Where can families view the miracles of marine life? In the heart of downtown Dallas, the Gulf of Mexico coast, and a small Texas island.
Texas is known for its cowboys (both real and football), big cities and plains, tangy barbeque and spicy Mexican food, and ranches. Yet, three aquariums are quickly becoming known as family friendly and educational vacation spots.
THE DALLAS WORLD AQUARIUM:
At the edge of downtown Dallas, in what looks like another average warehouse building, visitors to The Dallas World Aquarium will find anything but an average aquarium waiting inside.
The adventure begins as you ride the escalator to the top of the rainforest portion of the aquarium. Through a series of levels, visitors find themselves in a simulated rain forest where indigenous plants and animals live at their proper level.
Along the walkways, visitors begin at the CANOPY LEVEL, viewing the tops of the variety of trees and the waterfall that cascades through the levels into the aquatic level far below. Immediately visitors experience the sights, sounds, and temperature of a tropical rainforest.
A variety of bird species fly through the canopy level, settling on the branches alongside small monkeys. The birds include toucans, rare Helmeted Curassaws, Scarlet Ibises, and more may fly closely over the head of an unsuspecting visitor.
In Howler Junction, visitors hear the loud howls of the red howler monkeys. Along with the howlers, toucans and curassows share this exhibit. A smiling, Three-toed Sloth moves slowly through his home in the trees. The sloth in the Dallas World Aquarium's rainforest is the only one publicly displayed in the United States.
Two stately jaguars, one coal black and the other spotted, both now endangered animals in Texas, laze sleepily behind glass on a tree branch.
Visitors will wind down the walkway into the Understory Level, passing cages of a variety of bugs, poison dart frogs, tiny owls and pygmy marmosets, vampire bats hanging from a simulated cave, and "Ana" the Anaconda. "Ana is easy to find in her watery home since she is fifteen feet long and weighing in at more than 100 pounds.
Along the way, among the trees and waterfall are White-faced Whistling Ducks, Orinoco geese, spoonbills, and Cotton-top tamarins. The lowest part of the level is dedicated to Crocodile Cove, home of two Orinoco crocodiles, the most endangered crocodiles in exhistence. Visitors might arrive at feeeding time for these long-mouthed, many-toothed crocs.
Nearby at the Flooded Forest, a variety of freshwater stingrays and turtles grace the shallow waters representing the flooded banks of the Orinoco River duing the rainy season. Some of the rays are endangered and Dallas World Aquarium workers mention how they are in hope that the stingrays will mate soon.
As visitors leave the upper and lower levels of the rainforest and round the corner, their adventure into the aquarium has only begun. The bottom level of the rainforest, below the river and waterfall is home to Antillean manatees, turtles, Peacock bass, and the largest freshwater fish in the world, the Bony tongue fish. The gentle manatees are popular with guests, whether moving slowly and gracefully in the water or sleeping.
In the main area of the lower level there are aquariums representing the many seas and island areas of the world. Guests can watch the graceful Moon jellyfish from Palau, the Leafy Seadragons from Southern Australia, and the colorful fish from the coral reefs in the only Lord Howe island exhibit in the world.
Visitors walk under a panoramic 22,000 gallon Continental Shelf exhibit where divers may be feeding rays or step outside to visit the Black-footed comical penguins from the tip of South America, some who were movie stars.
THE TEXAS STATE AQUARIUM:
On the Gulf Coast, in Corpus Christi, Texas, families will find a watery adventure when visiting The Texas State Aquarium. This large, educational, tourist friendly, and a source of rehabilitation for creatures of the Texas Gulf Coast has had over 5 million visitors since its opening in 1990.
With the use of education, rehabilitation, and conservation, The Texas State Aquarium provides programs and fun for all ages.
Shows:
Through each day, there are a variety of shows and events.
Watch divers while learning about a local coral reef and its inhabitants at the DIVE SHOW. Learn about what the creatures of the aquarium eat at WHAT'S ON THE MENU? THE BIRD BUFFET lets visitors watch as the aquarium's rehabilitated birds are fed by the animal husbandry staff. Meet one of the resident reptiles at REPTILE REPORT. Or laugh as playful otters are fed an afternoon treat at OTTER'S TREATS.
Want to touch a passing shark? New in late Spring 2001 is the new and improved Shark and Ray Touch Pool.
The Aquarium's Education Department offers on-site programs for pre-schoolers (the SeaSchoolers). And exciting programs for schools provide experts who will visit local classrooms and even bring a sea turtle.
During the summer there are weeklong Sea Camps for grades K-10. Overnight camp-in programs for groups are perfect for schools, churches, or Scout troops.
The Star Touch pool gives visitors a chance to hold a hermit crab, horseshoe crab, pencil urchin, and more. And a 132,000 gallon tank with barracuda, sand tiger sharks, and 350 pound Jewfish.
A new attraction of the Texas State Aquarium is the Texas Trails. It includes a swamp area where visitors can watch Bo, the aquarium's largest American Alligator, being fed. In the aviary, three areas are available to watch raptors, a barn owl, and red-tailed hawks. Cacti native to Texas is found in the garden area.
A popular attraction for 2001 is the special exhibit of Leafy Sea Dragons, the only one in South Texas. This collection of these delicate creatures from Australia will be shown through the end of 2001, courtesy of the Audobon Aquarium of the Americas. SEAHORSE SEATOPIA has 10 exhibits of seahorses and sea dragons.
In Conservation Cove, visitors observe the Aquarium's conservation mission for endangered sea turtles, river otters, birds of prey, and American alligators.
Admission is $9 for adults, $7.50 for seniors over 50, $5.25 for children ages 4-12, and children 3 years and under are free. Parking is $3.
MOODY GARDENS AQUARIUM:
Taking a trip to the Moody Gardens Aquarium, visitors can view four oceans of the world. The 128 foot tall glass pyramid sits alongside the other pyramids of Moody Gardens that hold a rainforest, Imax 3D theatre, Imax Ridefilm, paddleboat, and more.
There are more than 8,000 marine life specimens inside the 130,000 square foot Aquarium, holding 1.5 million gallons of water. These fish, mammals, reptiles, invertabrates, and plans represent the North Pacific, South Pacific, Antarctic, and Caribbean ocean regions.
North Pacific:
From above and below the water, visitors can watch harbor and fur seals at play, along the rocky shore and diving below the water's surface. Nearby is a tide pool showing off anemones, sea urchins, and other colorful marine animals. Visitors will also find a kelp forest showing the underwater world from Northern California to Alaska's gulf.
South Pacific:
Too far to travel to the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea? At this exhibit in the Aquarium, guests can stop at another quiet tide pool and watch its inhabitants, or go to the lower level under the water and find more than 200 species of fish, stingrays, and small sharks.
South Atlantic:
Those fishlike birds in tuxes are King Penguins. Hours can be spent watching them swim and move around this exhibit that was patterned much like their home, the rocky beaches of South Georgia Island.
The Caribbean:
The largest of the Aquarium's exhibits, visitors walk through an underwater tunnel, surrounded by one million gallons of water. In the beautiful coral-covered ocean, visitors are nearby observers of eels, sharks, seabass, snappers, and more.
Behyond the exhibits, more adventure waits with dive shows, guest-to-diver discussions, 'underwater' classrooms in the Caribbean Exhibit, special presentations on marine biology and more, and space for parties and special events, as well as volunteer opportunities.
Admission for various ages ranges from free to $12.00
A trip to one or all of these Texas wild aquariums is an opportunity to view the watery world around us, its inhabitants, and make new family memories.
