The crown jewel of the Inner Harbor, the Baltimore Aquarium's modern architecture impresses almost as much as its 660 species of animals. Approximately 1.6 million visitors flock to the city's top attraction every year to see its 16,500 specimens in an array of environments and exhibits, all of which are dedicated to environmental education and stewardship.
The first of the Baltimore Aquarium's two buildings opened in 1981 on Pier Three, just as the Inner Harbor's renaissance began. Connected by an enclosed bridge, the Marine Mammal Pavilion on Pier Four, site of the Baltimore Aquarium's dolphin show, debuted in 1990. Then in 2005, the Crystal Pavilion addition to the main building made a grand entrance ... literally. Visitors now enter through doors in a three-story, soaring wall of glass. The 65,400-square-foot addition also houses the Animal Planet Australia: Wild Extremes exhibit.
Planning Your Day
The Baltimore Aquarium layout promotes a one-way traffic pattern, which works fine if you expect to see everything from start to finish with no breaks. However, if you have lunch plans or tickets to a dolphin show, a little advance planning can ensure you don’t miss anything. Allot at least 2 1/2 hours to see the whole place. More TipsIf you'd like a more in-depth look at the Aquarium, check out these behind-the scenes tours.
The dolphin show and the 4D Immersion Theater (added in late 2007) are optional experiences. The Aquarium offers a tiered ticket structure that allows Aquarium admission with or without the dolphin show or the 4D Immersion Theater.
Purchase or pick up tickets from the kiosk on Pier Three in front of the main building (the westernmost structure), then enter the main buiding's doors farthest from the ticket kiosk. Members enter the doors closest to ticketing. No strollers are allowed in the building, but the Aquarium lends carriers free of charge at the Stroller Check near the Members Entrance. Lockers, restrooms and an information booth are just past the ticket taker.
An up escalator leads to the Baltimore Aquarium's largest gift shop, the entrance to the main building's exhibits and another escalator up to the Animal Planet Australia: Wild Extremes. Depending on time constraints, it's probably best to check out the Land Down Under first, since you may not be back this way again. This exhibit will take most visitors no more than 30 minutes.
Exhibits
Animal Planet Australia: Wild ExtremesWhile one might expect an aquarium’s exhibit on Australia to focus on the Great Barrier Reef, NAIB’s emulates the sights and sound of the hardscrabble Northern Territory. In this land of extremes, water is either scarce or abundant, depending on the season. But this shifting relationship between the water and the land makes for a fascinating look at the fauna of the world’s largest island.
Before entering the revolving doors into the exhibit, visitors cross a bridge with a magnificent view of the Inner Harbor. Opposite the gleaming glass wall, a 35-foot waterfall cascades to the lobby below.
Simulating the floor of a rocky gorge, realistic-looking rock faces rise up to the glass roof, which is barely visible through the trees. Look up to see flying foxes, fruit bats and more than 30 species of colorful birds. Maybe you’ll spy the colorful frilled lizards lazily sprawled on the rocks. Johnson’s freshwater crocodiles, which are smaller and less dangerous than Australia’s other crocs, and pig-nosed turtles can be found above and below the waterline in the large tanks along the floor.
Main Aquarium
In contrast to the sunny Australian exhibit, light levels are low throughout most of the main building. Visitors move in one direction along a path illuminated with spot lighting. It’s not easy to diverge from the path or to backtrack, so it's best to plan to go through this area without breaks. Allot a minimum of 45 minutes. But depending on the crowds and your pace, it could take much longer.
Main Level: Wings in the Water, a large pool of rays, is the first stop. Frequently divers, doing maintenance or facilitating animal encounters, join the rays in the pool.
Level Two: An escalator leads up to Maryland: Mountains to the Sea, which shows a series of local habitats with creatures ranging from the Maryland’s famous blue crab to the more obscure striped burrfish.
Level Three: A moving ramp that crosses over the ray pool and up to level three, where a display of frolicking puffins greet guests. Visitors follow the exhibits along the wall to a revolving door at the base of an escalator.
Level Four: Head up to the sun-filled rainforest exhibit in the glass pyramid that tops the Baltimore Aquarium. Golden lion tamarins and pygmy marmosets play among the treetops, while piranhas swim in an open tank, and a tarantula lives in a glass-enclosed log. Exiting the rainforest, visitors head back down an escalator and are dropped at the top of a spiral ramp.
Open Ocean Exhibit: Surrounded by an open pool of coral reef fish, the ramp coils down through the depths of shark territory. Tiger sharks and hammerheads are among the species circling visitors as they descend to the Aquarium's lowest level. There they get another peek at the ray pool from under the water before exiting up to the lobby.
An enclosed bridge joins the main building with the dolphin show amphitheater. For more on the Aquarium's dophins, see this photo tour of NAIB's dolphin show. Arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled show time. To stay dry, avoid the “splash zone” seats in the first several rows. More Tips
The audience exits down through the dolphin pool’s underwater viewing area. Upstairs, the nearby touch pool exhibit allows visitors to interact with horseshoe crabs and starfish. Also in this building is Frogs! A Chorus of Colors.
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