Visiting the Greater Cleveland Aquarium has been on our bucket list for awhile.  We finally made the trip last weekend and realized we should have went a long time ago!  It was such a fun and educational experience and we all had a great time.

The aquarium is located in the FirstEnergy Powerhouse in the Nautica Entertainment Complex.  I especially loved that the owners elected to keep the charm of the building by incorporating the exposed brick walls, smokestacks, steel girders and arched brick tunnels into the aquarium decor.

The Fish and Marine Life at the Aquarium

There are 35 tanks of various shapes and sizes located throughout the aquarium and quite the selection of fish and marine life. And because a picture is worth 1,000 words, here are some shots of our favorite exhibits.

These turtles were sitting so still on their log.  We watched them for quite a while and they never moved.  There were also a number swimming in the pool below.

The stingrays, neon tetras (I used to have those in my fish tank as a child), and the piranhas in the exotic freshwater exhibit.

The beautiful floating fins of the Lion Fish.

The creepy looking moray eels that were intertwined amongst the cracks and holes in the coral.

The enormous 11,000 gallon touch tank where we were able to touch a horseshoe crab, a sea urchin, starfish and a variety of stingrays.

We also found out first hand that the stingrays are known to splash on occasion.  My husband and daughter came away from the experience a little wet, and I got a good laugh at it all!

The cute little clownfish (a.k.a. Nemo).  If you look closely at the picture above you'll notice a small red cluster about the size of a nickel on the rock in the background.  One of the clownfish appeared to be fanning it.  Which led us to wonder if they were eggs.

And of course, the shark tank was also a big hit.  The tank is huge and includes an underwater walk-through tunnel.  As you walk through the tunnel, the sharks and other fish swim all around you.

While we were at the Shark Tank, there were divers in the tank cleaning the coral.  Check out the shark in the picture above.  It is literally swimming merely inches away  from the divers, and they didn't even flinch.  Yikes!  Had we stayed a little longer we could have even watched them feed the sharks.

Of course, these are just a handful of the fish you will see at the aquarium.  If you haven't visited yet, I suggest planning a trip soon.

The Greater Cleveland Aquarium
2000 Sycamore Street Cleveland, Ohio 44113
855-602-3040