Touch Pools Aquariums

Located on historic Cannery Row in Monterey, California, this renowned aquarium features a living kelp forest, colorful Pacific wildlife, sea otters, penguins, and deep-sea exhibits. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a leader in ocean conservation and education, dedicated to inspiring visitors to protect our oceans. Offers comprehensive school programs, teacher resources, and marine biology research opportunities.

Located in Baltimore's Inner Harbor, the National Aquarium is home to more than 20,000 animals and 800 species. Featuring multiple levels of exhibits, visitors can explore everything from a multi-story Atlantic Coral Reef to an impressive Shark Alley, Australian reef habitats, and a tropical rainforest ecosystem. Offers award-winning educational programs, accessibility accommodations, and leading conservation research initiatives.

Situated on Boston Harbor, the New England Aquarium welcomes over a million visitors annually. Home to the largest shark and stingray touch tank on the East Coast, a Marine Mammal Center with California sea lions, and the impressive 200,000-gallon Giant Ocean Tank featuring a Caribbean coral reef ecosystem. Features marine animal rescue programs, research initiatives, and comprehensive educational offerings.

Located on Elliott Bay, the Seattle Aquarium offers interactive education experiences with sea and river otters, seals, moon jellyfish, pufferfish, and sea anemones. Recently expanded with the new Ocean Pavilion, the aquarium is dedicated to marine conservation and educating visitors about the Puget Sound ecosystem. Features extensive research programs, marine animal rescue, and citizen science opportunities.

Located in Brooklyn, the New York Aquarium offers a 4D theater, animal feedings, and numerous wildlife exhibits. Visitors can watch sea lions, penguins, and seals, then visit Conservation Hall to see colorful fish swimming through coral reefs. The Ocean Wonders exhibit features 18 different species of sharks and rays. Part of the Wildlife Conservation Society with strong research and conservation programs.

Located in Seward, Alaska, the Alaska SeaLife Center is the only public aquarium in Alaska. Visitors can experience Alaskan marine wildlife up close, including seals, sea lions, salmon, rockfish, and invertebrates like king crabs and sea urchins. The center offers special encounters with some of its residents, like octopuses and puffins. Combines public education with marine research and wildlife rehabilitation programs.

Located in Newport on the wild Oregon coast, this aquarium showcases the diverse marine life of the Pacific Northwest. Visitors can see a replica of the local Orford Reef, spot a giant Pacific octopus in the Octopus Cave, and experience the impressive Passages of the Deep underwater walkway surrounded by sharks and other marine life. Features educational programs focused on Pacific Northwest marine ecosystems.

The largest aquarium in Texas spans seven acres near Corpus Christi Bay, focusing on two unique marine ecosystems: the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Home to over 4,000 animals including flamingos, sharks, and vampire bats, it also houses the state's largest coastal wildlife rescue facility. Features comprehensive educational programs and wildlife rehabilitation initiatives.

Located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, this popular aquarium features a 340-foot underwater tunnel through Shark Lagoon, where visitors can ride a moving glide path surrounded by sharks, sea turtles, and tropical fish. Other highlights include penguin encounters, interactive discovery zones, and coral reef exhibits. Features educational programs and family-friendly interactive experiences.

Located in Tampa, The Florida Aquarium houses more than 20,000 aquatic plants and animals. Visitors can journey from Florida's freshwater springs to the depths of the Gulf of Mexico through immersive exhibits. Highlights include a 500,000-gallon coral reef habitat, outdoor wetlands, and interactive touch experiences. Features coral restoration programs, marine research, and comprehensive educational offerings.

The public outreach center for Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, Birch Aquarium combines research with more than 5,000 fish in 60+ habitats. Featuring interactive exhibits on climate change, an impressive collection of seahorses and seadragons, and outdoor tide pools with panoramic ocean views. Offers cutting-edge marine research programs, educational initiatives, and citizen science opportunities.

Located at San Francisco's PIER 39, this aquarium focuses on the diverse aquatic life of San Francisco Bay and nearby waters. Features include 300 feet of crystal clear tunnels with sharks and rays swimming overhead, hands-on touch pools, and exhibits on watershed conservation. Home to over 20,000 marine animals. Offers educational programs focused on local marine ecosystems and conservation.

Located in Camden, New Jersey, Adventure Aquarium houses more than 15,000 aquatic species. One of only a few aquariums in the United States to exhibit hippos, it also features the longest shark tunnel in the Northeast, a touch tank with both sharks and stingrays, and a popular African penguin colony. Offers comprehensive educational programs, summer camps, and accessibility accommodations.

Located in downtown Toronto at the base of the CN Tower, this aquarium features more than 20,000 exotic sea and freshwater creatures. The highlight is the Dangerous Lagoon, a moving sidewalk tunnel through a tank filled with sharks and other marine life. Also features a stunning jellyfish gallery and interactive touch exhibits. Offers educational programs and family-friendly interactive experiences.

Showcasing the aquatic environments of North Carolina from the mountains to the sea. Features include a 306,000-gallon Living Shipwreck exhibit with sand tiger sharks and schooling fish, a sea turtle rehabilitation center, and hands-on touch pools. The aquarium is dedicated to conservation and education about local ecosystems. Features sea turtle rescue programs and marine conservation education.

Located in Charleston, the South Carolina Aquarium highlights the state's diverse aquatic habitats. The centerpiece is the two-story, 385,000-gallon Great Ocean Tank teeming with sharks, fish, and a sea turtle. Also houses the Sea Turtle Care Center™, a working hospital for sick and injured sea turtles. Features comprehensive sea turtle rescue programs and marine conservation education.

One of California's most-visited cultural institutions located in Long Beach. Features more than 12,000 animals in over 100 exhibits that celebrate the Pacific Ocean and its inhabitants. Highlights include the interactive Shark Lagoon, the June Keyes Penguin Habitat, and the mesmerizing jellyfish gallery. Offers comprehensive educational programs, research initiatives, and conservation education.

Located in Newport, Kentucky, just across the river from Cincinnati, this aquarium features thousands of animals from around the world. Highlights include the Surrounded by Sharks exhibit with an underwater tunnel, the world's first and only Shark Bridge®, and the interactive Penguin Palooza with multiple penguin species. Offers educational programs and interactive family experiences.

Located in the historic FirstEnergy Powerhouse on the west bank of the Flats, this aquarium houses both local and exotic aquatic life. The centerpiece is the SeaTube, an 175-foot underwater walkway through a 230,000-gallon shark exhibit. Also features interactive touch pools and exhibits on Ohio's native species. Offers educational programs focused on local and global aquatic ecosystems.