Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk facts for kids
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| Date opened | July 16, 1988 |
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| Location | Norwalk, Connecticut, CT |
| Land area | 140,000 sq. ft. |
| Coordinates | 41°06′04″N 73°24′59″W / 41.101°N 73.4164°W |
| No. of animals | 2,700 |
| No. of species | 300 |
| Annual visitors | 500,000 |
The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk is a cool place to visit in Norwalk, Connecticut. It used to be called the Maritime Center.
This aquarium is home to many amazing animals. You can see harbor seals, river otters, and sharks. There are also jellyfish and loggerhead turtles. All these animals live in habitats that look like their homes in Long Island Sound. You can even touch some creatures! Three special tanks let you gently touch stingrays, nurse sharks, crabs, sea stars, and moon jellies.
The aquarium also has a giant IMAX Theater. Its screen is super tall, like a six-story building! It also has an awesome sound system.
Besides the exhibits, the Maritime Aquarium offers fun learning programs. You can go on boat rides on their research vessel, the R/V Spirit of the Sound. They also have special events and camps all year long.
Contents
What is the Maritime Aquarium's Goal?
The Maritime Aquarium wants to help everyone learn about Long Island Sound. They want us to appreciate and protect this important ecosystem. They also teach us about the global environment. They do this through their living exhibits, science programs, and environmental education.
How Many People Visit the Aquarium?
The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk is one of Connecticut's most popular places to visit. About 500,000 people come each year. Around 100,000 of these visitors are from New York state. The aquarium helps Norwalk's economy by bringing in about $25 million every year.
The aquarium gets money from ticket sales and visitors from other states. They also earn money from educational programs. Their gift shop, catering, and special events like weddings also help. People also give donations to support the aquarium.
A Look at the Aquarium's History
The Maritime Center first opened its doors on July 16, 1988. In July 1996, its name changed to the "Maritime Aquarium." This new name helped people know it was a place with live animals.
The aquarium was built inside an old iron works factory from the 1860s. They also added the IMAX Theater. When you walk through some parts of the aquarium, you can still see the original wood floors and beams from the old factory! The first animal exhibits included harbor seals, an open ocean tank, and a touch tank.
The aquarium used to have a boat-building program. Kids could learn to build boats there. This program ended in 2007. It was replaced with a new Marine Lab. This lab has baby seahorses, jellyfish, and other new animals. It also teaches about growing seafood, choosing sustainable seafood, and caring for home aquariums.
Important Dates in Aquarium History
- 1991: The aquarium added a new "Featured Exhibits" area. This space was about 7,000 square feet. The first exhibit there was "Real Sea Monsters." It showed extinct sea creatures like Kronosaurus.
- 1994: An outdoor exhibit space was added along the Norwalk River. This area had bleachers for summer shows. It opened with a "Birds of Prey" show.
- 1995: The "Jellyfish Encounter" exhibit opened. It was tricky for the aquarium to display these delicate animals. Jellyfish are about 95 percent water!
- 1996: The "Maritime Center" became "the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk." This change showed that live animal exhibits were becoming more important. The River Otters and Ray Touch Pool also opened this year.
- 2001: The aquarium expanded into another factory building. They turned 33,000 square feet into a new Environmental Education Center.
- The "Giant Sea Turtles" exhibit opened. It had a 15,000-gallon habitat.
- A new main entrance made it easier for visitors to come in.
- A new Oyster Hall opened for groups and lunch. This helped organize busloads of students.
- New high-tech classrooms were added. These rooms had multimedia tools and wet lab facilities. This helped expand the aquarium's educational programs.
- The Cascade Cafe opened with seating for 180 people.
- The gift shop moved to a bigger space.
- 2006: The Touch Tank was moved and made much better. It now looks more natural and is easier for visitors to access. Volunteers helped pay for this new tank.
- 2007: "Frogs!" opened as a new permanent exhibit. It shows amphibians from Long Island Sound and other parts of the world. Amphibians are important because they can show us when the environment is changing. The small boat building shop closed this year.
- 2008: A Great White Alligator was displayed in the outdoor exhibit space during the summer.
- 2009: A temporary outdoor exhibit of African Penguins opened.
- 2010: A temporary Meerkat Exhibit opened.
- 2012: "FINtastic RefurbFISHment" was revealed. It featured new sea life and hands-on exhibits. The white alligator also returned for the summer.
In recent years, the Maritime Aquarium has focused on teaching visitors about Long Island Sound. They also do scientific research on the animals living there. This includes counting and tagging horseshoe crabs. They also count harbor seals every year. The aquarium helped create a Long Island Sound Biodiversity Database. This database is open for everyone to use.
In 2006, the aquarium joined the SeafoodWatch program. This program helps people choose seafood that is good for the environment. It supports fishing practices that can continue for a long time.
What Can You See at the Aquarium?
The Maritime Aquarium is about 140,000 square feet. It has over 177,000 gallons of water in its animal exhibits. You can see more than 2,700 animals there! These animals represent over 300 different species.
As of 2019, some of the exciting exhibits include:
- "Just Add Water"
- "Journey with Jellies"
- "Harbor Seals"
- "River Otters"
- "Shark and Ray Touch Pool"
- "Ocean Beyond the Sound"
- "Sea Turtles"
- "Jiggle-a-Jelly"
