New Orleans families get two worlds of wonder under one roof at Audubon Aquarium and Audubon Insectarium, the downtown riverfront home at 1 Canal Street where the aquarium and the relocated insectarium now live side by side.
On the aquarium side, the star is the 450,000-gallon Gulf of Mexico exhibit, where sharks, rays, and a longtime resident sea turtle glide overhead as you walk through the glass tunnel. Families can meet African penguins, watch sea horses and jellyfish drift, step into the Amazon rainforest gallery with free-flying birds, and reach into the stingray touch pool.
Then the Insectarium flips the scale: the creatures that pollinate crops and light up summer nights become the giants. Its Butterfly Garden is the happy finale – hundreds of free-flying butterflies from around 20 species float around guests, with the Mississippi River sparkling just beyond the glass. A motion-reactive display wall brings butterflies and lightning bugs to life as visitors walk past.
The Aquarium and Insectarium are open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For a family day that mixes wow, science, and pure delight, this riverfront pairing is hard to beat.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
