The National Aquarium opened on August 8, 1981, at Pier 3 on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, transforming a stretch of declining waterfront into one of the city’s signature attractions. Congress designated it the country’s national aquarium in 1979, even though it was built without federal funding, inspired in part by the success of the New England Aquarium in Boston.
Today the aquarium spans roughly 250,000 square feet and holds more than 2.2 million gallons of water across exhibits ranging from an Upland Tropical Rain Forest to a multi-level Atlantic Coral Reef. It remains a nonprofit institution operated under an agreement with the City of Baltimore, drawing over a million visitors annually to see its collection of sharks, rays, dolphins, and thousands of other aquatic and terrestrial species.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Baltimore, Maryland (Inner Harbor)
- Opened: August 8, 1981
- Size: About 250,000 sq ft; over 2.2 million gallons of water
- Species: More than 750 species
- Animal count: Over 17,000 individual animals
- Annual visitors: About 1.1 million (2025)
- Famous for: Blacktip Reef, Shark Alley, and its Atlantic bottlenose dolphin colony
The Exhibit Experience
Visitors move through a series of immersive environments, starting with a walk-through Upland Tropical Rain Forest housed under a glass pyramid, then descending through the Atlantic Coral Reef and Shark Alley: Atlantic Predators, a 225,000-gallon ring exhibit where sharks and rays circle overhead and alongside guests on a spiraling ramp.
The Australia: Wild Extremes exhibit, which won the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Best Exhibit award in 2008, recreates the Australian outback and river gorge habitats. The Marine Mammal Pavilion is home to a colony of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, while the 265,000-gallon Blacktip Reef showcases an Indo-Pacific coral reef ecosystem.
History and Impact
The aquarium was championed during Baltimore’s urban renewal efforts in the mid-1970s as a centerpiece for revitalizing the Inner Harbor waterfront. Since opening, it has become one of the top tourist draws in Maryland and a major contributor to the regional economy, with recent annual impact reports citing hundreds of millions of dollars in statewide economic activity.
Beyond exhibits, the National Aquarium runs conservation and rescue programs, including an Animal Care and Rescue Center, and participates in habitat restoration projects around the Chesapeake Bay region.
Explore more: Explore more zoos and aquariums.
National Aquarium FAQs
When did the National Aquarium in Baltimore open?
It opened on August 8, 1981, at Pier 3 on Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
How many animals live at the National Aquarium?
The aquarium houses over 17,000 animals representing more than 750 species.
How much water does the National Aquarium hold?
Its exhibits contain more than 2.2 million gallons of water across roughly 250,000 square feet of facility space.
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Photo: Matthew Binebrink / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.