Admission was provided free of cost to me in order to facilitate this post. This post has not been monetarily compensated. Please note that, as always, any personal opinions reflected in this post are my own and have not been influenced in any way.
On the waterfront in Camden, just across from Philly, sits the Adventure Aquarium. Travel Channel considers Adventure Aquarium as one the best aquariums in the US, rating it as one of the two best in the east. I’d never been there until this year and was happy to receive the opportunity to go and check it out. After our arrival at the aquarium one of the first things we saw was a stingray touch pool. Some of the species inside included Cownose Rays, Southern Stingrays, Leopard Whiprays , and Yellow Stingrays. CJ delighted in being able to touch the stingrays, it was a blast seeing a look of amazement on his face.
Moving on we found the Kid Zone. This is an area designed especially to encourage young children to get up close and enjoy themselves exploring and learning. Here you will find a number of displays including live coral reef, fish, eels, seahorses, turtles and more. Along with exhibits designed to make it easier for children to see there are places where children can just have fun and play.
Outdoor we found penguins. Aquarium visitors are welcome to stay for feeding time. There were probably 15-20 penguins when we went and it was interesting to see how they all handled themselves a little differently at feeding time. There were staff members monitoring and recording everything the penguins ate. Next to the penguins we found our favorite creature from this trip – an armadillo. He was so cute and cool! We were able to touch him while he was inside his shell. He did peek out and give us a better look at him as well, he was surprisingly more social then I would have expected.
The Adventure Aquarium is full of different species including sharks, turtles, stingrays, fish, crab, lobster, eels, shrimp, snails, starfish, anemone, jellyfish, and much, much more. There is a floor to ceiling viewing window and a suspended shark tunnel that visitors can walk through, both of which gives visitor a unique view of the sharks.
The newest area at Adventure Aquarium is Hippo Haven. This exhibit features two Nile hippos, Button and Genny that weight over 3,000 pounds each. The hippos were sleeping while we were there, which made us a bit sad because they just looked so cute. Even though they were sleeping it was easy to see how big they were because the exhibit is built so you can see them from both above and below the water.
Here’s a slideshow containing some of my favorite photos from out day at Adventure Aquarium. If you don’t have time to watch the slideshow now, pin the starfish below so you can view at your convenience.
Adventure Aquarium is located at 1 Riverside Drive, Camden, NJ 08103.
Adventure Aquarium is open 365 days a year. Extended hours are available during certain times of the year, so be sure to check their calendar when planning your visit.
A ticket is required for admission. There are several different types of tickets available. Pricing for a one day ticket is currently:
- Adult Admission: $25.95 (Ages 13+)
- Child Admission: $18.95 (Ages 2-12)
- Children under 2 FREE with paying adult
If you have a family or are planning on visiting several times you would probably want to consider purchasing an annual pass in order to save money.
I’d definitely like to return to Adventure Aquarium again. If you’re in New Jersey or even parts of Pennsylvania it’s worth the trip and a nice way to spend a day with the family.
What is your favorite thing to see at the aquarium?
CONNECT
Adventure Aquarium website – Adventure Aquarium on Facebook – Adventure Aquarium on Twitter
You guys get to do some really cool things! Your slide show pictures are rocking awesome. I can’t even pick a favorite, but I do love the turtle!
Oh, you got to see the penguins. My daughter took me here in January, and the penguins were not being shown because it was too cold for them. Can you believe that – too cold for a penguin! Ha! Actually, I want to go back there next year.
Looks like a lot of fun. I liked scuba diving and seeing the “aquarium” in the ocean. 🙂
I ;pie sea horses. That picture of the armadillo unexpected in an aquarium is fascinating.
What a fun place to visit and get hands on experience. So much joy in the kids faces.
I’ve never held a live armadillo before! Didn’t know they curled up like that – so cute!