Aquarium of the Americas: More Than Just An Aquarium.

   I live about 60 miles south of New Orleans and have traveled many places across the country, seen amazing places in Mexico and Costa Rica, but I must admit there is some amazing stuff practically in my own back yard. The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans is one of those amazing places that will leave you in awe and have you enjoying it more than you would have expected. It is an excellent place to take a friend or a relative for a trip out of the ordinary.

  Located on the Mississippi River near the French Quarter, the aquarium is situated in a glass building that houses a rainforest, many aquariums, and an Imax theater. When you think of an aquarium, a simple massive tank comes to mind, but it is much more than just that, more than just fish. Animals such as otters, alligators, frogs, pinguins, owls, anacondas, and parrots can be found. It is more like a zoo in the way it has its exhibits, which include: Carribean, Amazon, Gulf of Mexico, and Mississippi River. My personal favorites are the Amazon and Gulf of Mexico exhibits.

   The Amazon exhibit was the the highlight of the aquarium, it was truly amazing and it gave you the feeling of being in the middle of the rainforest in spite of being located in a city of over a million people. Under the glass dome a trail leads through waterfalls, tanks with giant catfish, tropical plants and rock formations. The exhibit had many species of catfish as well as a tank with smaller more familiar fish as many of those species such as tetras are popular aquarium fishes at home.

   New Orleans is well renowned for being a unique place, it's the place that you can come back to and experience something totally different even if you go to same place. The aquarium is one of those places, a true gem in the Big Easy. To find some good information about the aquarium, check out the Audubon Institute's page: http://www.auduboninstitute.org/ and see what you can discover at the amazing Aquarium of the Americas.