Discover the best zoos and aquariums across the country. ThrillZing covers admission, must-see exhibits, animal encounters, and reciprocal membership tips for every major zoo and aquarium — plus the latest news from the world of wildlife attractions.
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/ August 16, 2026
Leningrad Zoo opened in 1865 in Alexander Park on St. Petersburg’s Petrogradskaya Storona, founded by Sofia and Julius Gerhardt as a private zoological garden. It is one of the oldest zoos in Russia and the most northerly of the country’s major zoos, and today it…
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tz
/ August 16, 2026
This list ranks the 25 oldest zoos in the world that are still operating as of August 2026 — ranked by the year each institution first opened its gates to visitors as a zoo. Charter dates and royal menageries that never became public zoos don’t…
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tz
/ August 15, 2026
Adventure Aquarium sits on the Camden Waterfront along the Delaware River, directly across from Philadelphia. The facility traces back to 1992 as the New Jersey State Aquarium and reopened under its current name in 2005 after a major renovation led by Herschend Family Entertainment, which…
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tz
/ August 15, 2026
The Tennessee Aquarium sits on the banks of the Tennessee River in downtown Chattanooga, where it has anchored the city’s riverfront since opening its first building, River Journey, on May 1, 1992. A second building, Ocean Journey, followed on April 29, 2005, expanding the complex…
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tz
/ August 15, 2026
The Aquarium of the Pacific opened on June 20, 1998, on a 6-acre site along Rainbow Harbor in Long Beach, California. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, it was built to showcase the biodiversity of the Pacific Ocean, from…
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tz
/ August 14, 2026
National Aquarium Denmark, known locally as Den Blå Planet (The Blue Planet), opened in March 2013 in Kastrup, just outside Copenhagen, replacing a smaller aquarium that had operated in Charlottenlund since 1939. Designed by Danish architecture firm 3XN, the building’s distinctive whirlpool-shaped form has won…
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/ August 14, 2026
Two Oceans Aquarium sits at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa, taking its name from its unique location where the cold Atlantic Ocean and warmer Indian Ocean currents converge along the Cape coastline. Opened on 13 November 1995, the aquarium has grown into…
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tz
/ August 13, 2026
L’Oceanogràfic is a vast oceanarium in Valencia, Spain, forming part of the City of Arts and Sciences complex in the dried-up bed of the Turia River. Opened on February 14, 2003, it was designed by architect Félix Candela, with structural engineering by Alberto Domingo and…
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/ August 13, 2026
Sea Life London Aquarium sits inside the historic County Hall building on the South Bank of the River Thames, directly across the water from the Houses of Parliament. It opened on 28 March 1997 as the London Aquarium before Merlin Entertainments acquired it in 2008…
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tz
/ August 13, 2026
Nausicaá Centre National de la Mer opened on May 18, 1991, in the coastal city of Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France, on a site once occupied by an old casino. Designed by architect Jacques Rougerie, it was developed as a national project dedicated to scientific and…
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tz
/ August 12, 2026
SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium is a public aquarium on the eastern side of Darling Harbour in Sydney, Australia, just north of the Pyrmont Bridge. Opened in 1988 as Sydney Aquarium, it showcases the marine life of Australia’s waterways alongside global species, drawing large numbers of…
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tz
/ August 12, 2026
Mystic Aquarium is a marine life aquarium in Mystic, Connecticut, that opened on October 6, 1973. Founded with industrialist Kelvin Smith as its primary early shareholder, the aquarium was sited on the Connecticut shoreline for its scenic coastal setting and maritime heritage, and it now…
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/ August 12, 2026
Clearwater Marine Aquarium is a nonprofit marine rescue and rehabilitation facility on Clearwater Beach, Florida, built in a former water treatment plant. What began in 1972 as the Clearwater Marine Science Center has grown into one of the best-known aquariums in the country, driven by…
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tz
/ August 11, 2026
Vancouver Aquarium opened on June 15, 1956, in Vancouver’s Stanley Park, becoming Canada’s first public aquarium. Over the decades it grew into the largest aquarium in Canada and one of the five largest in North America, drawing visitors into galleries devoted to Pacific Canada, the…
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tz
/ August 11, 2026
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada opened on October 16, 2013, just southeast of the CN Tower in downtown Toronto, becoming one of the city’s most visited attractions almost overnight. Built at a cost approaching CA$130 million, the aquarium spans roughly 135,000 square feet and houses more…
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tz
/ August 11, 2026
S.E.A. Aquarium opened on 22 November 2012 as the centerpiece of the Marine Life Park at Resorts World Sentosa on Sentosa Island, Singapore. Built around a colossal main tank and an acrylic viewing panel that was once the largest of its kind in the world…
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tz
/ August 10, 2026
The Lisbon Oceanarium, known locally as Oceanário de Lisboa, opened in 1998 as the centerpiece of the Expo ’98 world’s fair and has since grown into one of the largest indoor aquariums in Europe. Built on a pier in an artificial lagoon within Parque das…
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tz
/ August 10, 2026
Chimelong Ocean Kingdom opened on March 29, 2014, on Hengqin Island in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, China, as the marine-life centerpiece of the sprawling Chimelong Ocean Kingdom Resort. Designed by PGAV Destinations, the park set five Guinness World Records on opening day, including a title it…
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tz
/ August 10, 2026
Ocean Park Hong Kong opened on January 10, 1977, on the southern coast of Hong Kong Island in Wong Chuk Hang, making it the territory’s second-oldest theme park. Spread across roughly 226 acres (91.5 hectares) of hillside and waterfront, the park splits into a Waterfront…
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tz
/ August 9, 2026
Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo opened on November 4, 2008, inside the Dubai Mall, instantly becoming one of the largest suspended aquariums on Earth. Its centerpiece is a viewing panel that once set a Guinness World Record as the largest acrylic panel ever made, measuring…
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