasures. The aquarium's stated vision is to confront pressing issues facing global aquatic habitats through pioneering science, conservation, and educational programming.[3]

The National Aquarium houses several exhibits including the Upland Tropical Rain Forest, a multiple-story Atlantic Coral Reef, an open-ocean shark tank, and Australia: Wild Extremes, which won the "Best Exhibit" award from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in 2008.[6] The aquarium also has a "4D Immersion Theater."[7] The aquarium opened a marine mammal pavilion on the adjacent south end of Pier 4 in 1990, and currently holds six Atlantic bottlenose dolphins. Of the six, five were born at the National Aquarium, one was born at another American aquarium.

In 2003, the National Aquarium and the much older and independent National Aquarium in Washington, D.C., formed an alliance to operate as a single National Aquarium with two sites.[8] This arrangement continued until 2013, when the Washington location closed permanently.[8]

Left to right: The red building with a green glass front (north) wall holds the 2005 extension, the blue building with the glass pyramid top is the main building of poured concrete construction from 1981, and behind it, across a pedestrian bridge to the east is the Pier 4 marine mammal pavilion.
  1. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference nataq numbers was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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  3. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference aqua_about was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference aqua_annual_2009 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference aza_list was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "National Aquarium honored with AZA Exhibit Award". aqua.org. National Aquarium. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  7. ^ "What Is 4D?". aqua.org. National Aquarium. Archived from the original on February 17, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference aqua_history was invoked but never defined (see the help page).