THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 15, 1996 TAG: 9606210739
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E13 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: SPECIAL EDITION: A VISITOR'S GUIDE TO THE EXPANDED VIRGINIA MARINE
SCIENCE MUSEUM
SOURCE: BY TERESA ANNAS
STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 185 lines
This is the dawning of the age of aquariums.
Well, maybe it's really midday. In any case, aquariums are thriving in America. A 1996 American Association of Museums roster listed 69 facilities that include creatures in water tanks among its attractions.
While brainstorming the new expansion for the Virginia Marine Science Museum in Virginia Beach, staff members traveled the nation to scan what's happening with wet and wild exhibits.
Curator Maylon White visited 17 American aquariums in the past few years. ``Monterey Bay Aquarium was probably my favorite. They focus on Monterey Bay, so their exhibitions and aquariums revolve around that. We tried to do that here,'' White said.
``In general, the ones we liked the most were the ones that dealt with particular themes. And they are usually themes local to their facility.''
When the Virginia Beach museum opened in 1986, it boasted a 50,000-gallon tank filled with big fish found nearby in the Chesapeake Bay.
With the expansion opening today, the museum adds a 300,000-gallon ocean tank destined to house two dozen sharks, a 70,000-gallon aquarium for sea turtles, plus watery habitats for harbor seals and otters.
``We don't have the largest aquarium in the country, but with 300,000 gallons, that puts us in the top 10,'' White said.
The Marine Science Museum is more than an aquarium, he stressed. The attraction also offers interactive exhibits, a nature trail and an IMAX 3-D theater.
Some of the nation's top aquariums, including Monterey's, have called the Marine Science Museum to ask about their interactive exhibits, White said.
``What we are trying to do is to not just be a showcase for animals, but to emphasize certain educational themes. And to use animals as examples of those themes.''
Still, museum-goers clearly love having a dry ringside seat as they gaze at underwater creatures in their exotic milieu. Here's a look at a few of the nation's aquariums:
Virginia Marine Science Museum
Virginia Beach
What's your largest tank? A 300,000-gallon ocean tank for sharks and other species.
How many creatures in how many gallons of water? About 650 creatures in about 750,000 gallons.
What is your theme? Virginia's marine environment
Admission fee (museum only): $5.95 to $6.95
When did you open? 1986. A $36.7 million expansion that triples the museum opens today.
How many interactive exhibits? About 150
Nature trail? Yes
IMAX theater? Yes, IMAX 3-D.
National Aquarium in Baltimore
Baltimore, MD.
What's your largest tank? The Marine Mammal Pavilion contains 1.3 million gallons of water.
How many creatures in how many gallons of water? More than 5,000 animals in 2 million gallons.
What is your theme? Global marine life
Admission fee (museum only): $7.50 to $11.95
When did you open? 1981
How many interactive exhibits? 60 to 65
Nature trail? No
IMAX theater? No
North Carolina Aquarium
Manteo, N.C.
What's your largest tank? An 8,400-gallon tank for nurse, dogfish and sandbar sharks.
How many creatures in how many gallons of water? About 200 creatures in 50,000 gallons of water.
What is your theme? North Carolina waters
Admission fee (museum only): $1 to $3
When did you open? 1976
How many interactive exhibits? Two
Nature trail? Yes, a new trail just opened.
IMAX theater? No
Sea World of Florida
Orlando, Fla.
What's your largest tank? A 7-million-gallon tank contains six killer whales. Sea World claims it has the largest outdoor marine life pools in the United States.
How many creatures in how many gallons of water? The facility has thousands of animals in more than 15 million gallons of water.
What is your theme? This is a theme park with marine creatures from all over the world.
Admission fee (museum only): $32.80 to $39.95
When did you open? 1973
How many interactive exhibits? About 10
Nature trail? No
IMAX theater? No
New Jersey State Aquarium
Camden, N.J.
What's your largest tank? The Open Ocean tank has 760,000 gallons and contains sharks and other species found in New Jersey waters.
How many creatures in how many gallons of water? More than 4,000 animals in nearly 1 million gallons.
What is your theme? Global
Admission fee (museum only): $6.95 to $9.95
When did you open? 1992
How many interactive exhibits? about a dozen
Nature trail? No
IMAX theater? No
The Florida Aquarium
Tampa, Fla.
What's your largest tank? A Florida Coral Reef tank contains local sharks and fish in 500,000 gallons of water.
How many creatures in how many gallons of water? About 5,000 animals in more than 1 million gallons.
What is your theme? Florida marine life
Admission fee (museum only): $6.95 to $13.95
When did you open? March 1995
How many interactive exhibits? Three
Nature trail? No
IMAX theater? No
John G. Shedd Aquarium
Chicago
What's your largest tank? A 2-million-gallon saltwater tank containing dolphins and whales. The staff claims it is the world's largest indoor aquarium.
How many creatures in how many gallons of water? More than 8,000 animals in more than 4.5 million gallons.
What is your theme? Global marine life
Admission fee (museum only): $6 to $8
When did you open? 1930; an oceanarium opened in 1991.
How many interactive exhibits? About 30
Nature trail? Yes, an indoor trail that copies the Pacific coastline.
IMAX theater? No
The Tennessee Aquarium
Chattanooga, Tenn.
What's your largest tank? The Nickajack Lake exhibit includes a 145,000-gallon tank containing the freshwater lake's inhabitants, from catfish to bass. Staff members claim it is the largest freshwater tank in the world.
How many creatures in how many gallons of water? The aquarium houses about 7,000 freshwater creatures in about 400,000 gallons.
What is your theme? The Tennessee River region is the focus.
Admission fee (museum only): $5.50 to $10.25
When did you open? 1992
How many interactive exhibits? None
Nature trail? No
IMAX theater? Yes, IMAX 3-D.
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Monterey, Calif.
What's your largest tank? The new 1-million-gallon ocean aquarium is home to sharks barracuda, giant sunfish and a sea turtle.
How many creatures in how many gallons of water? About 350,000 creatures in more than 2 million gallons of water.
What is your theme? Marine life in the Monterey Bay region
Admission fee (museum only): $6 to $13.75
When did you open? 1984
How many interactive exhibits? About 40
Nature trail? No
IMAX theater? No
Steinhart Aquarium at California Academy of Sciences
San Francisco, Calif.
What's your largest tank? A donut-shaped tank with 100,000 gallons of water. Visitors stand in the middle and watch tuna and barracuda swim in circles around them.
How many creatures in how many gallons of water? The facility has more than 6,000 animals in a total of 250,000 gallons of water.
What is your theme? Global marine life
Admission fee (museum only): $1.50 to $7
When did you open? 1923
How many interactive exhibits? Two
Nature trail? No
IMAX theater? No ILLUSTRATION: GEORGE GRALL
Coral reef at the national aquarium in baltimore
RICK BROWNE
The great tide pool at the monterey bay aquarium by SS