Audubon Aquarium Reopens: Swimming into Summer

By Judi Russell

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	Top to bottom: Visitors enjoy a sea floor view; Aquarium residents; Parrots from the Tropical Rainforest Exhibit.

Some of New Orleans' favorite fish and aquatic animals are back in the swim of things. The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas and Entergy IMAX Theatre are open again after a hiatus caused by Hurricane Katrina. Visitors will be able to see their old favorites plus some new exhibits, and the distinctive building at the foot of Canal Street looks better than ever thanks to $3.5 million in repairs.

The Aquarium, which is the No. 1 tourist attraction in the state of Louisiana, will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 pm. Tuesday through Sunday. The Gift Shop and mini-Food Court are also up and running, although the food shops will serve a limited menu. Ticket prices are $16 for adults, $9.50 for children (2-12) and $13 for seniors (65 and older).

Visitors will see some familiar faces, such as Midas, the 250-pound sea turtle, who was evacuated to the Moody Gardens Aquarium in Galveston, Texas. Midas returned in October to oversee repairs to the Aquarium. Back as well are the 19 penguins and the Southern Sea Otters Buck and Emma, who spent the months after Katrina as guests of the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. Other returnees include several large silver tarpon and two large alligator gar.

Spots, the well-known white alligator, is back in his home in the Mississippi River Gallery Exhibit, and visitors might get a glimpse of him eating his favorites: chicken, fish, nutria and quail.

There will also be plenty of new sea critters. For those who like a scare, the Gulf of Mexico exhibit will have 22 brown sharks, sandbar sharks, nurse sharks and tiger sharks. The exhibit also has 15 huge stingrays.

Another great new addition are the flying gurnards, with pectoral fins that resemble wings. The fish can't fly, but it can walk on leg-like spines, and it can make a grunting sound as well. The Aquarium has also acquired a host of blue runner, a silvery fish that move together in a school.

Many of the new fish in the 132,000-gallon Caribbean gallery are babies donated by other aquariums, turning the exhibit into a kind of fish nursery; repeat visitors will get to watch their favorites grow up. The Caribbean Reef Exhibit features the popular 30-foot-long walkthrough tunnel.

The IMAX Theatre will show three films: Wild Safari 3D, Sharks 3D and a new movie, Coral Reef Adventure.

In July, the Aquarium will open a new interactive children's play area where kids will be able to combine play with learning about the sea and its inhabitants. The area will have an arts-and-crafts cart and a touch pool.

The area around the Aquarium is ready for company as well. When it opened 16 years ago, the Aquarium created a gateway to an area of the Mississippi River that hadn't been seen much in the past. Today, the Moon Walk, the river and the 13-acre Woldenberg Riverfront Park are popular places for families to visit.

Audubon Aquarium closed two days before Hurricane Katrina hit the city on Aug. 29. Although the building had an adequate disaster plan, its generators clogged and didn't work as they should to man the life-support system. Some fish and animals were evacuated, but many died. The building was never flooded but it did suffer roof damage.

Fortunately, many zoos and aquariums across the country donated fish, animals and supplies to help the New Orleans aquarium get back on its feet. Aquarium divers also captured fish for the exhibits. The reopening of the Aquarium marks a major step in the return of the New Orleans tourism industry: the Aquarium attracts about 950,000 visitors annually, and about 425,000 come to see the IMAX Theatre each year.

 

Judi Russell is a New Orleans writer whose work has appeared in New Orleans Magazine, Louisiana Life, Biz, New Orleans CityBusiness and the Times Picayune. She also contributes to NPR.