Public Aquariums for Day Trips or Long Weekends from DC

[globug]

Hi -- I'm new to WAMAS, and I apologize if this has been discussed elsewhere but I couldn't find it.

 

Does anyone have recommendations for public aquariums that are within driving distance from the DC metro area (basically any aquarium that could be included as part of a long weekend trip)?  Obviously, there's the National Aquarium in Baltimore, but are there others outside of the DC metro area that you would recommend?

 

I'd appreciate any recommendations that you may have.  Thanks in advance!

[smallreef]

Good question... There's a small exhibit it the Smithsonians natural history museum...but no other full public aquariums that I know of..close enough that is.....

[howaboutme]

Probably not a day trip but Va Beach Aquarium is very nice and highly recommended.

[globug]

Good question... There's a small exhibit it the Smithsonians natural history museum...but no other full public aquariums that I know of..close enough that is.....

 

Thanks!  The take at the National History is nice.

 

 

Probably not a day trip but Va Beach Aquarium is very nice and highly recommended.

 

Thanks!  Weekend trips are definitely welcome.  I'll look this up.

 

 

 

Any other suggestions, particularly for weekend trips?

[davelin315]

There really are no other aquariums that are close. Your options are really NA in Baltimore for a day trip and then everything else is around 130 miles or more away. There is Adventure Aquarium in New Jersey, the aforementioned Virginia Aquarium and Marine Scinece Center in Virginia Beach and the VLM in Newport News, a few places in Pittsburgh and a few in New York, and multiple places in North and Souh Carolina. Otherwise not really anything else out there...

[lnevo]

While certainly not as close as some of the others mentioned... the Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead is really nice and has some great displays and activities.

 

I'll be posting as soon as I have details on next year's NERAC convention which is held right next door so everyone here as adequate time for planning

[scott3569]

I have been wanting to goto NA in baltimore for a while now..I am in western,va not really wanting to do by myself however..would be nice to go with someone that is interested in it also.

[Coral Hind]

I like the NJ Aquarium that was already mentioned. It isn't as big as some of the others but the exhibits are pretty nice. You could make a weekend trip to Philly and just drive across the bridge into NJ to visit the Aquarium.

[DuffyGeos]

Well there is the National Aquarium in DC......Oh wait they closed that on us. Well just down the road the National Zoo in DC has a great Invert exhibit......oh darn, I forgot, they just took that away from us. So in reality Washington DC has nothing to show children anything about life in the liquid that covers our planet.......sorry, just venting, we have been raped of any good exhibits in the area. Actually some of our WAMAS members have better systems then what the capital of our country has to offer.

[JR-Tanked150]

Go visit some members tanks.

[globug]

Thanks so much, everyone.  These are all very helpful -- especially the long weekend recommendations!

[sen5241b]

The massive fresh tanks in the Amazon exhibit at the National Zoo are worth seeing.

[Grav]

Thanks all for the kind words about the Smithsonian NMNH tank we maintain.  The Amazonia house is very nice, Adam (one of the Reef eScape aquarists) volunteers there and several of our other staff have worked at the Invert house (you did miss something special.) Baltimore National Aquarium is fantastic and the inner harbor is a great place to have lunch in the summer.  We work with the Vet that oversees all of Baltimore aquarium to help manage our in house QT process. 

 

If you want something close, feel free to visit our aquarium showroom during open to the public hours.  No purchase required... just come and look :o)

 

Phil