Audubon Aquarium sits on the banks of the Mississippi River at the edge of the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana. It opened on September 1, 1990, as the Aquarium of the Americas and quickly became one of the city’s signature family attractions, drawing visitors past the historic riverfront and into a world of Gulf sharks, Amazonian piranhas, and Caribbean reef fish.
In 2023, the aquarium completed a major renovation that merged it with the neighboring Audubon Insectarium, reopening in June 2023 as the combined Audubon Aquarium. Today it’s operated by the nonprofit Audubon Nature Institute, which also runs the Audubon Zoo and several other Louisiana conservation facilities.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
- Opened: September 1, 1990 (reopened June 2023 after renovation)
- Hours: Open daily, 10 AM to 5 PM, with last tickets sold at 4 PM; hours can shift for holidays, special events, or weather, so check the Audubon Nature Institute website before visiting
- Size: About 6 acres along the Mississippi River
- Largest tank: About 400,000 gallons (Gulf of Mexico exhibit)
- Species: Several hundred species and thousands of animals
- Famous for: Merged aquarium-and-insectarium campus with a walk-through Caribbean reef tunnel
The Exhibits
Audubon Aquarium’s galleries are organized by region and ecosystem. The Caribbean Reef exhibit lets visitors walk through an underwater tunnel surrounded by tarpon and angelfish, while the Gulf of Mexico exhibit, the aquarium’s largest tank at roughly 400,000 gallons, holds sharks, sea turtles, and stingrays.
Other galleries include a climate-controlled Amazon Rainforest habitat with macaws, piranhas, and anacondas, and a Mississippi River exhibit featuring catfish, paddlefish, and a leucistic (white) alligator. Since the 2023 renovation, the aquarium also shares its building with the relocated Audubon Insectarium, adding butterflies and insects to the visitor experience.
Audubon Aquarium Hours & Visiting Info
Audubon Aquarium is open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM, with the last tickets sold at 4 PM. Hours are subject to change for holidays, special events, or weather, so it’s worth checking the Audubon Nature Institute’s website for the current schedule before you go.
The aquarium sits at 1 Canal Street, within walking distance of the French Quarter, and admission is typically bundled with the attached Audubon Insectarium. The facility has weathered real adversity to stay open on this schedule: a catwalk collapse in August 2002 sent several visitors into the shark tank, and Hurricane Katrina in 2005 killed most of the aquarium’s fish when backup power failed, even though the building itself survived structurally. It reopened in May 2006 as part of the city’s broader recovery, and its 2023 renovation carried that resilience into a new era.
Explore more: Explore more zoos and aquariums.
Audubon Aquarium FAQs
What are Audubon Aquarium’s hours?
It’s open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM, with last tickets sold at 4 PM. Hours can change for holidays, special events, or weather, so check the Audubon Nature Institute website before visiting.
How many animals live at Audubon Aquarium?
The aquarium is home to thousands of animals representing several hundred species, from Gulf sharks to Amazon piranhas.
Where is Audubon Aquarium located?
It’s located at 1 Canal Street in New Orleans, Louisiana, along the Mississippi River at the edge of the French Quarter.
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Photo: ajay_suresh / CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.